Gender Differences Depicted in Art

Have we thought of how gender differences are depicted in art? Does difference in gender affect how we view the artwork or does the artwork affect how we view gender? We are taught preconceived behaviors and associations about gender but are these stereotypes valid? Let us first approach how gender difference may be seen in art. Color is a definitive example of being associated with gender. In many Disney films, the main characters are usually princesses, with long hair who wear values of blue. In the Disney film Beauty and the Beast, Belle is shown with a long hair that reaches to her waist. She wears a white blouse beneath a blue dress. Snow White wears a blue blouse in Snow White, Cinderella wears a large flowing blue dress once the shoe is placed on her foot and Jasmine of Aladdin wears a seductive blue top and bottom that shows her midriff. Females are seeing wearing items considered feminine such as lipstick, hair bonnets, large earrings, voluptuous chests and curved hips. In addition to the aforementioned Disney films we can look at television series and films such as Baywatch, Avengers, Avatar, Wonder Woman (she can be considered as one that fits and challenges these stereotypes), Passengers, The Little Mermaid and Blast Vegas (also listed as Destruction Las Vegas on IMDB). These ideas are small examples of what we is taught as being female.

Until the past decade, many action films portrayed the primary heros as males who are muscular, short haired, aggressive, distrustful, average or slightly above averageintelligence, highly skilled in hand to hand combat and weapons. We can look at films like Faster, John Wick, King Arthur, Kong: Skull Island, The Lethal Weapon Series, The Magnificent Seven, Predator, Taken, Jason Bourne series, and others like these. The contrast between what is considered male and female is dynamic. Are these stereotypes valid? I think that these stereotypes are valid if the individual accepts them, however, the new philosophies focused on gender would regard these as invalid. What do you think?