Fairy Tales

Ever been curious to know what the real deal was with the fairy tales we grew up loving? Behind the colorful, brightly illustrated and sanitized picture books brought out by the publishers, there's a dark, secret story that looms.

Fairy tales are those innocuous, requisite before-bedtime stories that have practically become ingrained in our culture from one generation to another. Who hasn’t heard of Cinderella or Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, after all? We’ve become so used to these stories and characters that we’ve practically become desensitized to the actual values they convey. Every mention of them ushers in a deluge of warm childhood memories that we fail to really think through these stories twice before telling them to our own kids as well.

What your mom didn’t point out to you was how the female almost always played the central figure in these stories and the stereotypical roles they played out. If she were the heroine, like Cinderella, she was a weak character, who constantly submitted to other’s wishes and did good. Everyday, she would look out of her window to the castle in the distance, constantly dreaming of her day of reward and pining for her Prince Charming to come and whisk her away.

And then there’s the feminine evil on the other end of the personality spectrum. In fact, there seems to be plenty more of these than heroines. Villains were almost always certainly female. Think of Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters. The funny thing is though, that in real life, stepmothers and stepsisters aren’t always evil.

Evil witches, wicked stepmothers, bad fairies, ugly stepsisters — each is a vivid testament of the wretched female carried on to children's lore. But stepmothers aren't always wicked. Fairies aren't always bad. Stepsisters aren't always ugly. And women certainly aren't always evil. Same goes that princes aren't always charming, nor are peasants always courageous and heroic. Just about everywhere, you can almost always be certain that the bad guys are... bad girls.

When Walt Disney began his cartoon and film career in 1927, he might have been unaware of how the public would rush to purchase his "original" creations. As Disney's popularity grew, he continued to expand his film creations, but generally by copying or "re-creating" fairy tales or other historical literature. In fact many people believe that Walt Disney was the first person to create fairy tales that made him so popular.

One indispensable element of fairy tales is, undeniably, instant wish fulfillment. You can only watch so many Disney movies without listening to Snow White chirping the tune to "Someday My Prince Will Come" or Cinderella in her rags, looking out to the glimmering castle in the distance and sobbing desperately to go to the ball. But they wouldn't be fairy tales now if good fortune didn't have Prince Charming and the fairy godmother come along now, would they? These stories teach children that life is all about wishes coming true and that life can be lived happily ever after. It's a dangerous perception bordering completely on the fantastic. Does your perception of the villain change when the heroine is wearing their outfit?

Blessings