The term ‘Fairy Tales’ conjures up visions of light and happiness, of benign personages flitting about doing good unto others, doesn’t it? In reality, fairy stories are peopled with cruel and malicious people, monsters and stories full of suffering and cruelty. The fact that it all comes together in a happy ending is neither here nor there. I actually think that ‘children’s’ fairy stories are really not for children for many reasons:
Wicked witches/cruel step-mothers
It isn’t just that such characters are scary for little kids. I remember thinking while growing up, that there could be no fate worse than having a stepmother, thanks to Cinderella and Snow White and Hansel and Gretel. Plus ever noticed that it is always the wicked ‘witch’ and the cruel step ‘mother’… nary an evil stepfather or warlock to be found?
You have to be a princess and need a prince to be happy
So you are a drudge cleaning out the cinders and doing everyone’s bidding. Then your life transforms when the prince arrives to save you from that terrible life of drudgery and whisks you off to a castle where you will become a princess. Sleeping Beauty needed that prince to awaken her. For of course there is no greater calling in life than to become a princess.
Also, you have to be good looking
Cinderella is sad because she doesn’t have a ball gown. The prince is always, always, always handsome and the brave heroine has to kiss frogs and hideous beasts to ensure that the hero is restored to his original handsome self. The stepsisters are cruel and ugly. Because perish the thought that you can be ugly and good or happy! For the importance given to clothes, trappings of wealth and good looks alone we should shun fairy tales.
They are about the princess waiting to be rescued
Fairy tales are terribly regressive and are peopled with helpless women and assertive, patronising men. Rapunzel is languishing in some tower waiting for some guy to come rescue her. Cinderella cannot militate against injustice in her own home and needs to have a prince with a fetish for small feet to come rescue her from a life of unhappiness (well not directly but it boils down to this). The men are all busy dashing around on their steeds apparently doing all the rescuing. These are so not the examples we want to hold up for our kids to emulate.
Its magic and not hard work that’s important
Jack climbed the beanstalk, got that golden egg laying fowl and became rich (he also stole from and then killed the rightful owner, but let’s not even go there). Aladdin got himself that magic ring/lamp and prospered. The owner of Puss in Boots (what was his name again?) had a feline with superpowers to make him rich. Fairy stories tell us about magic and miracles and the importance of a good lineage, but never seem to tell us about the importance of industry and good old hard work.
