5: Reading Culture - Children's Media and the ‘Always/Already’ of Ideology
- Page ID
- 270737
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Children’s media—by nature of the intended audience—is often thought of in somewhat neutral, apolitical terms, but the reality is far different; in this chapter, we will use the Walt Disney Company as a case study, showcasing the myriad ways the children’s media act as purveyor, promulgator, and instructor of ideological lessons.
- 5.1: “Damsels and Heroines - The Conundrum of the Post-Feminist Disney Princess” | Cassandra Stover
- A reading from Cassandra Stover which traces the evolving ideological positionings of the Disney princess archetype and investigates the larger, real-world influence of the genre.
- 5.2: Reading Disney - Classroom Activity
- ‘Mouse Under The Microscope’ - a class activity exposing students to a host of historical and contemporary examples meant to highlight not only Disney’s ideological power and prevalence, but the ways in which ideologies evolve, change, and alter over time (hegemonic negotiation).
- 5.3: Reading Disney - Assessment
- ‘Exploring Childhood Ideologies’ - a guided short-response assignment which has students return to a media artifact from their youth, thinking about what ideological ‘lessons’ it might’ve taught them.


