DCOM: Disney’s Deconstruction of the ‘Man Box’ (CC BY-NC)

Sade Miles

Disney is often observed for its depictions of gender stereotypes in its films. For years scholars have had Disney Princesses under a microscope as the basis for Disney’s sexist portrayals. Disney plays a large role in the lives of kids and teens; this leads to much concern over what images are being portrayed. Although creators have worked to make more modern Princesses less “damsel in distress” and more “warrior princess,” we continue to see undertones of gender biases within their films. Are children getting the right message? In the essay, “Gender Stereotypes and Sexism in Disney Movies: Analyzing Disney Movies During a Pandemic in the Backdrop of Gender studies”, Krishna Priya states “While considering movies, Disney movies have a special consideration as these movies target the youth and plant certain ideas and concepts about social culture into the vulnerable minds of children.”

With great consideration of this statement, I have used Krishna’s theory and applied it to Disney’s male characters. As important as it is for us to highlight the “denigration” of the female image (Priya R., 2022), I think it is also important for us to view the male image from that same lens. She states “Here the male protagonist i.e, the prince is portrayed as strong, decision-makers, and brave warriors and is a true depiction of masculinity and manly vigor.” Although some might see that as coming out on top, is it possible that those same stereotypes can be harmful towards the same males they are ascribed to? What does that image say to young boys about their image of themselves?

This essay will tackle those same gender norms and misrepresentations written in previous essays about Disney Princesses; however, we will step away from the wonderful world of our beloved Disney Princesses and Princes and shift our focus to Disney Channel original movies, or what I will be referring to as, the DCOM Universe. Here I will be analyzing Disney’s male characters and how they are represented within society to answer the research question, how can gender stereotypes be hard or harmful to the development of young men? We will explore this by examining how DCOM male characters are treated when they violate social norms and analyze how Disney addresses this issue. 

Gender Norms and Stereotypes

         Before we can identify gender stereotypes in Disney films, we must first know what they are. Gender roles are an idea in society about the way one is supposed to act, speak, and dress according to their sex (Planned Parenthood). For example, women are expected to wear dresses and have a more domesticated role, which is similar to the way Snow White is presented by cooking and cleaning the dwarf’s home in exchange for shelter. Guys are expected to be strong providers and leaders. The ideas can vary between different cultural groups and can change over time, but this leads to gender stereotypes.

Gender stereotypes are assumptions placed upon individuals according to their sex. (United Nations) It is derived from gender roles, which act as a standard, therefore the stereotypes act as the reinforcer of said roles. Take, for instance, men and the expectation to engage in sports, be aggressive, and show little to no emotion. They are expected to be strong and only partake in activities that express that strength, anything outside of that realm is seen as feminine and thus, frowned upon. Planned Parenthood defined gender stereotypes as a “widely accepted judgment or bias about a person or a group— even though it’s overly simplified and not always accurate.” It can cause unfair treatment of people and is usually displayed through personality traits, domestic behaviors, occupations, physical appearance, hyper-femininity, and hypermasculinity. These stereotypes are oppressive and can be detrimental to the development of an individual both socially and mentally, making it harder for people to truly reach their potential.

The social constructions that are gender, gender stereotypes, and gender norms, were created to identify and thus categorize individuals based on their biology and physical capabilities, however, there is a bias to this type of thinking. Masculinity has been created to refer to the behaviors and the traits of a man, such as his activities, views of sex, and the way he interacts with the opposite sex. Being masculine most importantly means not engaging in activities that are considered feminine. 

The Man Box

Researchers define these stereotypes as “The Man Box,” seven pillars that define what makes a “real man.” (MensLine Australia). The Man Box was created to define masculinity. These traits reinforce the stereotypes of how men are expected to behave.  These traits in full consist of, self-sufficiency, acting tough, physical attractiveness, rigid masculine and gender roles, heterosexuality and homophobia, hypersexuality, and aggression and control.

The media’s depiction of males and masculinity can have the same oppressive effects as the stereotypical images of women. The report “If He Can See It, Will He Be It?” examines the messages incorporated in entertainment media for boys between seven to thirteen. Surveys from the study have shown men have expressed feeling pressure from their family and peers to fit those expectations. 3 in 10 men reported receiving pressure from their romantic partners and male peers. Although not all men identified with these traits or messages, 59% of men in the U.S. and 59% of men in Mexico reported being taught by their parents to refrain from expressing feelings of nervousness and fear. Below is a chart of the ‘Man Box’, provided by the ManKind project.

