The first time the word genitalia was mentioned in film was in a Disney production.We kid you not. But it had a purpose and makes total sense, in a way.
Disney is probably better known for their family friendly movies. You know the kind, nice guy gets killed so son has to avenge his death, jealous woman seeks help from hitman to kill prettier woman, creepy old dude make toy that turns into a real boy. Those kind of family orientated movies. But let’s be realistic for a moment. Disney have also made other movies which are less family friendly, and are rather well know. In fact it would be fair to say they are probably better known today for a total lack innovation and creativity than anything else (seemingly endless bludgeoning of Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Toy Story… The list could go on and on). But enough of my rant about milking the cash cow instead of creating something new. Why would Disney be the first to mention genitalia on film, and why would they even consider doing it?
Time to be a total kill joy. It wasn’t as some weird attempt at making an X rated film. It wasn’t even a hidden comedy for staff only. It was an educational film and was filmed by over 100 million people.
The Story of Menstruation is a 1946 animated short film that was produced by Walt Disney. It was commissioned by the International Cello-Cotton Company as an educational film for American students in health education class.
Although the film mentioned the word genitalia, and was the first film to mention the body part, it was not sexual in nature. The short actually didn’t mention anything sexual in nature, or even reproduction. It was solely based on sanitation and to reassure young Americans that a period is natural and should not be seen as restrictive.
The film short was selected in 2015 for preservation in the National Film Registry.
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