Does Disney's The Princess and the Frog portray Tiana's work ethic as a negative quality?
In her article "Blackness, Bayous, and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World," Sarah Turner points out that rather than focusing on Tiana's physical appearance, The Princess and the Frog references "her work ethic, often as a negative attribute" (Turner 88). To support this, Turner offers the following evidence: "her friends complain that 'all you ever do is work;' her mother says it is a 'shame you're working so hard;' Tiana herself acknowledges she 'doesn't have time for dancing;' and, Naveen refers to her as a 'stick in the mud'" (Turner 88-89).
This argument struck a cord with me because, as a Duke student, I relate a lot to Tiana's character, and specifically her work ethic. I consider myself to have a very high work eithic, and I feel that I am subject some of the same criticism that Tiana gets from her friends. Also, like Tiana, I don't often have time for leisurely activities like 'dancing.' When I first consider all of these scenes from the movie together, it is clear that Tiana gets a lot of grief for working hard to achieve her goal, which is unfortunate, yet something that would happen in the real world, according to my experience. I don't think these comments portray Tiana's work ethic as a negative thing, but they do imply that her life is not as enjoyable as it could be if she didn't work as much. And who would say otherwise? Tiana's life is not as enjoyable during those years when she's working multiple jobs, but she ends up achieving her goal of owning a restaurant and being extremely happy with her life, making her sacrifice completely worth it.
However, Disney could have definitely portrayed Tiana's work ethic as a more respectable quality. The comments mentioned above could have been altered to respect Tiana rather than criticize her, and that would be a positive change. But overall, I think Tiana's work ethic serves as a positive role model, and shows that with hard work you can achieve your dreams.
I definitely agree with this idea of work ethic. Especially being here at Duke, many students work hard managing all of their classes and extracurriculars. I feel that I also am like Tiana working hard balancing school and fencing. There is not a lot of time to kick back and relax. I believe Disney portrayed her work ethic well, showing that hard work pays off. Unlike her other friends that may have criticized her for only working, Tiana is the successful one at the end of the movie. After working many hours and many hard jobs she can finally afford her restaurant, fulfilling her dream.
ReplyDeleteYes! I agree 100% and especially now, I have Duke to thank for that. There is NO time to do things that I wish to do because we are ALWAYS behind no matter how hard we try. There is a book and 3 magazines sitting on my shelf that I thought I would have time to read but haven't gotten to! I agree with your statement about how Disney could have portrayed her work ethic as more of a respectable thing than negative because having a work ethic like hers is how you earn success. It's great to have fun once in a while but as you said, working hard now will only ensure a good pay-off in the end. I wish Disney would have thought about that more before creating that negative image for viewers!
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