Coming soon to Disneyland: The Innoventions Dream Home, a vaguely futuristic house where the technology is futuristic (sort of)and the gender roles are, well, sadly predictable.
We know Disney has a lot invested in traditional gender stereotyping. These two rooms in particular look very much like the next step in thrusting outdated expectations for boys and girls into the future:
Younger Son's Room Robbie has a room that would be the envy of any adventurous kid. His bed is a pirate ship, complete with onboard cannon. In the manner of all great Disney attractions, the room combines the latest technology with classic storytelling. When a family member takes a seat by the bed and begins to tell the story of Peter Pan, the story jumps off the pages. Everyone in the room is immersed in the story with special effects, including video that appears on the ship's sail and the surrounding walls. Tinker Bell may even breeze past some of the room's fixtures, causing them to shake and tinkle. The bed-cannon can shoot holes through the virtual clouds, just like the cannon on Captain Hook's ship.
and:
Teen Daughter's Room At her desk, the Elias family daughter can connect with friends or her favorite entertainment... But she may be spending much of her time in front of the Magic Mirror, a virtual mirror that projects accessories, hairstyles, and the clothes from her closet onto her reflection, fitting the styles to her body so that she can try out different 'looks' as she prepares for her brother's party. Tip: Watch as she holds the dress up for consideration. The virtual skirt even sways as she twirls around!
Boys, the house dictates, are supposed to be adventurous. They want to be part of an exciting story. They read, and the story comes to life in front of them. The boy's room values imagination, adventure, and reading. The boy's bed has a cannon on it (okay, let's not get too far into that one).
The daughter, on the other hand, at her "original 1940s vanity," (see official site) is not part of a story. She is the story, a character whose only job is to try on clothes at her mirror. Instead of watching a story unfold, the girl is trained to watch herself, to edit herself and give herself an acceptable appearance before she leaves her room. Unlike her brother's, this girl's story is isolating (there are no other characters; she is singled out) and essentialist (she has one story line and set of motivations to conform to). And by focusing on the daughter's appearance, it reinforces the idea that what is important about a woman is her body, not her mind or imagination (even at Disneyland). Teaching girls that they have control over their appearances instead of their lives- not cool, Disney. Definitely not cool.
I won't even get into these charming details: "If Mrs. Elias puts a bag of flour on the counter, the computer voice of 'Lillian' will provide recipes and instructions to prepare the meals." Oh, and "the actors who populate the Dream Home are encouraged to steer all tough technical questions back to "Dad" who knows to direct all interested parties to manufacturer websites." (see resmagonline.com)
Now, I grew up on Disney. And yes, I still watch some of those classic movies with not a little affection. But what I would really love to see, sometime before I have a daughter to raise, is an end to half-hearted nods to gender equality (see: Mulan) and a real move toward something more empowering.
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I find it interesting that even though Younger Song has a name (Robbie), Teen Daughter doesn't. At least in the snippets you quoted.
Ugh.
Wow, yeah. Good catch. Reading over the press release again, they mention the son's name at least four times. I can't find the daughter's name anywhere, not in the press release or other sections of the official site.
And, of course, the whole storyline of the exhibit is based on celebrating Robbie's soccer accomplishments...
I find this really disturbing. You think, with all the criticism Disney gets for the way they depict women, they would hire someone with a brain to go over these things with them. There isn't even an ounce of that that isn't blatantly sexist.