I’ve heard the criticism of the Disney 1991 Beauty and the Beast
countless times – that it teaches girls to stay in abusive relationships, that
it’s an example of Stockholm Syndrome, etc. So I was a little surprised when I
sat down and actually watched it recently.
When the movie first came out, I enjoyed it
moderately. As a fairy tale aficionado, I was disappointed in the needless
subplot Disney added in the form of Gaston, as well as the ways in which Disney
deviated from the traditional tale. Still, overall, I found it to be an
acceptable cartoon adaptation of one of my favorite tales. I never thought it
encouraged women to stay in abusive relationships, and I’m happy to say that I
was right back then. Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version, is NOT a defense
of an abusive relationship, and here are 10 reasons why.
10. Belle volunteers to stay with the Beast, knowing
he is a Beast. In Stockholm Syndrome, the victim is held against her will. As
far as abusive relationships, people don’t start them with abusive jerks – they
start them with people who pretend to be kind.
9. The Beast never restrains Belle. At one point she
runs away, and the Beast shows up to rescue her. When Belle asks to go see her
father, the Beast lets her go. Again, this is the opposite of the situation
with Stockholm Syndrome. And most abusers won’t let their targets maintain
family relationships.
8. The Beast never uses abusive language towards
Belle. He never calls her names. He never criticizes her personal opinions or
choices.
7. The Beast never gaslights Belle. He doesn’t deny
her situation, or tell her she’s imagining things. He never deliberately leads
her to believe one story, only to tell another totally different story.
6. The Beast allows Belle to make her own choices.
When she says “No” to his dinner invitation he is furious, yes. He rages and
throws a tantrum about it. But ultimately, he accepts her answer. He doesn’t
force her to leave her room, even though he easily could.
5. The Beast gives Belle a gift with no strings
attached. He gives her the entire library to read, and expects nothing in
return.
4. The Beast accepts responsibility for his own
actions. After he is injured rescuing Belle, he initially blames her for his
injuries. But when she points out the truth of the matter, he sees that she is
right and acknowledges it. When the servants coach Beast in modifying his
behavior in order to be more polite, he makes an effort rather than expecting
everyone to just accept him.
3. The Beast changes his behavior. This is probably
the biggest way in which people THINK that the movie shows an abusive relationship.
In domestic abuse, the target (and bystanders) often believe that the target is
capable of motivating the abuser to change his behavior. This is why is can
take 7 or more attempts to leave an abusive situation – because an abuser CAN
control the abuse when s/he chooses too. The misunderstanding is that the target
is the one in control. The abuser is in control. Always. In Beauty and the
Beast, we see that Belle truly does influence Beast’s behavior. He allows her
to influence him.
2. The Beast sacrifices his own desires on Belle’s
behalf. He doesn’t want Belle to leave him, especially since he’s so close to
the moment when his transformation into a Beast will become permanent. But he
doesn’t tell Belle what is happening, or guilt trip her. He simply puts her
desires ahead of his own.
1. At the end, Belle comes to see the good character
within the gruff shell of the Beast, and she is correct. We like to blame
targets for believing the best about their abusers, so when a woman defends a
man who seems unattractive or unkind, we assume she is delusional and the man
is abusive. But in this case, Belle is completely correct. The Beast truly is a
good man. Not a perfect man. But a good one.
A final thought. I recently found a retelling of this
lovely story in my Blue Fairy Book, and read it to my 5 year old. I found this
retelling to be even more fascinating and enjoyable than the Disney version.
When it come to fairy tales, the book is always better than the movie!
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