Gender Stereotypes in Modern Movies: Beauty and The Beast

How can a simple color such as pink or blue change people’s perspectives on your sexuality? This is a common example of a gender stereotype that is showed by many people from adolescents to adults. This is an unfair issue in modern society because there shouldn’t be a certain standard every gender has to live up to and there are many more stereotypes that affect the world. Many movies usually display different gender roles that are very common and relatable issues in reality because that is how movies make sales and attract audiences.

In the contemporary day, gender roles for men and women such as how they should act, how they look, or what they should do with their lives are unfair because all genders should be allowed to do what they please while not having to conform to society’s ‘laws’, and without getting judged by their peers and elders.

For example, in the 2017 film Beauty and the Beast, Gaston is presented as a tall, attractive and strong man in which all the woman in the village are madly obsessed with because this is what they look for in men. On the other hand, Gaston’s wingman, Lefou is portrayed as a short, overweight man who is not liked by many women, even though he is much nicer than Gaston. This shows one of the most common stereotypes where men are expected to be strong and handsome, which shows your ‘manliness’ and that this is the only way women will follow you around and fall in love with you. This is unfair because many males cannot achieve that appearance and this lowers many males self-esteem that do not look like Gaston or any other film character that Hollywood portrays as an attractive man.

Furthermore, women are meant to be loving, caring, and beautiful as Belle displays in the film. She is a sweet and selfless girl who loves the world and everyone in it, but also wants to do things for herself because she is an independent person. As a woman, she is expected to stay home to take care of her father while he works. This is because the common gender role in the working environment, past, and present is that women should stay home while men go out and work because men are more superior than women. This is not fair to because women should be able to achieve their dreams just like men and not be considered selfish by others when they want to pursue their own life. Everyone deserves to fulfill their own self potential and not be held back because of their certain gender. At last, men are considered selfish and cruel because of the stereotypes modern society teaches us. For example, in Beauty and the Beast, Gaston sees Belle more as an object, than a woman and thinks she is someone who will do anything for him, just like the other girls that are following him around town. On the other hand, Belle is an independent woman who will let no man take control of her. This displays the common stereotype that men are more attracted to the physical aspect of a woman than their personality, while women think the opposite. Another example, the Prince Adam, or ‘the beast’ throws castle parties and only wants the most beautiful people to attend the dance.

Also, when the old and poor lady shows up at the castle to gain shelter from the storm and offers the prince a rose, the prince laughs at the lady and declines. This shows the stereotype that men are unkind, cruel, and have ‘no love in their heart’. The last example of men showing cruel personality is when the Beast gives the cold shoulder to everybody and is intimidating to others. In conclusion, gender roles are still a big part of modern society, and movies do not do a good job in trying to eliminate those gender roles. There are many different kinds of gender stereotypes from certain colors to personality traits. No matter the gender, each person is unique in their own way and should not have to conform to society’s thinking’s and rules. This is an unfair issue that needs to be resolved or it could get worse for the future generations to come.

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