Who Said Disney Was Racist?!

Final Project Proposal: (Original Outline/ Beginning Posted the 22nd of March)

Julia A Durant
Intro to Folklore
Professor Jill Belli

Final Project Proposal:

For my end of term project I would like to examine closely the roles of women in fairytales as well as their feminist revisions. I would like to focus on the revisions of Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. My research will pay close attention to the changes each stories heroine has undergone according to the background the story is coming from. In my research I wish to learn about the ideas about social class differ. This includes sex roles and expectancies based on women’s social standings. Women in fairytales are often portrayed to extremes, this is especially true in the Disney revisions. I ill focus on the positive and negative results of this as well as ask the following questions

1. Why is it socially acceptable for women to be portrayed like this? I will also poll women and men in my research in order to find out what their ideas of a fairytale heroine was or is.

Secondly there is the issue of sexuality in both revisions and the original tales. My research will examine sexual taboos in fairytales as well as the appropriateness of certain behaviors. Polling will continue. Will also invite a group of people to give their opinions on any sexuality they may see in movies related to fairytales.
Will apply the stories of the heroines to modern situations and examine them. My main ojective is to find out why these women and their stories continue to be so popular when they are in some cases immoral and sexist.

2. Are the revisions that are available today helping to bunk the stereotypes and norms in fairytales? How has the heroine changed?
3. Are fairytales positive ways of explaining social and sexual behaviors? Do they make certain things more acceptable? (Example of some questions being asked to people polled.)
4. How do the roles and ideas of heroines differ based on backgrounds?

Text that I may consider using

The Grimms Brothers Complete Stories.
Her Stories Virginia Hamlilton

Snow White A Tale of Terror / Deerskin By Robin McKinley

I was automatically reminded of McKinley's Heroine Lissar while I was watching the film "Snow White A Tale of Terror" There are several things wrong with this retelling. I dont mean wrong in the generic cookie cutter Disney way but the symbolism has managed to make the film weird. (FYI The father is the guy from The Tudors!) First of all Lilly's mothers name was Liliana (Lilly is obviously short for this) What I find strange the most about the dynamic of Lilly and her father's relationship is that through the eyes of the child the relationship seems to go beyond the realm of father and daughter. When her father is kissing her new stepmother she looks absolutely terrified as if she were some jealous or devistated lover. Also Lilly throws the contents of her cup on her stepmother when it comes time to bless their marriage bed. If that doesnt scream 'I dont want you with my man' I dont know what does.

Also theres the fact that Lilly looks exactly like her mother, Deerskin Is based on Donkey Skin by Perclautt. I enjoyed this revision even if it was creepy. The dwarfs being lecherous older men was a nice touch and fed into the idea of Snow White living with the seven of them as odd. (Made the same point in class. I didnt really feel sorry for the Stepmother though, everyone seemed to be in their own little bubble.Lady Hoffman just wanted to replace Lilliana which technically happened already when her father remarried. The two Lilliana's seem to intermingle though, because you have the wife and the daughter their relationship is close except there is no sex involved. I feel as though the love her father had for Lilliana was a threat to Lady Hoffman. It is probably the reason she wanted to have a child by him and had such a passion to see her dead.

Beauty and sexuality as well as memories seem to be themes in the story. I do have to wonder if the Mirror talking to Lady Hoffman was just her going crazy or if it was actual magic because there was a moment I saw her as she was and then her reflection was talking to her. Lady Hoffman's anger towards Liliana when she arrives wearing her dead mothers dress is understandable, she looks just like her mother and shes wearing her mothers dress, she is competition to take her mothers place. I do think that the miscarriage was a bit over dramatic but I suppose that drives the point home that when it comes to competition there only room for one at the top. Lady Hoffman attempts to isolate Lilly's father. I found it strange that Sam Neill's character seemed clueless to what was really going on. When Lady Hoffman was told to 'steal his seed' while they are having sex I felt like she was using her sexuality to control her husband. The whole sex scene seemed to boarder on rape.
I can understand why people feel bad for the Stepmother, she has lost the ability to have children, lost her baby, gone insane and is being overshadowed by her daughter even with this I find her evil and strongly believe that the competition between them may have been in her head.