In the article If He See It, He Will Become It? it states “Documenting and understanding media content is critical, because television is more than just a source of entertainment; it is also a powerful communicator and teacher of cultural norms and values.” So, what is Disney teaching? 

Enter the DCOM Universe  

Disney Channel Original Movies were introduced to the Disney Canon in 1983 on Disney Channel as “Disney Channel Premiere Films,” until it was changed to “Disney Channel Original Movies” in 1998. (Disney Wiki) These were live-action films that typically targeted a more tween/teen audience than their animated films. The DCOM universe explored different types of movies including, true stories that were meant to teach you about triumph and history, action and adventure, mysteries, comedies, and musicals. In DCOM films, you could often see their characters partaking in activities that go against their gender norm. For this research I will be taking a look at three respective films known for tackling those gender stereotypes, High School Musical (2006), Jump In (2007), and Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003), to prove how Disney constructed some of their male characters.

DCOM’s Male Image

         Disney plays an important role in the content it presents because of the impressionable minds of its audience. In the article Gender Stereotypes and Sexism in Disney Movies: Analysing Disney Movies during Pandemic in the Backdrop of Gender Studies, Krishna Priya R. states that “film not only entertains children but influences them in molding their characters. So, the portrayal of gender in film has a great significance in modern society.” Disney has been suspected to plant seeds and messages within their movies to give ideas about concepts of social culture (Krishna, 2011). This theory can be applied to the messaging presented in the three films that will be analyzed. For Krishna’s research, she notes that characteristics of interest of study will include the traditionally masculine, these traits include being brave, athletic, and strong, and traditionally feminine characteristics such as being helpful, nurturing, and emotional. My research will observe these same traits and see if they are present in DCOM characters.

         This same code was conducted and further studied in Isabell Gill’s analysis of Disney Princesses. When the results returned, it was noted that modern Princesses possessed more traditionally masculine roles than the earlier Princesses, such as Snow White and Cinderella. For my research, I used the chart of masculine and feminine traits that were used in both studies and applied them to characters Troy, Izzy, and Eddie. It was documented each time a character possessed a gender trait listed, and the discrimination they faced from their family and or peers. The goal of the study is to provide insight into the societal issue of gender stereotyping and how it has impacts on young men. The goal is also to present how Disney addresses these issues, and if the messages they present are helpful or harmful to the young audience. 

Study: Media Analysis

Methods 

For the study, we will be comparing “The Man Box” study and “The Code” study conducted by researchers Decartes, Krishna, and Gill. For my research, I will be referencing the chart below which was provided by Isabelle Gill in her study, Feminist Figures or Damsels in Distress? The Media’s Gendered Misrepresentation of Disney Princesses. I will be documenting the traits each DCOM character displays through his actions. This will then be charted and observed.

High School Musical

Troy Bolton is the popular star basketball player at East High who finds interest in the upcoming school musical. Troy tries to hide the truth of his double singing life from his dad and his teammates, as he’s afraid they won’t understand and that he’ll probably face humiliation. For a young man, the act of being in a musical is respected far less than being an athlete. When callbacks are released, Troy’s cover is blown, and his team and best friend Chad are not happy about this. Neither is his coach who just so happens to be his dad. Troy’s dad and Chad try to remind Troy of his place. They both say things like “You’re a hoops dude, not a musical singer person.” “You’re not just a guy, Troy. You’re a leader. You’re a playmaker, not a singer.” To which he replies, “Did you ever think maybe I could be both?”

The story seems to be less about gender norms and more about the disruption of social order since he is presented as the school jock that wants to cross over to the musical theater. This leads to others revealing that they too have secret talents and passions that differ from their respective social groups. Here we find out Zeke, Troy’s fellow wildcat teammate, loves to bake. 

Troy is forced to make a choice, basketball or singing. This leaves Troy torn since he loves both. It’s not until he receives support from his dad and team that he is able to dedicate himself to both things that he loves. Troy is my main focus here, although I have also taken note of side characters, Ryan and Zeke for also having “feminine” traits tied to their characters. As previously mentioned, Zeke loves to bake, which is something considered feminine. Ryan, who is an actual theater kid, is eccentric. He is shown in a vibrant, sometimes bedazzled fashion. He sings, dances, and only hangs out with his sister, unlike the other guys who have other male friends. 

I’ve taken the message to be, boys can also enjoy things that are seen as feminine. They don’t have to be the star athlete all of the time. They’re multidimensional and shouldn’t be criticized for that. And more importantly, if you are that kind of boy, or were that kind of boy at the time, the storyline encourages it and shows you that it’s okay to be who you are. You just have to have the courage to do so, no matter what anyone else says. “Be true to your heart.” A common Disney theme.

