Ella Evolving: Cinderella Stories and the Construction of Gender-Appropriate Behavior

Discourses of Masculinity and Femininity in The Hunger Games: "Scarred," "Bloody," and "Stunning"

“…Although girls may at times be shown to engage in active roles, their femininity too often continues to define them (Taber & Woloshyn, 2011b, Diekman & Murnen, 2004, Jackson & Gee, 2005. For instance, young women in fairy tales typically have been portrayed as beautiful passive victims who need to be rescued by strong males from ugly evil crones (Bacchilega, 1997;Baker-Sperry & Grauerholz, 2003;Parsons, 2004;Trousdale & McMillan, 2003; for discussion of associated complexities see Haase, 2004;Harries, 2001). Heterosexist representations such as these are found in genres as diverse as diary cartoon novels (Taber & Woloshyn, 2011a), horror fiction (Heinecken, 2011), fantastical realism (Waller, 2004), novels about sisterhood (McInally, 2008), and award winning literature (Taber & Woloshyn, 2011b).…”

“…While these female characters may be viewed as role models, they also can serve as cautionary tales; girls and women who contest heteronormativity may do so at their own risk. Despite the complex ways in which women navigate their own lives in reality, in children's literature, they are too often "divided with the designation of 'good' or 'evil'" (Parsons, 2004, p. 137), "benefactor...or... harmful, menacing presence" (Pérez Valverde, 2009, where good benefactors are consonant with emphasized femininity and evil "demonizing" (Parsons et al, 2008, p. 317) presences are consonant with those who refuse to conform.…”

Video “Reading” and Multimodality: A Study of ESL/Literacy Pupils’ Interpretation of Cinderella from Their Socio-historical Perspective

“…Using a synergy of multimodal presentations such as multimedia technology, sound and visual effects, and appealing visual images, Disney videos reproduce social values, including issues of gender roles, subjectivity, and agency (Parsons 2004;Weedon 2000). Also, the high-tech nature of the videos provides children a space in which ''adventure and pleasure meet in a fantasy world of possibilities'' (Giroux 1999 p. 54).…”

“…Disney videos are used across California as an important material for teaching millions of pupils, regardless of ethnic and language backgrounds (Ajayi 2010;Parsons 2004). Despite enormous debate regarding issues of stereotype and evidence of patterns of bias in gender roles and social representations in such videos, how children interpret Cinderella in real-life ESL/literacy classrooms has not been given sufficient attention in literacy research.…”

“Writing Will Keep You Free”: Allusions to and Recreations of the Fairy Tale Heroine in The House on Mango Street

“…The significance of this analysis rests in the recognition that the literature and lives of women of color are often marginalized within discussions of feminist literary criticism in children's and young adult literature. While a number of recent articles attest to the development and refinement of feminist literary theory and feature re-readings of fairy tales in order to do so (Joosen, 2005;Marshall, 2004;Parsons, 2004), fewer articles have incorporated discussions of literature featuring heroines from diverse cultural backgrounds or theoretical frameworks attuned to racial and ethnic diversity. I suggest that incorporating culturally attuned theoretical models, like Latina feminism, and discussion of a diversity of ways that gender is enacted and shaped by race, culture, and ethnicity, can enrich the field of feminist literary criticism and may also help facilitate the continuing creation and diversification of feminist heroines within children's and young adult literature.…”