Stereotypes in Aladdin

As a child, none of us knew the horrible truth of Walt Disney animated films. Many of the movies that were made are blatantly racist and stereotypical. One of these films being Aladdin. You remember Aladdin, a poor teenager who steals things just to survive? But after a string of events he obtains the Genie's lamp and uses his magic to change him into someone he is not?

Aladdin is centered in a place known as Agrabah. Aladdin was released on November 25, 1992. It received many praises but from the Arab community there were lots of complaints and criticism.

Aladdin is a childhood favorite for many people today, but when they first watched it through innocent eyes, they may not have noticed the rather disrespectful things that are within the animated film. In Aladdin there are Arab stereotypes, sexualization of females, and generalization in Arab men.

Arab stereotypes

This was expected coming from a company that doesn't care all that much if they're offending people's culture.

In the opening song "Arabian Nights", the stereotyping immediately begins. The lyrics read "Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam. Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face.

It's barbaric, but hey, it's home"

"Thus the film immediately characterizes the Arab world as alien, exotic, and "other." Arab Americans see this film as perpetuating the tired stereotype of the Arab world as a place of deserts and camels, of arbitrary cruelty and barbarism" (Wingfield & Karaman, ADC)

It obviously is a sensitive situation. Taking into consideration that there were protests because of these lyrics. In 1993 the lyrics were changed to "Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place

Where the caravan camels roam

Where it's flat and immense

And the heat is intense

It's barbaric, but hey, it's home"

It still is considered to be offensive and harmful to young viewers.

As you can see from the graph, the "violent Arab" is the most repeating stereotype withing the film. For example, the palace guards are constantly drawing their swords and threatening mortal violence. Another example is when princess Jasmine steals an apple to feed a hungry boy, the merchant selling the product immediately tries to penalize her for taking the apple.

"it is a highly negative representation of Arabs catered precisely to the people most sensitive to it, children. Every man in this film carries a large sword and looks to punish anyone who they think has committed a crime. Aladdin has to run for his life away from the palace gaurds after stealing a loaf of bread. This is an inaccurate portrayal of most present-day Arab countries and the people within it." (Representations of Arabs in Disney’s Aladdin.)

Eroticized women

This has always been a problem with Disney movies. But in Aladdin it happens to show more often.

In the beginning of the movie, when Aladdin is singing the song "One Step Ahead" there was one scene that raised eyebrows. Aladdin is running away from the palace guards and while he is getting away, he finds himself in a brothel. All of the women in there are wearing skimpy outfits and wearing veils over their faces. The veil is considered to be a very religious part of Arab culture.

"The veils are see-through turning something that is supposed to be religiously affiliated into a sexual innuendo. The veil is used as a form of seduction, further arousing curiosity. " (Nelson, Alyssa)

In another scene when Jafar is demanding the genie to make princess Jasmine to fall in love with him, Princess Jasmine puts on an act to distract Jafar and she is merely seen as a sex object at this point. Take in mind shes only 15 years old.

"Jafar has her wearing a sheer red veil and feeding him grapes. She is a sex object in this scene. Chaining her, having her wear red and forcing her to comply to his every request degrades her to nothing more than a sex slave. Her outfit resembles lingerie, with its silky texture and added sheer veil. She wears a similar outfit throughout the entirety of the movie, which is identical to the clothes worn by the women in the brothel whom the view meets before being introduced to Jasmine. A sexual connotation of the Princess is already set up before the viewer meets her. Having her dressed exactly the same as the women in the brothel suggest that Jasmine is no different from them; she is a sexually desired object." ( Nelson, Alyssa )

Another concept to be recognized, women are also seen as lower, mysterious beings that are "to be won". We know that the Sultan in the entire movie wants his daughter to find a man that will take care of her.

"The woman are given poor perceptions such as when the sultan "says heaven forbid you ever have a daughter," giving the idea that they are difficult to deal with. The sultan also tells Jasmine he just wants to find a husband that "will provide for her and take care of her," insinuating she can't do it on her own." ( http://mediatheoriesandeffects.blogspot.com/p/disney-stereotypes-arabs-in-disneys.html )

The Arab stereotypes are basically the same old barbarism, angry turban wearing men that all live in a flat desert and will cut off your ear if they don't like your face.

Generalization.

The sexualization is a disprespectful part of the movie being that they wear veils over their face and women in arab culture are automatically seen as lower humans.. according to Disney. Sexualization has always been a common thing in Disney movies, unfortunately.

What is one thing you saw common in just about every man in Aladdin? For starters the majority of them wore turbans and had big beards. Those are only just a few of the many examples of generalization.

And the generalization ties back to the Arab stereotypes. Instead they go more into depth and are way more obvious. Such as the turban example.

Previously stated, many of the Arab men wear turbans. It's also seem during the musical number, "One Step Ahead" men were walking on hot coals, playing instruments to cobras, swallowing swords, etc. Most of the things are silly stereotypes that people are gullible enough to believe that Arab citizens actually live by.

Sources

As seen in the movie, the only way of transportation are camels, elephants, and horses. They also have hundreds of scandalous merchants in the town who are willing to sell you things that are broken and h no use to you.

"These consists of the idea that the only transportation available are camels, the whole country is desert, and all Arabs can lay on a bed of nails or walk on hot stones."

( http://theoriesandeffects.blogspot.com/p/even-disney-movies-arent-free-from.html )

Another common example of generalization is that their entire country is a large, empty desert and everyone there practices Islam.

http://www.adc.org/education/arab-stereotypes-and-american-educators/

http://mediatheoriesandeffects.blogspot.com/p/disney-stereotypes-arabs-in-disneys.html

http://disneyandmovies.pbworks.com/w/page/17905678/4%20Aladdin

http://theoriesandeffects.blogspot.com/p/even-disney-movies-arent-free-from.html

http://lightshadowslight.blogspot.com/2012/07/is-disney-racist.html

http://srambeau.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/representations-of-arabs-in-disneys-aladdin/

Overall, Aladdin is a really ignorant movie where the producers were too lazy to do proper research oh Arab culture. In Aladdin there are Arab stereotypes, sexualization of females, and generalization in Arab men.