In the case of Lissar In Deerskin She is competition for her mother. Her parents are both noted as attractive and respected while she is looked at as an after thought.Her mother was in fact so obsessed with her outward appearance that she commissions a painter after she becomes ill. Her painting is a symbol of who she once was and before she dies she makes her husband promise that he will not remarry unless the woman he remarries is as beautiful as her. Ironically the only woman that can measure up to this is his own daughter.

Selena Nieve: Wolf Girl (My Fairytale)

Selena Nieve: Wolf girl

The Past
Emerline was combing her daughter’s hair. The dark red curls fighting her skillful hands every step of the way. “Mommy, do you have to do it? It hurts!” she protested. Her gentle hands smoothing over her child’s head. “I do. You get that coarse mane you call hair from your father…always playing in it and touching it…its an absolute mess!” Emerline loved her daughter there was no mistake about that; however her hair was another story all together. Jovel listened to them quarrel over her hair and smiled; his hairy hand reaching out to his daughter as he volunteered to take her off her mothers for now. “She’s just as stubborn as you ever were” Emerline sneered at him. “Leave us!” she hissed. “We need to talk” Jovel shook his head. “Nasty as an ally cat in heat…I’ll leave you alone though…she’s almost at that age” Jovel shut the door behind him his daughter’s eyes focusing on it as he left.

“Come and sit with mother Selena” she was cautious at first.. The little girl was only four feet tall. Up against who she mistook for some sort of Amazon queen she seemed insignificant. “I didn’t do it!” she added as she watched the woman’s eyes zeroing in on her little body. “Hush now…come here and talk with me.” She smiled as the little girl finally stopped fidgeting and joined her mother once again. She continued combing her hair and smiled once more. “You are very pretty Selena…you know that don’t you?”
Selena smiled nodding her head. “Very pretty indeed…skin as dark as cinnamon…eyes as beautiful as emeralds…hair as red as blood…you are my daughter. With your beauty there comes a great gift. A gift your father and I both gave to you.” She looked up into her mothers eyes puzzled. “One day when you meet the man you are supposed to marry that gift will reveal itself… there is another side of you. She is dark and is in all of us. You have to control her” She was unsure what her mother meant. When they were through talking she continued combing her hair. Her voice repeating the same words in her daughter’s ears “skin as dark as cinnamon…eyes a beautiful as emeralds…hair as red as blood…”---
***
The Present

Thursday night signaled the end of the work week for her. Another day was over and now she was faced with the age old question every woman faced when trying to make a good impression:
What to wear?
The dark haired creature was studying the contents of her closet. She had been preparing for this day all week and now it was finally here. Selena sighed. Her paycheck splayed across the bed with her briefcase and coat as she wondered what he would be like. It had been a long time since she had been on a blind date. Her nerves were a wreck and so was her hair. Selena had the kind of hair you either loved or hated; while it was red and some times untamable it gave her a sort of ethnic charm. Tonight she was going on a date with Wesley. She had met him through one of her co workers during lunch. He was twenty-eight and divorced. That was all she could remember Aurora talking about the most. Well that, and the fact that he was devastatingly attractive. Her eyes were fixing themselves on a simple yellow and white cocktail dress. She had been saving it for a special occasion. Unfortunately she was not so lucky.
Selena’s curly kinky red hair stood up in disarray. She pressed the smooth fabric of her dress against her body. Her reflection cast against the mirrors in her closet. Three five foot nine vixens stood before her she glanced at them all as if they weren’t her reflections looking back at her. “Girl you are going to kill him in that dress” she managed to purr as she turned to the side. “I hate my thighs” said a voice as she smiled to herself. She turned again her bright green eyes colored with shock as she heard a voice that sounded a lot like her own coming from one of the mirrors.

