![]() Upon discovering his true parentage, Hercules embarks on a journey to restore his godhood by becoming a “true hero.” Shortly after a multiple-year training session with Phil the satyr, Hercules encounters Meg for the first time and saves her from a monster. The movie centers on Hercules, born a god but changed into a mortal and left on Earth by minions of the evil god Hades. ![]() This essay includes an in-depth feminist media analysis of Hercules with a specific focus on how Meg’s physical appearance, personality, romantic relationships, and agency work to construct gender in the movie, as well as how this construction interacts with the idea of post-feminism. Meg’s position as both powerful and subjugated establishes her not as a feminist character but as a member of a post-feminist Disney universe in which her quips and perceived agency tell us that feminism has “won” and is no longer necessary while her enslavement to men reminds viewers where women really belong. Though the gender roles in this movie are “less obviously prescriptive” and are more complex than other representations, Hercules, like contemporary and later Disney films, “continues to portray traditionally limiting images of gender” (Towbin et al. Meg is not restricted by the princess genre and is often touted as an empowering Disney feminist however, despite her apparent independence, she still lacks agency and enforces traditional views of gender, much like the princesses of her time. Hercules was released in the midst of the “Renaissance” princess era, in which the princess “fights against her patriarchal system” yet “still reinforces many of the same old values” (Higgs 2016, 66). Thus, this movie has the opportunity to influence both boys’ and girls’ perceptions of gender roles in ways that princess movies may not. Hercules offers an interesting opportunity for analysis because the lovable male lead and the presence of a very strong and prominent female character allow it to be considered a “gender neutral” film. Though not a princess movie, Disney’s Hercules is a movie with a prominent female character: Meg. Disney princesses are especially well-known, and have historically presented very limited and narrow definitions of femininity (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, & Tanner 2003). The Disney corporation and its characters have become household names that need little introduction or explanation. It concludes that Meg’s dialogue in the movie is used to characterize her as a strong, independent, and feminist character while her actions simultaneously continue to promote traditional gender roles and expectations, and that this interaction contributes to the creation of a fictional post-feminist world in which feminism is no longer necessary. ![]() This essay includes a feminist media analysis of Hercules, focusing specifically on how Meg’s physical appearance, personality, romantic relationships, and agency work to construct gender in the movie, as well as how this construction interacts with the idea of post-feminism. However, Meg still lacks agency and acts within the confines of traditional gender roles, thus reinforcing stereotypes about gender while seemingly subverting them. Meg, the female lead, is often touted as a feminist character and praised for her independence from men. Disney’s Hercules, which features both a strong male lead and a strong female lead, has the potential to appeal to, and therefore influence, a larger group of child viewers than the more gendered movies, such as the traditional Princess movies.
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