I am a disney fan, as a lot of people I know are. I love the kid friendly content that also sometimes has adult humor mixed in; the cute sidekicks and comic relief; and so many heartwarming stories about love, friendship, and finding yourself. However, there is one thing Disney has always lacked. Take a look at some of their most beloved characters and couples, and see if anything stands out to you.
All white, cis gender, unrealistically skinny, and straight. Granted, the company as a whole has come a very long way but they have long struggled with diversity and inclusion. The majority of notable and big role human characters, specifically princesses, are still predominantly white, all have the same (very skinny and oddly proportioned) body type, and there still has not been a big film that features a non straight romance.
As I was pursuing Disney Plus, I came across a show that I had seen mentioned on tik tok, being either applauded or berated for a few scenes it included. The show is called “Baymax!”, created by writer Don Hall, and it features six short episodes around ten minutes each of the adorable healthcare robot Baymax, famously from the movie “Big Hero Six ”, helping different people in their respective predicaments. As I was watching the third episode, I was shocked. The third episode follows a 12 year old girl named Sofia through her day at school, when suddenly, she gets her first period. Baymax the robot comes into the bathroom to help her and explains that what she is experiencing is completely normal, and then he offers to go to the store to get her some menstrual products. First of all, it is completely unheard of for Disney to be openly talking about periods, which have historically been a taboo topic. For them to base a whole episode on the subject of menstruation shows big progress. When Baymax is talking to the frazzled Sofia, he says, “It is common for people to feel embarrassed, fearful, or uncomfortable, with the subject of menstruation. But it is just biology. It is nothing to be ashamed of.” This quote is so refreshing, because talking about periods has become a thing to avoid doing. It has often become something used to shame or embarrass women, instead of something that should be normalized and even empowering. Having even just a short spin off episode on this subject is a huge step in the right direction for Disney.
Even more huge progress is shown in Disney’s diversity and inclusion in the scene when Baymax is at the store in the pad and tampon aisle. Baymax is confused on what product to buy so he asks a woman near him for help. Once she offers her suggestion, lots of different people start chiming in letting the robot know which products they recommend. One of the people to chime in is a man wearing a shirt that is striped with the colors of the transgender flag, and he lets Baymax know that he prefers the pads with wings.
While the scene is only about 20 seconds long. It is the first time Disney has had a trans person in their content. The casualness of the scene shows the progress even more, because it simply shows a trans man doing a mundane task, the attention is never directly surrounding his trans-ness, and it shouldn’t be, because it should be accepted that men can have periods too. For those of you that don’t have Disney +, here is a link to the short scene:Baymax goes Shopping for Tampons.
This episode, but especially this scene, caused immense outrage among some viewers, being labeled as “woke nonsense” by our very own Republican North Carolina Congressman Dan Bishop. Many parents also expressed their anger by tweeting about how this scene would make their kids uncomfortable and asking what the reason for this scene was:
The truth is, the audience for this show is kids. It is a PG rated show, meaning that kids probably as young as toddler age are watching this. Toddlers are not going to watch this scene and shout about how disturbed they are that a man is buying pads. Toddlers are going to watch this show and laugh at the adorably hilarious robot, and wish that he was there to help them with their medical needs. If a child is uncomfortable watching this scene, it is because they have been taught that it is wrong to speak about your body, and that it is right to judge what other people are doing with theirs.
While Disney obviously still has a long way to go, this small mini series is a big step in the right direction in terms of recreating and redirecting the conversation around gender, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and inclusion, especially for young kids.
(This is a post text side note: I highly recommend watching the rest of the series of “Baymax!”. It is adorable and heart warming and also includes an episode (episode 4) featuring an absolutely precious gay love story that made me tear up with happiness because it is just so adorable. )
I recently saw a clip of this episode on my TikToks feed and I absolutely loved it. I hate how in school having a period has to be this “big secret” and you “can’t let the boys see you carrying your tampon to the bathroom”. It makes girls feel ashamed of their bodies and embarrassed when accidents happen. I love this clip and I would have loved to see this in a Disney movie when I was younger. I also love the subtle addition of the transgender man buying tampons. No young child is going to be shocked at the sight of a man buying tampons, so I do not understand the big fuss over this.
I’ve grown up with the same experience. There is definitely taboo surrounding buying not only feminine products, but other products such as condoms and pregnancy tests. The fact that we all have similar experiences in how we were taught that buying these products publicly is embarrassing demonstrates the extent at which these notions are pushed onto children. The tweet itself states that it would make young children uncomfortable to view this type of imagery in a movie. I find this to be quite hypocritical when considering women are taught at a young age to avoid being seen buying feminine products. Nonetheless this is a step in a positive direction of making girls feel more positive and comfortable when taking care of their bodies.
I did not know about this series, so I am so happy you wrote about it. When you think of kids tv, you think of Disney. However, it is absolutely disgusting how they lack so much racial diversity within their protagonists. Whenever they do have a BIPOC lead, the storyline always focuses on them overcoming a racial challenge or is mainly about their culture. They can’t seem to have BIPOC characters just existing. That is why the scene with the man offering his suggestions is so refreshing. It really does–like you said–show how Disney is making an effort. However, they still have a long way to go. Since their target audience is young to teenage children, it is important they continue to highlight the diversity (wherever forms it may be) that is in our world.
Great piece! I think it’s especially notable, as you pointed out, how infuriated the right gets when Disney and other media companies inch towards equitable and representative content. I just don’t see how t-shirts and women’s products point to mass indoctrination. If anything, Disney should have done more and dug deeper into the topic of gender and periods. I think parents should also recognize why discussions about periods are uncomfortable. Women have been taught to be ashamed of themselves and their bodies.