“Who’s there?” She said as she stood looking at the reflections for a moment longer. There was no response. She pulled a pair of shoes out of her closet and then shut the door almost as quickly as she had managed to open it. She supposed she was just over worked and going crazy from all the stress lately. She rolled her eyes to the heavens she retreated to the bathroom for a shower. She had no idea what the night was going to entail but she was glad for the adult company. She had to deal with children all week. The change of subject from crayons to crude oil and politics was sure to cheer her up. Wesley on the other hand was waiting and dressed already. The tall bearded man seemed more nervous than she was. Wesley’s height made him appear threatening. He was nervous but hid it well under woodsy notes of cologne and a painstakingly sexy grin. When Selena arrived at the restaurant Aurora had picked out for them. The maiter’dee holding a set of menus In his hands as he came towards the waiting couple. “So Selena what do you do?” he smiled at her as they waited to be seated. Her skin for some reason or another was flushed with an unexplainable heat. Her face as well was swollen with an unusual glow and warmth about it. “I’m a kinder garden teacher…have been for about four years now” he smiled at her.
A waiter came to their table once they were seated and a smile sprawled over his chubby face. “Good evening misoire and madamemoselle what can I get you this evening?” they both allowed they’re eyes to fall on the waiter. “We’re still thinking about it please give us a moment” Selena added quietly before she began looking at Wesley again. She smiled “but, what do you do? I’ve seen you around before but I’m not exactly sure what your job is” She nodded and fished a piece of bread out of the bread basket that had been set in the middle of the table.
Wesley smiled at her in return. “I’m a peer counselor for teenagers. I work there three times a week. Also I teach high school English…it has its advantages” he said those last words with a slight bit of mischief to them. Selena felt both hypnotized and venerable around him. “Excuse me please…I’ll be right with you” she swooped him out of his small talk about his career and disappeared once she got to the ladies room. She checked her face in the mirror and smiled. “I don’t know why you’re acting like such a twit. You know you like him…what’s the problem?” Again she heard the same voice that she had heard at her apartment. “Who’s there?”
Her answer was the automatic flushing sound of toilets. She glanced at her reflection again and shrugged it off. “

“Stop being such a wet mop…”
“He’s too hot for you…”
“You don’t deserve him”
Three identical voices were being hurled at her and she didn’t know what to do. She was confused and scared. Maybe she was really over worked as she had thought. Splashing some cold water on her face she resolved herself to thinking that she was indeed under intense stress and just needed to rest. She hated that she would have to say goodnight to Wesley but she couldn’t bare to be on her feet anymore. She was far from crazy and that was how she intended to keep it!
Her eyes ran over her reflection and she stepped forward a little more. It was almost as if she was afraid to look at herself. She let her hand reach out to the twin girl in the glass and nearly screamed when she felt fingers touch her own.

“Oops…my bad.”
“I wonder if that Wesley fellow is any good”
“Good for what?” the identical voices went back and forth in a verbal battle of wits. Selena couldn’t believe it. The stories she had heard were true. Her mother had warned her that as she got older she would go through some changes. These changes would start once she met the right man. She however neglected to tell her the negative side affects of her changes. Was she really going mad? She was unsure but that uncertainty was starting to wane. “I think you should sit this one out” her reflection talked back to her again. Three voices echoing together in her head her long slender fingers clasping her head in her hands as she tried to make sense of everything.
***
Wesley was beginning to worry. His date had been gone for more than twenty minutes. While he had took the liberty of ordering them dinner this did not mean he meant to eat alone. He slicked a piece of his long hair away from his face and called the waiter over for another glass of wine. It had a sweet but bold taste about it and reminded him of human blood. Selena was still missing in action when he decided he would rather have the bottle. Surely displaying such a fond attachment for squashed grapes was unusal but he was dismissive of what others may have thought. The man appreciated a fine wine and that was good enough for him.
***
Her emerald eyes were twinkling as she looked up at her reflection. A wiry smile plastered across her lips as she modeled for herself in the mirror. “Do we like?” she teased as she looked back at her reflection The three echoing voices had quieted themselves Selena’s sad face and pounding hands the only response the woman on the other side of the mirror needed. “Now we’ll really see if that Wesley fellow knows what he’s doing” She arranged her dress a little more and smoothed her hair.
“You can’t do this!” she protested as she banged against the other side of the glass; her compact mirror sitting on the counter top. “Oh just watch me” she was full of word play wasn’t she? Taking the hand mirror into her palm she glanced at her frowning reflection. “Now you get to which me play!” she chided as she left the bathroom and shut the compact in her hand before tossing it in the trash. As long as there were no mirrors in sight she was safe to wreck havoc on Selena’s life.
When she finally was able to get out of the bathroom she returned to their table.


