Beauty and the Beast: what messsage does it send to boys and girls?

We all know the story of Beauty and the Beast. The version we are most familiar with is that of Disney. At first glance it might just seem like what it is, a fairy tale cartoon adaptation, which is what Disney does so well. But is there a message worth examining a little closer? It was the first animated film to me nominated for an Oscar after all. 

When I first was took a look at the movie (I was watching it with my girlfriend, don't judge me) I noticed how Belle is ridiculed in the little town she lives in for being so into books. This is clearly shown in the film's opening musical number "Little Town." What? Women can't read? Nowadays, it seems that more women read then men, at least when it comes to fiction. I read something recently that studies show more women read then men with an average of nine books a year versus five. I can't put my finger on why, but it seems like reading is considered to be unmanly nowadays, that you should instead watch an action movie. But since this is story book land set in what seems to be 1800's France, back when women weren't allowed to go to college, I can see how it would be considered strange for her to be such a bookworm. But this is BEAUTY and the Beast, so she is pretty good looking. Her name is "Belle" which translates to beautiful.

 At first I was thinking, okay, this movie is telling us that she needs to be more girly, more worried about keeping herself pretty and finding a handsome husband. But as the film went on I realized that it is trying to send a much different message to both young men and women. First of all, the premise of the story is that "The Beast," as he is referred to, was once a handsome young prince. He was extremely vain and proud of himself. When someone who appeared to be an old hag appeared at his doorstep asking for shelter from the rain he refused to help her. Turns out, she was a beautiful witch. She cast a spell on him that made him turn into a beast like man in punishment for his arrogance. In order to reverse the curse he has to make someone love him for who he is. 
Basically, the message here is love someone for whats on the inside, not whats on the outside. 

Male arrogance and focus on good looks are continually punished throughout, not just with the premise of the story but for example, the character Gaston, who is obsessed with marrying Belle.  Gaston is essentially a "man's man."
He's attractive, muscular with "with biceps to spare" and not to mention, "every inch of him's covered in hair." He represents the ideal man, complete with three groupies that swoon over him constantly during song. Yet somehow he can't get Belle to fall in love with him.

When Belle ends up in the Beast's castle, at first shes terrified by his appearance and lack of manners. He's stronger than an ox and meets every situation with anger and physicality, not unlike the action heroes of today, like one of my favorites, John Mclane. But all of these qualities don't do him any good. Why? Because he's fallen in love with Belle and no matter what he does he can't physically get her to fall back in love with him. So what must he do? Become tame.
  He has his castle servants, who have all literally turned into household objects, dress him and show him how to be polite, stand up straight like a man. He must learn good table manners and etiquette in order to win Belle over. What does he give her instead of good looks? Something Gaston, the manly man would never even think of. An enormous library.

What this says to girls is, you have the control. Yes, a man could physically force you into doing something you don't want to. There's no doubt that men have more upper body strength and are bigger then women. But, women have the power of influence. Belle is terrified of Beast at first, but eventually realizes she can counteract his anger with words. She refuses to let him keep her in the castle, that is, unless its on her terms. They form a stockholme syndrome-like relationship and the closer they get, the more Beast shows his emotions and how vulnerable he really is. Personally, I find Belle a better role model for girls then say, Snow White for example. Snow White needed a man to come rescue her from her sleep. Belle on the other hand, rescues Beast from his curse.

What it says to boys is a little different. Lets face it, sex sells. Want the cleavage? Trim yourself up and get some manners. Oh, and don't forget to show some emotion. Girls like to see you vulnerable every now and then. I actually think this is positive, even if subconsciously it's about sex. Instead of saying, okay, being muscular and arrogant is good in this case its a bad thing. In the end of the film Gaston, who is handsome, dies and Beast lives. So instead of rewarding the old version of masculinity, it punishes it. Beast, who has shown us his sensitive side is the one who gets the girl in the end. Then of course, the curse is lifted and what was inside that big, ugly beast? This guy: 
 



The idea that a woman could influence a man in such a way is indeed, a tale as old as time.