According to Judith Lorber, the institution of gender relies in part on what she refers to as gender imagery: “the cultural representations of gender and embodiment of gender in symbolic language and artistic productions that reproduce and legitimate gender statuses”. Walt Disney’s animated features which emphasize such things as women’s passivity and beauty, are indeed gendered scripts and serve to legitimatize and support the dominant gender system. The focus is upon the representation of femininity and how this influences young girls. The feminine beauty ideal is that which enforces that “the socially constructed notion that physical attractiveness is one of women’s most important assets, and something all women should strive to achieve and maintain”. This ideal is an important focus of the study. The feminine ideal is viewed by many as an oppressive patriarchal practice which objectifies and devalues women. There are however women/girls who ‘willingly’ engage in this while claiming not to feel oppressed, but empowered. Furthermore, What other forms of femininity are offered to those who do not fit into the so-called feminine ideal? This analysis of some of Walt Disney’s animated features can provide insights into the relationship between gender, power and culture while drawing on the cultural and social significance of beauty to women’s lives.