Selena allowed her hand to stretch towards Wesley when she sat down. “I love a man that takes charge” she encouraged him with a bit of mild flirtation. “So tell me Wesley. What drives a man like you crazy?” He quirked an eyebrow at her sudden, brazenness; she seemed like a totally different woman and she was. “Is something the matter Selena?” he was attracted to her but her sudden change in attitude was shocking. She smirked at him. “Oh I’m as fine as wine, and so are you so tell me what are you going to do?” She hadn’t meant to rhyme but when she did she let out a low laugh that sounded a little sinister. “I took a moment to order us some food. Chuck steak and gravy…do you like that sort of thing or would you like something else?” he was attempting to ignore the urge to attack her, he came off distant if anything. Wesley was not just your average man. Wesley as his name so cleverly implied was a werewolf.
He hid it well, parading himself as a human being he took mysterious outings into the woods once a year every year and blamed his absence on an unexplained family illness. The truth was Wesley and the rest of his family were all werewolves. He had been told as a young child that he may very well come across a woman he was destined to roam wild with; however finding that woman had been quite the challenge.
Mr. Wolfe had been twice divorced with no children. Both his wives no longer spoke to him. The reason why was unclear. He had given up on the idea of ever finding the woman his family talked about. This was all until last Monday. Wesley had been shooting the breeze at a local sports bar with some faculty when one of his friends mentioned a kindergarden teacher who barely was seen with anyone but was quite attractive. He was intrigued and wanted to know more. A few days later they were introduced and now they were having dinner. It was all very ominous. Dinner ended on a positive note. Wesley had learned that Selena had come from a distant tribe of wolves that had taken residence in New York twenty six years ago. She had no children and liked animals. “Would you like to come up for a glass of wine or something?” He flirted with the idea. She didn’t look anything like the woman his parents described to him as a boy but she certainly seemed intriguing enough to be her. The “or something part” sounded like it might be fun so he went along with her. “I’d love to” When they arrived upstairs Selena’s doppelganger had completely forgotten that she had mirrors hanging in her bedroom. Call her narcissistic or not she always felt like she needed to see herself at every angle.
She left him in the living room so that she could get more comfortable and smiled to herself because she had managed to dupe him. When she returned she was wearing a whole lot less. Wesley was both taken aback and interested all at once. She was tempted to look at herself in the bathroom mirror but knew Selena would demand to be set free and spoil the fun. Wesley practically had to lap his tongue back into his mouth. He felt a burning sensation sweep over him and his eyes followed her. He slipped his shoes off and fumbled around in the process. “Its kinda dark in here don’t you think?” There was no response. Her mind was made up, she was going to be in charge and this was how she was going to do it.
Selena’s mother had warned her about the woman inside her. She had warned her that if she wasn’t careful, she could destroy her if she wasn’t careful. She was right. Wesley looked up at her pretty face. “Your tryi"g to tempt me, but I cant just stumble around in the dark.” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and pressed her body against his to block his path. He was tempted to stay there and let the woman devour him, but being who he was he always had to have things in order. Lost loafers did not gentleman make. He flirted with the idea of possibilities but then it dawned on him that he was in a strange womans house, a very attractive woman but a strange one nonetheless. "Nonsense" She cooed as she went ahead and seduced him. Her face twisting up into something ghastly "Please let me out" Said a little voice as he allowed who he beleived wasch Selena to kiss him. He stumbled back ontoe the couch as the voice shot through his ears and when he heard the words again he appeared startled. "What the hell is going on here?"

