There has been a lot of talk on here about sexism in fairy tales and such. Well, I've got good news: I have found a feminist fairy tale.
Princess Bubble , which was written by Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb, is about a princess who is confused by the message found in traditional fairy tales that she must find her Prince Charming in order to live "happily ever after." In the story, she is a college grad who travels the world as an airline attendant, meeting new people and learning about different cultures. Then, several of her friends get married, and her mother tells her it is time for her to find her Prince. She signs up on www.FindYourPrince.com, interviews her married friends, and goes on several dates, but she isn't happy. So she dons her thinking crown and researches the traditional fairy tales. Finally, with a little help from her Fairy God Mother (this is a fairy tale, after all), she discovers that she doesn't need to find a prince to be happy. She already is happy.
"True happiness," the book reveals, "is found by loving God, being kind to others, and being comfortable with who you are already!"
The three most common disorders in young girls are low self-esteem, depression, and eating disorders.
In 2003, breast implants rose from 3,827 to 11,326 in girls under age 18.
Girls age 12 to 19 spent over $8 million on cosmetics in 2005
(Source: Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, 2007)
The authors hope to change that with this book. Granted, it's not perfect. It still reinforces the heterosexual norm by implying that it would have to be a prince that she found, and it implies that you can only be happy if you are a Christian, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. I only wish there had been a fairy tale like this when I was growing up.
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My favourite feminist fairy story has long been The Paper Bag Princess.
My two favorite feminist fairy tale-ish stories you can find in the juvenile section are Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons and Bruce Coville's The Dragonslayers.
Ooh I love this! I would really recommend reading "Women Who Run with Wolves" by Clarisa Pinkola Estes. It's an amazing book about women's lives and instinctive selves and it's told/taught through old folktales and fairy tales. It even takes some of the seemingly misogynistic ones back to their roots and unearths the intended meanings. A fabulous and fascinating read.
I recommend the movie "Ever After" with Drew Barrymore. Charming and reasonably feminist!
and there's a great book of feminist folk tales called "The Maid of the North" that's a collection of stories from all around the world.
Sounded great until the "True happiness is found by loving God..." part. That bumps it right off my reading list.
Oh, and Tatterhood is a collection of feminist traditional fairy tales (not modern ones) from around the world. Much enjoyed by children I know.
I loved the Paper Bag Princess, x364163!! Definitely one of my favorites as a kid :)
When I was in about 9th grade my mom gave me a book called Feminist Fairy Tales by Barbara Walker (). It retells many traditional fairy tales. It's always been one of my favorites - I always pick it up when I go home.
"True happiness is found by loving God, being kind to others, and being comfortable with who you are already!"
Does any of this really conflict with feminism? No, I don't believe so. To say that "loving God" bumps the book off your reading list is somewhat limiting.
If we're never open to new ideas, how can we grow as individuals? If we never re-examine old ideas that have been corrupted by other peoples' agendas, how can we find the original truth of the matter for ourselves?