Trans inclusion in media for young kids is so incredibly powerful. Just like you said, hate and love are both taught. If Disney teaches that periods are normal for all people, kids will understand it. Learning this lesson early will erase future embarrassment around menstruation. Further, being open about having periods can increase comfort for all people in school or at work. Being able to carry around a hot water bottle, asking for pain medication or taking time off can only happen in a shame-free environment. While going to an all-girls high school gave me that privilege, I know many others have not felt the same comfort. I’m glad that Disney is normalizing this for all young kids.
This is my first time hearing about this series on Disney Plus and I’m definitely going to watch it over the break. It’s great to see Disney working on increasing inclusivity in their films, and the fact that they simply let a trans person do something mundane instead of posing them as representative of the entire trans community and someone who is overcoming great challenges. Like Rui Rui said, I feel like this happens a lot with groups who are discriminated against in the media. They are posed as someone who is meant to inspire others by their ability to overcome all the challenges in their life that they face because they are a member of one or more groups who face discrimination. I hope that Disney will continue to work towards becoming more inclusive and I think “Baymax!” is a good start to that process.
I did not know this was a thing! I will 100% have to watch this. I am also excited about the new movie “Strange World.” My family always goes to the movie theatre on Christmas and this is the movie we plan to watch (the only other kid-friendly possibility is Puss in Boots. No thank you!). I wasn’t aware that Strange World had a gay character, so I am sure neither is my family. I am going to try very hard not to bring it up in case it causes them to not want to see it. I am so excited that Disney is making these small, but important, steps.
Based on the response comments, I think it is unlikely that kids as young as 6 have been indoctrinated to the point where they would find this uncomfortable. I think it is much more likely that the parent is protecting their own feelings onto their children or the kids are mimicking their parents reactions. I think that incorporating a variety of sexualities, body types, and sexual identities into children’s media is an incredible way to raise more inclusive, thoughtful children.
That made me so happy! I have also recently watched the new Disney movie “Strange World” and one of the main characters was gay. It was amazing to see Disney finally including people of non-straight identities in a movie that will be watched by many. Just as in your example, it caused a lot of anger in parents. I personally experienced it – I was at the cinema watching the movie and as soon as there was a scene where the main character gets shy around a boy that he likes, a father stood up, left his food and, looking very angry, left the room. It was truly saddening, because he was there with his daughter (she couldn’t have been older than 11 years old), who may never understand why her dad forbidden her from watching a Disney movie, or if they do have a conversation, it most likely will not be very accepting and inclusive. I also read comments about that movie on one of the cinema’s website (in Poland) and people were outraged, calling the movie disgusting and a rainbow propaganda. It makes me aggravated that people think that way, but Disney producing that content is a step in the right direction. I will make sure to watch that show, and I absolutely recommend the movie “Strange World!”
This made me seriously smile! I also love Disney, but I have noticed that they commonly have a lack of representation in terms of race, gender, and sexuality. I have heard of Baymax, and it was recommended for the kids I babysit for to watch (which made me even more happy). Although I have never seen this specific episode, it seems like it made great efforts to welcome previous “taboo” topics into conversation, as well as introduce transgender people without making it a huge deal (which I think is extremely effective). I think Disney channel can own the idea that they can subtly introduce these topics to children, but have parents be the ones to answer their potential questions or address their thoughts on the content. I think it is important to establish healthy conversation about these topics with parents early on, because children are inevitably going to need their parents help (and ideally support) as they navigate their own body, their own gender, and their own sexuality. It is really disappointing that some parents has written this off as “woke nonsense”, or content that will “make their children uncomfortable”. Instead, it should be embraced as a way to make meaningful and important conversation with their children. In reality, this content will not make the children uncomfortable. They will laugh it off, see a robot helping someone pick out products at the store, and think nothing more of it. It will make the PARENTS uncomfortable, because they are discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community. Seeing examples like this is a constant reminder that children are constantly influenced by their parents views, especially when they are young. I applaud Disney for including this content in their shows and movies-it is a step in the right direction. Although, they still have a lot more work to do, and I am excited to see what they come up with!
I’ve seen this clip before and thought it was wonderful! I wish that I had seen something like this when I was younger. In my family, menstruation was not talked about–my mother gave me a book to read instead of talking to me about it. Things like this give me hope that it’s becoming less taboo so that girls can be educated on their bodies early and avoid the shame and stigma that currently surrounds menstruation. This kind of video is also helpful for young boys to be educated about periods and menstrual products, which is so underemphasized and so important as well. If children are uncomfortable with this, it’s because they’ve been taught to be–and they shouldn’t.
Great post! I have never heard of this show before and it was awesome to hear that Disney is finally moving towards a place of great inclusion and diversity. As you said at the beginning of the post all of the Disney characters I remember from my childhood where primary white, straight cis females. Although I didn’t realize it at the time it really affected the way that I perceived the ideal beauty standard/love story, something that I have only come to realize in the last 5 years or so. I’m glad Disney is becoming more inclusive despite those people who are lashing out against it. Additionally, I love that they made a whole episode about periods. As you said periods are often a very taboo topic, so it’s nice to know such a popular source is talking about them.
Great post! I recently watched this series and I was so happy to see how inclusive and diverse the show was. Disney overall has a long way to go but I definitely think that this is a good first step. Majority of the Disney movies that I watched as a child focused on white, straight cis females, but one thing that I hope does happen in the future is that they make Disney movies that represent different types of people. The idea that kids could be watching a Disney movie and feel represented from a movie sounds great and hopefully Disney does continue to make shows and movies that are diverse and inclusive of all people as was seen in this series.