Selena's Doppelganger smiled and kissed her.
"Let me out of here!" There it was again. Wesley was neither dumb nor hard of hearing. He had at that moment remembered a story his grandfafa had told him as a little boy. It was a story about a young woman and a young man who had been born durring the harvest moon. They were said to have had alter egos that took the shape of wolves. Uptill now he thought it was just a story he was told to explain his families origins, however now he was starting to wonder. Sevita saw the interest in his eyes and smiled. "May I use your bathroom?" Her face nearly fell apart from the shock. "Last door on the left" She rolled her eyes and waited there maneuvering her cleavage around a little bit and fussing about her hair. She had become so involved in her primping that she had totally forgotten Selena and the mirror behind her bathroom door.

Wesley turned the water on in order to fake his hand washing and when he closed the door there she was. Dressed in the same outfit he had met her in at the resturant. "Selena right?" he said not shocked at all. So the stories were true. "How could you tell us apart?" He smiled. "I figured you either had a personality transplant or something bad happened" The shared a laugh. "Now the question is how do we get rid of her?" Wesley reached out to her and when he touched the glass she felt nothing. "You have to show her ... show her her own reflection." He stood there stairing at the glass on the door her voice ringing in his ears causing him to freeze. "Wesley Wesley Wesley!" She chimed as she stood there watching him. "What's been keeping you so long?" He smiled as he pulled her inside and kissed her. Sevita accepted his kiss and smiled. "Much better" He smiled and asked her to close her eyes, cautious she refused and he pouted. "Whats the matter? You can trust me"

She listened to him but these were usually the words you head right before something went terribly wrong. "I do trust you... I just dont trust your intentions" She was on the verge of cackling and had to stop herself otherwise she would have seemed very very evil! "Then have dinner with me again tomorrow night?" He smiled and hoped he wouldnt get turned down. He was trying to trick her. "Where at?" she was getting a little suspicious but was also curious. "My place? I make really good lamb stew" She smiled. "Let me walk you to the door" He was honestly surprised. She had practically tried to rape him. "Your behavior is a little on the strange side but I respect that...so will you?" She shook her head and when he finally left she squealed with delight! She had duped him!

Later in the evening Savita went to bed. The sound of Selena's sobs muffled in the bathroom. Sevita went ahead and went to work as usual met Selena's friends and acted like nothing was wrong. It would be a full two weeks before she saw Wesley again. She was disappointed he had ditched their little dinner date. The fact of the matter was he was searching for his Grandfafa. He hadn't seen him in months and now more than ever he needed to see him.
***
"Wesley Is here to see you Mr Wolfe" By Tuesday morning Wesley had tracked Malachi down at a mature living center called Saffron Commons. He was neverous. He didnt know what to do he had attempted to trick Sevita but had failed. Now he supposed it was time to call in the big guns. He sat across from the man, while he was up in age he was still very handsome and very aware of what was going on around him. "Who is she?" He said blankly his nose itching from the inside. "She smells like the forest and old perfume." Wesley sat dumbfounded, while his sense of smell was heightened his Grandfafa's was out of this world. "Her name is Selena...I think she's the one...but theres another woman...inside of her...shes threatening her.

"Boy! Bring me my dogtag from in the bathroom!" It was an odd request and by the expression on his face Malachi knew what was coming. "Why?" He hissed at him and shooed him away quietly. "Make haste if you wish to save her. Tomorrow night is the third night of the full moon...If you miss it she will be stuck as that woman you spoke of forever" Wesley listened intently as he went and did what he was told. When he returned he handed it over to him. "I have no need for it...put it around her neck tonight at dinner and no matter where you go, mirrors or not it will cast a reflection on the walls around you. You must do this before midnight, and pick me up some Vlasic pickles would you?" He had gone from spouting wisdom to yammering on like an old man. "Thank you, for everything" Wesley dropped the necklace into his pocket and left after promising he would bring the old man some pickles.

