Yes, this is the bah-humbug column where I tell you how much I’m struggling with Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and all the other pathetic, insipid, malnourished Princess types who have taken up residence all over my house.
They’re in doll-form, storybooks, DVDs, the dress-up box and most worryingly, they’re in my four year old daughter’s head. All of them. All the time.
The Princess Thing crept into our life insidiously and without warning. One day it was all the harmless innocence of Winnie The Pooh and Dora The Explorer and the next, we were drowning in a pink sea of Really Bad Messages. Stop rolling your eyes and muttering “but they’re just STORIES”. I’m serious.
And this is why. Pretty much every mainstream fairy tale goes like this: skinny girl gets herself into perilous situation and is desperately unhappy or almost dead before being rescued and redeemed by a handsome prince. There is a wedding and then there is happily ever after.
I know you’ll be surprised to hear I have a problem with this blueprint for life. Why don’t any of the female characters in fairy tales have jobs? Or skills? Or even hobbies? Where are their friends? Why are the ‘good’ characters always described as beautiful and handsome while the ‘bad’ characters are always ugly? Why are all stepparents and stepsiblings evil? Why does every woman have to be rescued by a Prince? Why can’t they rescue themselves? And why does a happy ending depend on a wedding? WHY?
Top Comments
I watched Princess movies when I was younger. I loved the dresses, the glamour that came with being a princess. I'm now a feminist. I think it's just paranoia, really it is not such a big deal. I think adults read more into it... but a little girl doesn't really think that the solution to all her problems is a knight in shining armor.
For example, I babysit a very girly little girl, *Lilly. She LOVES princesses, but the other day when I asked her what she saw in her future she said "I'm going to be a vet and have my own office. I'll work with my sister and ride my horse to work. (Parking it on the grass parking lot outside the building of course) I asked her if she would need a perfect prince to complete the ideal future. She said "No. Just me and my sister"
I was so happy... she has displayed other opinions like that and so have my other babysitting girls. I just feel like they don't analyze these things as much as we do.
I admit the advertising and things like the princess yogurt, toys, books, movies, costumes is a little much, but the movie itself ... I still love watching them.
Thought you might like to see the rest of the Fallen Princess pics...
http://www.thevine.com.au/e...
So awesome!
Funny how Mia didn't feel the need to credit the artist for use of the photograph..