Jasmine and Monroe

One of my all-time favorite Disney movies is the story of Aladdin – I was always left awestruck at the idea of a character like Princess Jasmine. She represented, to me, the ideal woman. One who was beautiful, smart, and cunning enough to trick Jafar. Looking back at it now, I can’t help but feel like Jasmine was a character with so much wasted potential simply because she was a woman. I’m pretty sure everyone knows which scene I’m referring to when I say that the portrayal of Jasmine near the end was oddly sensual for a kid’s movie – the red outfit paired with the overly exaggerated dance moves were all enough to have me bristling and on edge. I couldn’t help but compare her to another, very much so real, figure: Marilyn Monroe.

A true diamond in the rough, she filmed 29 movies in a 16-year time span and yet there are only two things that people remember her for. The first is her iconic skirt image – I don’t think I need to elaborate on the sexualized nature of that image, but I will mention that the image was taken by a male photographer and Monroe was only 20 years old when it was pasted on the front of every newspaper article. A young woman trying to protect her innocence became the “sex bombshell” of America overnight. All because of a simple photo. The second is her characters – or rather the way she portrayed them. In almost every movie she filmed, Monroe played the role of a dumb blond who found happiness when she was finally tied to a man. By constantly casting her in this form, directors glazed over Monroe’s true talent as an actress.

In the same way that I believe Jasmine could have been portrayed as a stronger woman who stood up to Jafar’s mistreatment in a way that doesn’t sensualize her, I also think that Marilyn Monroe had an immense amount of talent and potential that was wasted on trying to make her a sex icon. In some way or another, every woman should have the opportunity to be able to utilize the entirety of her talent and not be forced to confine into what society expects of them. 

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