Feminism: A modern twist on a fairy tale

The princesses got to star in glitzy films, walk the red carpet in gorgeous designer gowns and enjoy riches beyond belief.

But one day the princesses grew up, got married, had children and became huge hypocrites.

Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna in Disney’s mega hit Frozen, has revealed her concerns over the classic fairy tale film – made by Disney – Snow White. Apparently Ms (let’s not assume she wasn’t a divorcee) White could well be the victim of sexual assault.

Kristen has reportedly said to her two daughters, Lincoln, five, and Delta, three: ‘Don’t you think that it’s weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?’

I’m not sure a five-year-old or three-year-old are thinking of it quite like that. They were probably too busy just enjoying the story for what it actually was. . . a story.

If you’re not familiar with the tale here’s a quick synopsis: The prince gently kisses Ms White in order to wake her from her deep slumber (she’s been put under a spell from a poisoned apple she took from a stranger – kids there’s another key rule to adhere to; don’t take food from strangers) but according to Kristen he should have asked her first.

Hmmm. This leaves the prince in a bit of catch-22 situation as surely in order to ask her permission he would have to wake her up. But he wasn’t able to do that because the only way she could wake up was by a kiss to break the spell. What a nightmare. The poor bloke is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. And if he does, I fear for him, the #MeToo police will be on his case ASAP.

This from a woman who has undoubtedly made a small fortune from voicing a character in a Disney animation after now criticising the very same company.

That goes for Keira Knightley too. She’s banned her daughter from watching Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, both Disney classics as they don’t ‘uphold her feminist values’. Cinderella because ‘she waits around for a rich guy to rescue her. Don’t! Rescue yourself’, and The Little Mermaid because ‘do not give your voice up for a man’.

Keira, you guessed it, starred in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, where, oh my days, she gets rescued by a man in the first film and in the third instalment she is left pregnant on an island waiting for her man to return. Ten years later, she’s still waiting. You go girl!

I think these two ladies should give their children a little credit. Let’s face it, both Kristen and Keira grew up probably enjoying the same fairy tales and they’ve turned out being financially independent and show no signs of any long-term damage from Disney’s supposedly ‘antiquated’ portrayal of men and women.

Some women may want to be rescued by a man and others may not mind being kissed affectionately in their sleep. Isn’t it about accepting the choices we make and not judging?

Perhaps we shouldn’t be so concerned with making sweet, innocent tales into potential horror stories.