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I Stereotypes and Signifiers of Cultural Change: Situating Disney

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I Stereotypes and Signifiers of Cultural Change: Situating Disney Stereotypes and signifiers of cultural change: Situating Disney presentations of mental health conditions as feminine by Hayley Taylor Markovich A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty of Auburn University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Communication Auburn, Alabama May 7, 2018 Keywords: health communication, mental health, women, stereotypes, Pixar, animation Copyright 2018, by Hayley Taylor Markovich Approved by George Plasketes, Chair, Professor of Communication and Journalism Andrea Kelley, Assistant Professor of Communication and Journalism Elizabeth Wilhoit, Assistant Professor of Communication and Journalism i Abstract The purpose of this paper is to study portrayals of mental health conditions in animated children’s film, situating them as feminine. Specifically, it aims to add to the understandings of Disney-Pixar’s portrayals of mental health conditions and the resulting cultural stereotypes. This paper utilizes a content analysis of three Pixar films with female lead characters from the 2000s and 2010s. Additionally the methodology draws on a diachronic total history as described by Klinger (1997) in order to study these films as larger cultural objects of influence, in the conversation between mass media and mental health portrayals. Conclusions can be drawn about whether Disney-Pixar’s presentations of mental health conditions and female characters reflect, parallel, or deviate from the cultural views of the time period. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank everyone that has helped me along the process of the past year on my way to completing this thesis. First, thank you to my chair, Dr. George Plasketes, for his time, knowledge, and guidance. His interest in popular culture and its components gave me a strong foundation for this project. Next, thank you to my committee members. This project first began in Dr. Andrea Kelley’s Historical, Critical and Descriptive Methods of Communication Research class and continued to grow in her class on Screen Cultures. Her knowledge of film as a cultural text and her encouragement was invaluable to the creation of this thesis. Dr. Elizabeth Wilhoit’s insights and encouragement were also of great help, and I appreciate her willingness to help me with a project outside of her typical research interests. All of these individuals have helped me grow academically and personally during my time at Auburn University and for that I am extremely grateful. Lastly, thank you to my own family. I would not be where I am without the support of my mom, dad, and brother. Thank you for believing in me during all parts of this process, for your support, and unconditional love. I do not know where I would be with out it. iii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 4 Film and Popular Culture ....................................................................................................... 4 Studying Film .................................................................................................................. 4 Popular Culture and Stereotype ...................................................................................... 6 Disney Studios ...................................................................................................................... 7 Disney in the Film Industry Today ................................................................................. 7 Disney and His Animations ............................................................................................ 8 Disney’s Victorianism and Modernism .......................................................................... 9 Previous Studies of Disney Films ................................................................................... 10 Women ................................................................................................................................ 13 Female Stereotypes in Films ......................................................................................... 13 Women in Disney Films ............................................................................................... 14 Mental Health ...................................................................................................................... 16 The Stereotype of Madness ........................................................................................... 16 Mental Health, Disney, and His Films .......................................................................... 17 Women’s Mental Health ............................................................................................... 19 iv Chapter 3: Methodology ........................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 4: Finding Dory ........................................................................................................... 27 Film Analysis ................................................................................................................ 27 Total History ................................................................................................................. 40 Chapter 5: Inside Out .................................................................................................................. 55 Film Analysis ................................................................................................................ 55 Total History ................................................................................................................. 65 Chapter 6: Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 79 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 83 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 86 Implications ................................................................................................................... 92 Future Research ............................................................................................................ 93 References ................................................................................................................................. 96 v Chapter 1: Introduction According to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2015a), there were approximately 43.4 million American adults, age 18 and over, that had any mental illness. Any mental illness can range in impact from no impairment, to mild impairment, or disabling impairment of major life activities. The NIMH (2015b) further reports that in 2015, about 9.8 million American adults had significant mental illness. This is defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in serious functional impairment, which interferes with one or more major life activities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2012), an estimated 13% of children aged 8 to 15 had a diagnosable mental health disorder, across all categories, in the last year. In terms of children’s mental health the most common conditions are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at 8.6 percent, followed by major depressive disorder at 2.7 percent (CDC, 2012). These are important statistics to consider because they show that a significant proportion of the American population currently has, or has experienced a mental health problem. There is a negative stigma regarding mental health conditions that affects how others perceive those with the lived experience of a mental health condition. These stigmas are often perpetuated through media representations. Disney-Pixar has built an empire anchored in the medium of animation. Animated film can provide the viewing audience an outlet for understanding people and popular issues. One way that animated movies, specifically Disney and Pixar films, have functioned in this capacity is the changing representations of mentally challenged characters. In fact, Pixar Animation Studios is celebrated for its willingness to give 1 disability, especially mental health challenges, high profile exposure via the character of Dory from Finding Nemo and Finding Dory (Heady, 2016). Overall, mental health professionals laud the change in presenting characters with mental health problems (Heady, 2016). The introduction of characters that are explicitly identified as having a mental health conditions is worth noting because Walt Disney films have historically blurred the line between fiction and reality, madness and sanity. While representations of mental health conditions in Disney films have become more positive and accurate, Disney-Pixar, like earlier Disney films, still falls victim to common film tropes that continually present mental health struggles as ‘feminine.’ This gendered depiction of mental health conditions
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