Disney in the Classroom
Page 1 of 2
Disney As a Classroom: Kim Possible
(c) Disney
Kim Possible is a new Disney Channel show that my children love. Kim is a high school cheerleader who needs to earn some extra money. So she puts up a web site that says she can do anything, meaning she’ll baby-sit difficult children or wash windows. To Kim’s surprise the requests on her websites lead to confrontations with super villains intent on world domination. Determined to live up to her website’s promise Kim fights (her sidekick Ron Stoppable calls her a “freak fighting cheerleader�? :o) and defeats these villains. As you might have guessed from this clever premise, Kim Possible is a well written and entertaining show. But what makes it an interesting, and even an important show, are the choices Kim‘s creators made when they shaped their main character.
(c) Disney
Kim is a cheerleader
People assume that young ladies become cheerleaders because they are
cute and because they can’t or won’t play sports. People also assume
cheerleaders are not very intelligent. Other than being cute Kim doesn’t fit
the stereotype of a cheerleader at all. She is very athletic and very smart.
Perhaps Kim’s creators made her a cheerleader to emphasize that Kim is a
girl, and that girls can be strong and smart. Making Kim a
cheerleader also highlights the fact that all kinds of girls are
cheerleaders. We shouldn’t stereotype a person because of she looks like or
because of what activity she chooses to participates in. Personally I don't
really care why Kim's creators made her a cheerleader. I'm just glad that
they did. My daughter wants to be a cheerleader and I'd rather people think
she is like Kim rather than think she is like the stereotype of a cheerleader
I shared above.
(c) Disney
Kim hangs out with people who aren’t cool
Most high school students as smart and beautiful as Kim would not hang out
with a kid like Ron Stoppable. Ron isn’t coordinated, he isn’t very smart,
and he often gets in Kim’s way. But he is loyal and he does have some hidden
talents. In his own way Ron usually ends up helping Kim. Having a kid who
should be popular give up popularity to hang out with a kid like Ron (and his
NAKED mole rat :o) is an important message. The junior high students, who
make up the majority of Kim Possible's audience, are often
obsessed with being seen with the “right�? people. Teaching kids to look
beyond someone’s appearance or awkwardness is a lesson that can help make them
kinder and happier people.