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SQUAW STEREOTYPE

The Squaw stereotype is the exact opposite of the princess stereotype.  Instead of being depicted as perfect, beautiful, and moral beings, Native American women (especially in the early years of colonization) were sometimes represented as dirty, indecent farmworkers.  These women were most commonly seen as unworthy of the European standards, and were often forced to convert to Christianity in order to 'cleanse themselves of their inferiority'.  This stereotype also coincides with the more general "savage" stereotype, surrounding Native American representation-- much like the "bloodthirsty, uncivilized man", a squaw woman is of the same standard and is often represented in similar taste.  Although the squaw stereotype is rare in the general mediatoday, some movies and books still represent Native American women in the squaw archetype, an example being the squaw woman in Disney's Peter Pan.  A changing of the times has clearly brought damaging, degrading stereotypes down, and although misrepresentation is still a major issue in the world, better, more multi-dimensional portrayals in modern films, books, and TV shows has greatly diminished this stereotype.

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