Entre contos e corpos: uma análise do corpo gordo feminino em animações clássicas da Disney

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the representation of the fat female body in classic Disney animated films, focusing specifically on Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and The Little Mermaid (1989). The main objective of this research is to analyze the representation of the fat female body in these classic Disney animations and, consequently, its implications in the formation of stereotypes and prejudices. Furthermore, it reflects on current efforts being made to minimize the negative effects of the differences between the various profiles of women in Western society. To this end, theories regarding the literature of the marvelous, primarily those of Todorov (2004) and Roas (2014), were examined to contextualize the naturalization of fairy tale elements. Additionally, studies on the feminine and symbolic domination were consulted, especially the works of Beauvoir (2019), Bourdieu (2020), and Lerner (2019). The results demonstrate that, in the fairy tales adapted by Disney, the fat body has been systematically excluded from the roles of heroines and protagonists, being relegated to supporting roles or, more problematically, to villainy. Such visual codification reinforces symbolic violence and the idea that autonomy and virtue are incompatible with bodies that deviate from the hegemonic aesthetic standard, thereby perpetuating the cycle of fatphobia.