The poster allowed me to see where the changes in female character design began to occur. In the nineties, more cultures and races were explored, but the bodies and faces were still limited to the same, tall, slim form. From the 2000s onwards, while skinny characters were still being created, we began to see a wider range of body types emerge. The designs themselves were also more experiential and unique.
In class, we learned about the process of triangulation.
Jerome Vincent, an author for Medium, criticises the unrealistic body standards in animated films in his article, "The Unrealistic Body Image in Many Famous TV Animations" (2017). Films and television series that are aimed primarily at children will often be criticised if the main character is morally ambiguous or a potentially bad role model for younger viewers to look up to. Vincent argues however, that characters shouldn't only be criticised for their actions but also for what they say about positive body image, "this form of media can lead to eating disorders among kids who […] do not fit the unrealistic body image of their favourite princess". Vincent goes on to argue that directors and animators should be held responsible for creating these unattainable standards as the designs could be potentially very harmful to a young, impressionable audience, "these characters have an influence in our lives […] what do they portray about a healthy body image?". Catriona Harvey-Jenner, a reporter for Cosmopolitan shares the same concerns in her article "Disney Princesses get given realistic waistlines and - oh look - they still look great" (2014) where she praises the work of artist Loryn Brantz who edited images of animated female characters to look healthier and more realistic. Harvey-Jenner believes it's imperative for young girls that "a message of unattainable thin-ness isn't sent out as an image of the most desirable body shape" and rather designs should encourage healthiness over skinniness. Both articles provided examples mainly from films that came out in the 1980s and 1990s however there were cases for films that came out more recently, one being the live-action "Cinderella" (2015) film where actress Lily James, despite being naturally thin, wore an extremely tight corset which restricted her from eating solid food. It was so tight that many believed her waist had been animated.
Vincent holds the animators responsible for these artistic decisions, arguing that they shouldn't always follow what society deems acceptable at the time as this can lead to creating harsh biases against something that has been stigmatised, "because of the rise of the stigma against being overweight and obese, it is believed that being impossibly thin or having an incomprehensively thin waistline is socialy acceptable and aesthetically pleasing". He believes creators of such content should be more representative and instead should shine a more positive light on those who don't fit the mould, "it is hard for kids to understand what is healthy or not, but they can see what is stigmatized vs. socially acceptable".
However, should these controversial choices fall directly on the artist or are these decisions merely made because the outcomes are more aesthetically pleasing? An audience may argue that the designs for characters from the 1980s and 1990s, even if they aren't what young children should be looking up to, may be more appealing to look at. Even the silhouettes of characters from then to now are arguably more recognisable and portray more character than more recent character designs. Vincent admits that "one of the goals of the movie animator and director is to make the screenplay as aesthetically pleasing as possible".
Bibliography:
Cinderella (2015) Directed by K. Branagh [Film]. California: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Harvey-Jenner, C. (2014) Disney Princesses get given realistic waistlines and - oh look - they still look great. Available at: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/news/a30901/disney-princesses-given-realistic-waistlines-look-amazing/ (Accessed: 3 November 2019).
Puckering, C. (no date) Artist Creates 'Realistic Disney Princesses' and the Pictures Are Amazing. Available at: https://twentytwowords.com/artist-creates-realistic-disney-princesses-pictures-amazing/ (Accessed: 3 November 2019).
Vincent, J. (2017) The Unrealistic Body Image in Many Famous TV Animations. Available at: https://medium.com/@jmvincent12/the-unrealistic-body-image-in-many-famous-tv-animations-80e02d0dbd1e (Accessed: 3 November 2019).
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