In this blog I will be critically analyzing the film Beauty and the Beast. I will focus mostly on gender roles, but will also be looking at social class. I will examine the absence of any non-white characters or homosexual relationships.
When I was a small child, I watched this movie at least twenty times. I saw myself in Belle, as a little girl who didn’t quite fit in and loved to read and ask questions. I saw the love story as something to strive for, I saw that if someone wasn’t quite right then I could fix them! I also saw that people could be very cruel to those who are different.
Now, when I watch this film I am aware of my own social location and social identity. I am a middle-class white female who can identify with the main character in the film, who is also a middle-class white female. I had a privileged childhood, as you can see in the above image from my breakfast, new pajamas, and book bought brand new, just for me. The privilege I had as a child allowed me the opportunities that put me in the social location I am in today. The lens that I watch this film through is tainted by my previous life experience and learning.
Critical Review 