Wesley met Savita at a local jazz club the following night. She figured she was safe in darkness, no mirrors and swanky music. "You look lovely tonight" Wesley added when he saw her sitting at the table he had reserved for them earlier on. "Thank you very much" They sat together and listened to the music. "I have something to give you" Sevita's eyes perked up and she squealed "Oh really? What is it?" Wesley took the dogtag his grandfather had given him and presented it to her in a black box. He pried it open and when her eyes fell on it she smiled again. "Its beautiful!" she chimed as she almost immediately took it from him. It was tarnished and not very shiny so she was almost sure it could not cast a reflection. The dogtag seemed to take on a life of its own. The metal casting a glow onto her skin and then her face. Her throat closed up slowly and she panicked. "Please excuse me!" Her hands clasped shut as she ran into the ladies room the metal seemed to sear into her skin. The bare walls around her transforming into full length glass mirrors. A blood curdling scream came from the bathroom. Glass cracking and then crashing all around her after she saw her reflection.

Selen fell to the floor and when she woke up there was Wesley standing over her. "Selena?" He knelt to the ground and picked her up. "Are you okay?" She was freaking out! "Its you isn't it? You gave her the dogtag, you knew...how else could you know?" He didnt answer her right away he just helped her up off the floor. They had made quite the commotion in there. The music had drowned out the noise they had made. Now it was time for them to leave. "You are her, you are the woman that my parents told me about. "Will you come with me tonight?" She was slightly confused. "Where are we going?" He leaned in to kiss her. "We are going home. I'm from a place you may know as Eirewood, it is a society of wolves. Will you come with me?" Selena pulled away from him. "I would but this is my home..I'm sorry" Wesley was heartbroken but respected her wish and as a show of his love for her he went to his parents and asked that his abilities be relinquished. He knew she was the woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with whether it was an enchanted life or a normal one the point was he was spending it with her.

"Do not address me as such! I am of Noble blood!" (Responce to Ever After) In Conjunction With Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella

Ever After has to be one of my favorite movies about a Fairytale, however it wasn’t until I had to watch the movie for this assignment did I realize who the hell the two men at the beginning of the movie were. Duh it was the Grimm Brothers I totally get that now! I've seen the movie over eight times but would like to address several points about it before talking about Cinderella. In the very beginning of the movie the Baroness cries out “Do not leave me here” my immediate impression of this woman is that she neither loves Danielle’s father nor his estate. She has arrived with daughters of her own which indicates she was previously married. Danielle is what is left of her father, while he expects her to show the Baroness how to “get her hands dirty” She is also the last person he says he loves before he dies. This I believe sparked competition between her and her stepmother.

It is noted that it would be ten years before another man would enter Danielle’s life. In the course of this time Danielle grows into a young lady. Her two sisters Jacqueline and Margaret are different. While Margaret mistreats Danielle Jacqueline seems genuinely loving towards her stepsister (and slightly less bratty as well) I think there was an interesting family dynamic that went on between the four women. You have Danielle who is the rightful lady of the house who is treated as a house maid, Baroness DeGette who is using her daughters to gain a higher social standing Margaret who is self centered and self serving and finally there is Jacqueline who is apparently ‘only there for the food’ Besides the screwy family structure I think that the issue of outward appearances in connection to self image and self worth is important. This is especially highlighted during the costume party and while the women are preparing for it. Margaret the blonde was allowed to dress as a Peacock, while her sister was a horse. When asked why she could not be the Peacock her mother responds by saying ‘the horse is one of gods noblest creatures” Nobility or not horses are symbols of domestic work that at the time was associated with the lower class. In a way even if she was considered part of their family at this particular point she can be seen as socially beneath them.

Danielle is highly intelligent and of the lower class so the stereotype that you must be higher up in the social chain is dispelled. We must also consider that her father may at one point been fiscally successful enough to provide his daughter with an education since she is not only able to think for herself but also she is not obsessed with landing a husband and marrying wealthy. This is something we see from the start with her stepmother. Di Vinci says later on in the film that he was the bastard son of a lowerclassmen, he was a talented artist therefore it should not matter where he has come from. It does. Social classes pose as barriers for people and in the end hinder and prohibit them from happiness. This was not true in the case of Danielle but this is afterall a fairytale, fairytales are constructed to make people feel better about their own lives.

