Fairy tales have inspired me since I was a little girl. At the time, I focused on the "happily ever afters" that always seemed to come at the end of every story. But as I grew older and continued to read about princesses, knights, and magic, I realized happy endings aren't the most important part of the story.
These fantastical stories seem to be making a comeback these last few years through the media, as seen through movies like Snow White and the Huntsman, Maleficent, and Into the Woods, and television shows like Once Upon A Time. The great thing about these examples is that the stories take new turns. It's especially great to see women taking a more prominent role in these stories. Maleficent was truly thrilling because of how Disney played with "true love's kiss." I loved watching Maleficent's friendship with Aurora grow throughout the story, as well. Once Upon A Time has a host of amazing female characters who show girls that there are many ways to be a hero, in one world or another.
It's important for young girls to have a wide variety of women role models on the big screen. They need to see female friendships, women saving themselves, women accepting help, women standing for what's right, and women who don't always fall in love. Girls need to see that there future is just as bright and full of possibilities as any man's, and fairy tales are a great avenue for girls to realize that.
The one thing lacking in fairy tales is people of colour (POC), mostly because the fairy tales being remade are Euro-centric. It's a common misconception that there were no POC in Europe where fairy tales are set. That, of course, is untrue. All it takes is a Google search to see there were many POC in Europe. Into the Woods particularly disappointed me with the lack of POC. Except for the odd black man in the background, I couldn't find any people of colour in the musical. It's even more important for girls of colour to see women that look like them in big roles in movies and on television.
I will never stop writing, or reading, fairy tales, because I know how influential those stories were for me when I was young. Instead of dismissing these stories as "kid's stuff," I hope more adults, and writers especially, will take a closer look at fairy tales and invest more time in getting them into children's hands.
These fantastical stories seem to be making a comeback these last few years through the media, as seen through movies like Snow White and the Huntsman, Maleficent, and Into the Woods, and television shows like Once Upon A Time. The great thing about these examples is that the stories take new turns. It's especially great to see women taking a more prominent role in these stories. Maleficent was truly thrilling because of how Disney played with "true love's kiss." I loved watching Maleficent's friendship with Aurora grow throughout the story, as well. Once Upon A Time has a host of amazing female characters who show girls that there are many ways to be a hero, in one world or another.
It's important for young girls to have a wide variety of women role models on the big screen. They need to see female friendships, women saving themselves, women accepting help, women standing for what's right, and women who don't always fall in love. Girls need to see that there future is just as bright and full of possibilities as any man's, and fairy tales are a great avenue for girls to realize that.
The one thing lacking in fairy tales is people of colour (POC), mostly because the fairy tales being remade are Euro-centric. It's a common misconception that there were no POC in Europe where fairy tales are set. That, of course, is untrue. All it takes is a Google search to see there were many POC in Europe. Into the Woods particularly disappointed me with the lack of POC. Except for the odd black man in the background, I couldn't find any people of colour in the musical. It's even more important for girls of colour to see women that look like them in big roles in movies and on television.
I will never stop writing, or reading, fairy tales, because I know how influential those stories were for me when I was young. Instead of dismissing these stories as "kid's stuff," I hope more adults, and writers especially, will take a closer look at fairy tales and invest more time in getting them into children's hands.