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Fairy Tales are a Major Influence of Childhood
by Danielle
Fairy tales are a major influence of childhood. We dream of being the princess in the tower
saved by the noble prince. We fear the
wolves in the dark and the old lady down the street who could be a witch.
Fairy tales spark our imaginations and encourage us and give
us hope.
But Fairy tales weren’t always about being saved by the
handsome prince.
Fairy tales began as bloody cautionary tales. There were reasons to fear wolves in the dark;
though Little Red Riding Hood, or Little Red Cap as it was originally titled,
had nothing to do with wolves and everything to do with growing up female in a
male dominated world. In the original Ashputtel, Cinderella’s
step- sister cut off her heel in order for the glass slipper to fit. How fairy tales have evolved from their
original intent into the hopeful stories we are familiar with today helps plot
the change in society and especially how children’s stories have changed and their
impact on our expectations as we age.
Ask almost anyone about the story of Cinderella and they
will mention a beautiful ball gown, a coach made from a pumpkin, and singing
mice helping Cinderella escape from her prison tower. So how did fairy tales go from self-mutilation
to singing mice sewing a dress?
One reason for the change in fairy tales is the launch of
marketing targeting children. It is only
within the last century that children have become a target for products and
services designed specifically for them.
Rarely can modern fairy tales be seen as cautionary tales, but rather a
source of entertainment for children.
But have fairy tales yielded a different sort of lesson with their
transformation?
Of course, I don’t blame Disney for expensive prom dresses
or the “celebrities” who divorce after four weeks of marriage. I love Disney’s adaptations of Sleeping
Beauty and Cinderella. I love watching
little girls dress up as princesses and believe that every little girl should
be treated like a princess at least once in her life.
“Once upon a time” and “Happily ever after” have become an
expectation. Teenagers dress up for the
prom as if they are going to a royal ball.
Weddings have ballooned into a billion dollar industry reflected in
reality TV shows such as “Say Yes to the Dress” and “A Wedding Story”. Divorce is seen as an easy out when happily
ever after fails to materialize.
Fairy tales are reflections of us. In their original form, they were cautionary
tales for a hard and confusing world.
Now they are stories of princesses and fairies and expecting a prince to
sweep us off our feet and keep us safe for the rest of our lives. What
do fairy tales tell us about ourselves as a society? Do we expect the world to be handed to us
with little work on our part? Are fairy
tales doing a disservice to our society by the changes society has made for
them? What are fairy tales teaching us?