Someday My Prince Will Come: A Look at the Impact of Fairy Tales on Children

Abstract

<p>Fairy tales are available in a wide variety of media...from the original tales themselves, often from the Grimm brothers, Charles Perrault, or Giambattista Basile to Disney movies and all of the franchising associated with Disney. Despite being widely available, little research has really been done when it comes to the impact that fairy tales can have in a person's life. Fairy tales like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty seemingly approve of women being weak, submissive, and incredibly dependent on their princes. Without (Prince Charming/ Cinderella would have still been under her stepmother's thumb and Sleeping Beauty would still be under a sleeping spell. Similar situations can be seen in other tales, such as Snow White, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, and even Thumbelina. The central female character in a fairy tale typically is, or will become, a princess at some point in time, at least in the more popular tales. These girls require their princes in order to live a more complete and trouble-free life. Children who watch the Disney versions of fairy tales, or perhaps read the original versions, see or read these stereotyped personas and will pretend to be like the characters, whether the character is the prince, princess, villain(ess), or just a side character. Throughout the rest of their childhood and their lives, these children will recall the stories and movies, and the play and characteristics of their favorite characters could incorporate themselves into the person's life, sometimes leading to more serious psychological issues. The fact of the matter is that fairy tales stick in children's minds and can seriously impact children's lives as they grow to adulthood, often in a negative way.</p><p>This presentation occurred at the Wright State University Campus-Wide Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 16, 2010</p>