The other day, I was pleased to find Aladdin on TV and sat back to watch the nostalgic Disney movie. However, as the film progressed, I found myself shocked by the obvious stereotypes and orientalist connotations the movie displayed. I guess I had never noticed this due to my limited knowledge on the topic, but learning more about the Middle Eastern culture in Arabic class helped me notice everything wrong with Aladdin. First of all, the movie makers must have not known the difference between the Middle East and India. The desert background and the song Arabian Nights makes it clear that the story takes place in some Middle Eastern country. However, Jasmine's palace clearly resembles the Taj Mahal, and her pet tiger and a plentiful amount of elephants, animals that were never native to the Middle East, make many appearances in the film. The movie makers also clearly stereotyped the marriage customs and treatment of women of Muslims and the Middle East. Jasmine complains to her father, as she longs to be free of her imprisonment in their castle. She seems trapped until she finally approves of one of the multiple suitors who come to marry her. One last scene that struck me was after Jasmine fed a homeless child. She takes an apple off some man's cart without paying, and he grabs her hand, holds up a knife, and threatens to cut off her hand: "Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?" Although this law does somewhat exist, and is frightening to think about, this is an extreme misrepresentation. The only country with this law, Saudi Arabia, does not cut off thief's hand unless they can prove that the thief stole for the sole purpose of stealing. In almost every case, someone who steals has a driving force other than just stealing, as did Jasmine (to feed a hungry child), so Disney once again stereotypes the Middle East as barbaric. Overall, I still love Aladdin and will still watch it whenever I get the chance, but discovering these mistakes by the movie makers makes me realize how my perception has changed through the years.
Hannah, this was truly eye opening and I'm so sorry to hear that one of my favorite Disney movies has so many negative stereotypes. Last time I watched this movie (admittedly not too long ago), I was so excited for all the allusion it had to my former place of employment, Aladdin's Eatery. At Aladdin's we had "Jasmine's Favorite," and the movie mentioned multiple times hummus and baklava, two of our most popular dishes. Also, we had a "Jaffar's Pizza" and "Raja Dip." I even think the movie mentions Loubie Bezeit, one of our most bizzare but delicious appetizers. So, I feel like my connections are much more lighthearted, but it really is an interesting to see the movies of our past from a different perspective than our childhood.
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