Nothing. I have no problem with fairy tales. I love fairy tales. I do have a problem with a bunch of people talking about the problem with fairy tales:
"Fairy tales tell our daughters to believe that a man will rescue them. Fairy tales create a baseline for determining beauty. Fairy tales this and fairy tales that."
I'll tell you what, fairy tales are simple and lovely stories that interpreted the right way can show people that there is a wonderful world out there, if we can just reach out for it.
Now, many would argue that the big-eyed, blonde hair princess stereotype the concept of beauty. I beg to differ. The princess characters are beautiful more because of their personalities. So why not focus on that. Let's see, strength of character, sense of loyalty, a will to persevere, the ability to learn from mistakes, humility, grace and selflessness. Aren't these what we should be focusing on?
Oh, all these tales, or most of them have heroes. And yes, they often seem to rescue maidens caught up in a whirlwind of events. But stop a minute. Are not the tales more about finding love and friendship, true love and true friendship? Is it not more about reaching out to the people closest to your heart? Is it not the culmination of the characters true strength that results in them finding love? Yes, perhaps the answer is that simple. Sure, fairy tales are about love and pretty things. They are also about characters with strong foundations, choices and life in general.
It is not for us to judge these stories or write them off as a bad influence, it is for us to interpret them and engage the people we influence to see the beauty that is fairy tales.
I am no psychologist. I am not even a parent creating reading hazards for my children. But I grew up loving (and still do) fairy tales. From sweet Cinderella, vibrant Belle, loyal Rapunzel, the extremely brave Ariel, to the patient Aurora (just to mention a few!), are heroines and their stories (and hundreds more)who have shown me the joys of different worlds, the depth and quality of character and beauty beyond materialism! I do not think that a man will rescue me from my problems. I am independent and have a will to succeed. I like to do creative things - Belle made me want to read, Cinderella made me want to make pretty things, Rapunzel made me less vain about my hair, Ariel - Ariel taught me about the ups and downs of life and Aurora taught me to be patient!(Again this is to mention a few!) I do not make friends based on looks, or judge based on skin colour or hair length!So forgive me, but I will stick to reading fairy tales, enjoying them and sharing their splendour!
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