 Jump In

This film dives into the life of Isadore “Izzy” Daniels. The son of a former Golden Gloves boxer. Izzy is well known and is following in his father’s footsteps, like the aforementioned Troy Bolton. He and his little sister are being raised by their single, widowed father. There are scenes of him attempting to cook and doing his sister’s hair. All responsibilities that were once left up to their mother. Izzy’s two best friends are brothers that make jokes about people doing anything out of their gender norm. For example, Tammy (a friend of Izzy’s) is introduced as the “girl boxer” in the film. They constantly clown her for being a girl, with one of the boys responding to Tammy’s comment about being ready for practice with “Ready for what, there’s no ballet classes here.” A jab at her being a girl. Izzy also has to take his sister to a double-dutch competition, the friends make the remark “Don’t you have to wear a tutu or ballerina outfit.” 

At the double-dutch competition, they see their neighbor Mary and her group compete, and this is how double-dutch is introduced to him as something more than just a little girl game. He enjoys watching the competition, although his sister constantly calls him out for each burst of enthusiasm and likeness for the sport he expresses. Jumping rope is something girls do. Boxing is a “man” game. 

Mary and her girls, down a member of their team, need a replacement. Izzy jumps to prove that double-dutch isn’t as hard as they make it seem and turns out to be really good at it. His skill as a boxer made jumping double-dutch an easy task. This inspires the girls to ask Izzy to join the team. When he declines the offer, Mary comments “You scared your boys will laugh at you?” He agrees after some convincing but immediately makes it known that it has to be a secret. This doesn’t last long as he slowly gets found out, first by Tammy who agrees to keep his secret as long as he agrees to stop making girl boxer jokes. Next by his arch nemesis Rodney, the neighborhood bully. Rodney captures pictures of Izzy jumping in hopes of humiliating him. It works too. Izzy hides that he’s jumping double-dutch from his “boys”. 

Photos surface and everyone laughs at Izzy. They call him a “loser” and his friends say things like “you look really pretty.” or “girly man likes to jump rope.” Rodney adds fuel to the fire by saying “I went with the pink. Nice touch, don’t you think?” All references to jumping rope are seen as something only girls do. Mary reinforces throughout the entire movie that double-dutch is also a sport, and competition is a real thing. This is important because Izzy clearly carried a lot of the same ideas about jumping rope as his peers.  

His sister tells their dad that he’s been jumping rope, this leads to a heated conversation between him and his dad where he reveals he doesn’t love boxing anymore, and that he was only doing it to keep him happy. Izzy is forced to decide, and he chooses to participate in the double-dutch competition anyway. There he’s supported by his friends and family. They win, shifting the narrative of jumpers only being a girl thing. He makes a comeback to his friend in the film, stating, “Just because she’s a girl, doesn’t mean she can’t box. Just like guys can do other stuff too.”

The goal with these characters was to depict them partaking in activities usually reserved for the opposite gender while keeping their own genders intact. Boys do this, girls do that. The dad joins in on the double-dutch fun at the end, showing his complete acceptance. 

Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off

This film begins with Eddie Ogden. Baseball star at his school. Eddie is known as one of the best players in their town. He gained a lot of popularity for this. His talent and skill inspired his dad to aim big for his son. He decides it would be smart for Eddie to take baseball more seriously in hopes of getting a scholarship, but Eddie has other things on his mind. He has a secret love of cooking. After tricking his friends into joining Home Ec., he is eager to learn new cooking skills, but every time he expresses this excitement, his best friend laughs, teases, and judges him. His brothers also make “girlie” jokes while his father finds it to be a distraction from his practice, so he keeps it a secret. He denies it whenever he is caught showing interest in cooking, or he’ll change the subject completely. Eddie secretly registers for the Million Dollar Cook-Off, a televised cooking competition, for a chance at a culinary scholarship. And when word gets out that he is accepted as a finalist, instead of getting congratulations, he is laughed at and taunted at school. His father and best friend show blatant disappointment and his brothers bully him. He faces isolation and rejection until he quits cooking and decides to shift his focus back to baseball. This makes everyone happy, but him. After his friends and family realize how much it means to him, they support him, and only then does he follow his dreams.

Results:

For my analysis, I made a chart of masculine and female traits that were used in Isabelle Gill’s research and applied it to characters Troy, Izzy, and Eddie. After observing each character, I documented which traits were most present. This analysis was based on their hobbies, how they interacted with friends and family, and how they dealt with obstacles.

