DISNEY

I don't remember much of my childhood, like my very first attempts at walking or my very first nightmare. I guess no one does, but I do remember nearly all of my favorite Disney movies and even now I can sing along to almost every song. Wonder why they abandoned singing. Anyway, this is not a walk down memory lane.  

This is about Gaston the villain of Beauty and the Beast (1991) who has caught my attention because of his exaggerated display of physical strength, which is of course reflected in his outward appearance. Not only is he tall and well-muscled, he also has broad shoulders, a hairy chest and a relatively narrow waist. Thus one can say his body is shaped like a triangle. By contrast, the other males in Beauty and the Beast have relatively modest bodies except for the Beast/Prince. Those are comparatively small and paunchy. Gaston’s extreme counterpart is a tiny, chubby, pig-nosed man called Lefou. While Gaston personifies only positive stereotypically male characteristics, and is therefore admired by the ladies, the rest of the townspeople seem to be everymen. This makes him the manliest man far and wide. Since he is the strongest and best-looking man in town, he certainly wants to marry Belle the best-looking woman in town but she rejects him. To her, he is way too narcissistic and this is due to his body. But what does that convey?

If it’s up to contemporary society, nothing is more important than how you present yourself to the world. What’s on the outside becomes more important than what’s on the inside. Taking a look at the townspeople from Beauty and the Beast this is definitely the case. Superficially seen, physical prowess and good looks is worth more than mental qualities. How come only our heroine Belle is able to see inner beauty and nobody else does? Maybe because Disney fashioned her flawless. Anyway, to me it feels like everybody thinking highly of people like Gaston is somehow narrow-minded… maybe that’s because the townspeople’s favorite leisure activity is going to the local tavern, but actually the problem is culture and it's ideology of proper male and female behavior. 
Applying all of this to body theory, one can argue without any doubt that Gaston represents an example of the animal side of man who is physically aggressive. But his actions result from female manipulation, right? No. His outward self reflects his inner self that is, in plain English, pitiful. So he ultimately falls victim to culture.