I particularly liked the way good and evil was portrayed. The Baroness was transparently evil. (Either that or Anjelica Houston is just creepy) While Danielle pretended to be something she was not she initially did it to save a mans life. I suppose the moral here is it is okay to lie about who you are if it will serve a larger purpose in the end, there is also the issue of pretending on a larger scale. Prince Henry was unhappy being just the Prince, his personality is dual ended. He was very romantic with Danielle, yet he was able to turn on her when it was discovered she was not who she claimed to be. This raises the idea of acting in order to gain social acceptance. Whether your intentions are self motivated or malicious this is understandable.

I don't know if it was just me but I liked this particular version better than Ever After. The obvious trying too hard to appeal to different and racial audiences being put aside I enjoyed the music. This particular version though was more focused on maintaining the integrity of the original story. While trying to appeal to a more modern audience, though there is a bit of confusion, I understand this may have been the composers way of defusing any old racial disparities that the original Cinderella held but Cinderella being played by a Black woman, only to later be mistreated by an integrated family of Blacks and Whites is far more disturbing than some white washed version that is socially focused. While this is problematic Ever After has its own issues. Besides the ones I had previously mentioned you have the general idea that no matter what your circumstances are you will be rescued. This is true in both revisions. Danielle is an active character in her own story while Brandy's Cinderella is a dreamer and more true to the Cinderella we see in the Walt Disney version.

Though visually and musically pleasing Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella is overly saturated with lavish decorations and well known cast members that only end up taking away from any valuable lesson the film may offer. I feel like this particular Cinderella would appeal to today children since it offers the same ho-hum conflict resolution and happy ending. I took one thing from this version though. Teaching racial tolerance for a better purpose. Aside from this the film was pretty average.

Comparing Frogs To Princess' in Disney

For some odd reason I have been looking at most of these fairyales from a feminist perspective. This probably do to the fact that I'm one myself but keeping that school of thought in mind I honestly dont remember any version of the Princess and The Frog I can briefly remember as a child a story about a princess who was out one day came across a sad frog and kissed him so that he would feel better causing him to transform into a prince but according to what I can remember and the text this is hardly the same story.

The concept of revision itself in the case of this fairytale is interesting because the tale itself deals with a Frog who is trying to pass himself off as desirable to a princess in order to bed and wed her. In a way you could say that just like characters in the story, people go through revisionary periods in order to improve themselves and make themselves more attractive to to others. The Frog prince Is transforming himself for his own personal goal. Though the process of revision the prince has gone from repulsive to clear speaking and very conniving. The princess herself is etched out very early in the tale as materialistic. This is highlighted in The Frog King Or Iorn Henry.

The princess complains of losing "clothes, my jewels, my pearls these are all materialistic things. And serve as a marker for where she stands in society. Since the frog is physically lowly its not surprising that he does after her but the different versions of the story left me thinking about a form of identity theft.

While he makes himself adaptable to his surroundings He has only transformed into something more suitable to both her and her father because that is the type of lifestyle he wants. The Princesses riches if taken a step further are not her riches at all but her fathers and are part of the temptation and control she has over the frog. Her fathers riches are what the prince wants and in a way there is an exchange of a power dynamic between the Princess' father and the frog. In Escaping Wonderland there is talk of the placement of women as well as imagination. I chose to focus on the Little Mermaid. I can vaguely remember bringing up to the professor the idea that Ariel was leading a sheltered life. Though King Triton is her father he also serves as a Patriarchal figure in her life. Erick later replaces her father. (115) mentions the princesses father wanting her marry an older Aristocrat. The Frog is representative of this. Symbolically frogs do not only represent older men (they're usually referred to as old Hermit frogs or old Toads) but also they tend to represent pestilence and death. (Biblicaly speaking)

The Frog is dipcted as a character that maintains his own agency (I'm sorry its become my favorite word lately.) However the Princess' agency comes from her fathers power. Her agency comes from her golden ball. Cited to represent her virginity (115) "The golden ball her most prized possession, is symbolic of her virginity and and phyical appeal" Is also representative of her agency (In my eyes) Once she loses that in the well (Wells are symbolically supposed to represent sexuality stagnant sexuality but sexuality nonetheless) She needs the Frog to regain it just as Ariel needs Erick to speak for her when she trades her voice for legs. Both of these women are trading off parts of themselves in order to gain acceptance on a larger scale.

