Charlotte Arnold, Naturally Sadie, 2005-2007
who is the authentic (Disney) teen?The Disney Channel model, one where the kid voice is privileged above all others, relates closely to the arguments made by Stuart Hall and Paddy Whannel. The authors cite research that shows how young people feel alienated from older generations because they feel misunderstood; and as a group, these youth glamorize their isolation into a new cultural group, "teen culture".
Hall and Whannel maintain that, when discussing teen culture, people have difficulty to make a distinction between media and audience (Storey 45). They believe that there exists a challenge in distinguishing “the ] attitudes of the young [from] what is provided for their consumption by the world of commercial entertainment” (45). Indeed, there is a direct relationship between the values that a young person places on things in society and the values upon which the media that he or she consumes may rely. The Disney-influenced teen comes to embrace the ideals illustrated through Disney characters and through all of the related products associated with those characters. |
Vanessa Hudgens and Zach Efron, High School Musical, 2006
what values and expectations are constructed through the consumption of Disney media?
Disney Channel provides a framework defining the “authentic” teenager. Common tropes are evident throughout the body of shows produced by the network. These themes include:
§ Universal Celebrity: DC shows provide multiple examples of ‘regular’ teenagers who become stars or those who have the talent to be stars. Even if they are not stars on the shows themselves (like on Hannah Montana, Shake It Up, Ant Farm), the Disney Stars express their talents through another medium (Emily Osment of Hannah Montana (lead actor); Raven-Symone’ of That’s So Raven (singer)) § Child Authority: Kids on Disney shows never rely very heavily on the advice of adults. In fact, adults on the shows rarely seem very wise, and they are never smarter than the young people (Bobby Ray of Hannah Montana; Jerry Russo of Wizards of Waverly Place). Because of the ultimate wisdom of youth, parents are often absent from episodes. § Transient Negative Consequences: Because Disney comedies are 30-minute episodes offered in a series format, conflict is resolved at the end of each episode. As such, whenever a character gets into trouble, the consequences and/or punishments are fleeting, rarely remaining in place until the end of the episode and certainly never carried over into another. § Monolithic Middle Class: With the exception of the families on Shake It Up and Wizards, Disney Channel characters live The American Dream--a large house with a fenced in yard in a solidly middle or upper middle-class neighborhood. The expectation of this middle class existence is transmitted as normalcy to audiences from myriad backgrounds so that these shows produce feeling of jealous and inadequacy for those viewers with very different lived experiences. (And, kids only do chores when they are being punished.) § Love Crazy/ Sex? No way!: Disney shows produce conflicting messages on relationships. On the shows across the board, the kids are boy/girl crazy (girls especially). When they see attractive members of the opposite sex, they chase them, follow them, obsess over them and, eventually, date them. But, the voraciousness of their desire stops there. Disney shows never explores the real life sexual pressures placed on teens. § United Colors of Disney: Peer relationships on Disney shows mirror ads for Benetton. With few exceptions, the major shows all have main characters whose best friend-pair is of another race or ethnicity (Wizards, Shake It Up, High School Musical, That’s So Raven, Good Luck Charlie, Ant Farm), producing a kind of false diversity. These shows disavow any lingering issues regarding race in this country and suggest a post-racial America. One major hitch here is that no protagonist of color ever has a best friend who is also non-white (although, to be fair, Raven does have two best friends, one of whom is black). § Fashionistas: All Disney shows tell us that kids have an impeccable sense of fashion. The main characters on these shows are remarkably trendy, able to pair amazingly coordinated outfits. Their closets are stocked with the latest fashions because they spend an inordinate amount of time at the mall. § Too Cool For School: Very few of the Disney protaganists are scholars. Many celebrate mediocre performance in school or episodes highlight difficulty the characters have in passing a class. Usually, smart characters are depicted as stereotypical nerds/geeks/dorks. In the exception where the main characters are smart kids, they are either super-geniuses (A.N.T. Farm, Suite Life) or pressures to do well in school come from adults |
Cast of Good Luck Charlie, 2010-Present
how does Disney capitalize on the teens’ reliance on media to construct their truths and values?
Disneyfication: the transformation (as of something real or unsettling) into carefully controlled and safe entertainment or an environment with similar qualities.
Henry Giroux tells us that "the individual and collective identities of children and youth are largely shaped politically and pedagogically in the popular visual culture of videogames, television, film, and even in leisure sites such as malls and amusement parks" (23). Kids are bombarded with visual media, exposed to the ideals of tv shows that then transfer those ideals into signifiers. Clothing, books, games, movies, spin-offs, amusement parks, civic organizations and even social networking applications all become spaces that extend the message of these shows and movies. Children become inundated with messages that shape their identity and their values. The media consumed by children exceeds the "boundaries of entertainment," becoming itself a site of learning, one which, by its very ubiquitous nature, infiltrates and usurps the power of other media to teach youth. Because of hybrid consumerism, kids are buying everything that Disney is selling--figuratively and literally. What Disney Channel and its stars tell its viewers about what it means to be a kid is reinforced in every D-Signed section of a Target Supermarket, on every commercial for Danimals yogurt sold by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, on all the Miley Cyrus accessories at Walmart, and in, on and through every other show and product peddled by Disney stars. |