Character Trait Results:

The study correlates back to earlier statements on male characters on television. In these films, Disney did not write their male characters in the image of arrogant, egotistical, aggressors. They are not even written as heroes. In the films, the boys seemed to possess just as many feminine traits as the masculine traits listed. The boys appear a bit sensitive, although there are characters in these movies that do perpetuate the “masculine” stereotype by exhibiting aggression, such as Rodney (Jump In) and Eddie’s brothers, Andy and Alex. The main characters appear to be the opposite. They were written as more sensitive and nurturing characters. You can see this in the way they interact with their family members and friends. Eddie expresses the least amount of assertiveness out of the three. He appears to be a bit more willing to bend to the will of others for approval. They are all physically attractive and make little to no effort in their appearance. I listed the boys as troublesome. They don’t intentionally cause trouble; however, it seems they tend to get in more trouble the more they try to avoid the truth of their passions. They don’t exhibit any real emotions. There are moments of frustration and sadness, but there are no tears or crying. They all openly ask for help when it is needed, and Eddie also gives it as well. They all possess leadership roles.

There were some other common themes present, the characters had an aspirational father that wanted their kid to follow in their footsteps. One father wasn’t an athlete in his youth, at least as far as we can tell, but he still wants his son to succeed in the game. All of them were coaches. The girls and women in their lives are usually more understanding. (Sisters, mothers, girlfriends.) They are also more supportive. Men and boy characters are typically more critical. They see these activities as lame, a waste of time, and feminine. They reinforce harmful stereotypes and poke fun. The boys are often not listened to by those around them. They usually pressure the main character to follow their role or face isolation and being ostracized. The boys usually give in and conform for the comfort of other people. Neglecting their own feelings.

Gender stereotypes are born from an overgeneralized perception of how boys, girls, men, and women should behave and what roles they are expected to play in society. (United Nations) This stereotyping can be harmful to an individual’s development as it threatens to limit a man or woman’s abilities, or in this case, a boy or a girl. It denies them the space to explore and excel at activities they may find interest in. This is demonstrated within the characters. Troy, Izzy, and Eddie all experience this in some form. The lack of support from their peers and family discouraged them from doing something they truly enjoyed. 

  At the end, Troy, Izzy, and Eddie appear to teach the other men in their lives something about themselves. Perhaps, it’s okay to love other things. It’s okay to take a step out of the box and be good at something unconventional. It was the support of their friends and family that helped these characters reach their full potential. When there was support, we could see our characters going for the things they wanted, fully embracing who they were as individuals, and doing what they loved with the people they loved. This is another common theme you can see in their movies. 

Conclusion: 

Krishna, Gill, and Descartes have devoted extensive research to the portrayal of women in Disney films, they also have had an idea of the way male characters are portrayed. Although their theory does not apply to our main characters, they offer a vital starting point for analysis. Disney’s reputation for misrepresentation of gender remains prevalent in more animated films, I believe we can learn more from Disney and their other content. There is very little information on the male image in media, but we can source a lot of the negative stereotypes by looking at the “Man Box” and analyzing more deeply what it is doing to boys and young men.

Troy, Izzy, and Eddie are clearly the few characters that stand outside of the box by exhibiting more “feminine” traits than their other Disney counterparts. Perhaps this was Disney’s way of maintaining a cleaner image of boys for their younger audiences, however, I believe it is a starting point for other images of boys and young men on television. Disney has not solved this issue, in fact, I believe it brought the issue to the forefront, it shone a light on the issues of toxic masculinity and stereotyping. As we continue to explore male representation in the media, we can be more mindful of the narratives that are told of boys and young men. We are able to see how negatively they can impact a young man and stifle his growth and exploration. I don’t believe this is a case of life imitating art, but rather art imitating life. The ideas of society can impact future generations to come. 

 References:

R. Priya, Krishna, May 2022, Vol 8, Iss 12. Gender Stereotypes and Sexism in Disney Movies: Analysing Disney Movies during Pandemic in the Backdrop of Gender Studies. https://www.ijirt.org/master/publishedpaper/IJIRT155117_PAPER.pdf

Blackstone, Amy. Aug 2003. Gender Roles and Society

England, Decartes, Collier-Meek. Feb, 2011. Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-011-9930-7

If He Can See It, Will He Be It?: Representations of masculinity in Boys’ Television. https://seejane.org/wp-content/uploads/if-he-can-see-it-will-he-be-it-representations-of-masculinity-in-boys-tv.pdf

Gill, Isabelle. Feminist Figures or Damsels in Distress? The Media’s Gendered Misrepresentation of Disney Princesses, Young Scholars in Writing. 13 (2016)

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