Bestiality is something I brought up previously. The sexual aspect of the Bridegroom and Bride relationship is interesting because while this is morally strange the beast isnt a beast at all. But the sexual size of the woman in question. Theres the aspect of a woman being two sided. (The Virginal princess, Old woman theory) The older woman is teamed with the younger when its discoved that she is the same person (Penny Jack) but this raises the idea that women can internalize different aspects or qualities. I was also leaning towards the concept of the Eternal Feminine. Feel free to check that out here:
http://www.adishakti.org/_/eternal_feminine_principle.htm

Princess' in Disney films besides The Little Mermaid also have been known to have very little agency. (Bell can count, but I really don't think she does because she isnt a princess to begin with) She is distracted by her readings (Distraction by materialism is another big point in these stories) Jasmine is the only Disney princess I can think of at the moment who doesn't give up anything for a man. Whether this has to do with ethnicity or background can be considered. She is neither subdued or stereotypically passive and dependent on a man.

Project Proposal: Fairytales and the Place of Women

Topic: Fairytles and the place and roles of women, paying close attention to things such as competition, sexual roles including projection, competition among women and the roles men place on them as well.

The Glass Slipper:
An Examination of Women's Roles, Sexuality and Gender Hindrance In Children's Literature

Objective
To examine symbolism found in stories such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty
Examine the roles of women through out the stories and what they represent.
Connect the stories to today’s needs and society.
Highlight the negative aspects of Fairytales and their affect on children as well as their self image.
Discuss how the process of revision has both helped and hurt fairytales.
Examine all three fairytales and compare their modern versions to their classical versions.

Cinderella: The Flawed Archetype:

Cinderella is cited as more beautiful than her step sisters, this adds the idea of immediate jealousy. Beauty has become a commodity and an enviable attribute. In a society like todays it is totally acceptable to misjudge and mistreat others if they are not considered physically attractive.
Cinderella is dressed in rags and forced to do house work. Domestication has always been linked with women; however when several women are forcing one woman to do house work it can be seen as an unintended role reversal. The power dynamic has shifted. Also there is the issue of suppression of others in order to build ones self.
Remaining pious, sweet and passive means you will eventually find happiness. It seems a it far fetched but the same argument can be applied to domestic violence victims. Some things don’t just dissipate and get better over time. Perhaps if we removed the aspect of the prince and her marriage to the prince saving her from her life with her stepmother Cinderella may have very well been doomed to serve her step sisters and stepmother for the rest of her life. There is too much of an emphasis being placed on a man saving a woman.

No real parental guidance in the story. In the Disney version her father is dead and she is living with her step mother and two sisters. Her step mother discards her and treats her like a house maid, her only concern her own daughters and social advancement.

Snow White: Chocking on The Apple

An extremist view of Snow White living with the seven dwarfs, is the idea of living with seven men, even if they are Dwarfs it is implied that there is an unhealthy attachment and relationship going on.
Snow White is in completion with her mother, in the Disney version instead of cutting out her liver and kidneys the queen asks for her heart. Symbolically her wanting her daughters heart may represent her wanting to take her place. The Italian version according to the text Snow White was originally The Girl of Blood and Milk. Keeping this in mind it is arguable that her mother could be using her internal organs as a source of nourishment.

The Prince rescues Snow White with a kiss but in the Grimm’s version the Apple is dislodged from her throat and she wakes up. The Prince is also overwhelmed by her beauty he falls in love with her. Other versions of this story include Sun Moon and Thalia and Briar Rose
Snow White keeps house for the Dwarfs. This domesticates her.
The Queens transformation into an old woman is seen as menacing because she intends to poison Snow White. She is an older woman, more knowledgeable, because of this she is seen as a threat. Older women are portrayed as scary and unattractive because they are already aware of who they are. Intelligence is frightening.
Symbolically, concerning the bible apples represent temptation and the beginning of the fall of human kind.

Note: This is all part of a Power Point presentation I have been working on I am hoping this illustrates my outline well. This is everything I have so far.