Knock, knock. Who's there? Can't you tell by looking at me?!

In furtherance of the idea presented in class about images of Little Red Riding Hood and how she is depicted, my last post contained several images of Little Red and I made the observation that it is her red cape and hood that make her instantly identifiable as Little Red.  This started me thinking about other fictional characters and who else among them possesses such an iconic, trademark piece of clothing that would be instantly associated with that character.

I was surprised that this was harder than I initially expected.  In fact, the best I could do was Cinderella and her glass slipper, however, it is not uncommon for Cinderella to be depicted in her housework rags, or in her ball gown but without her feet showing so it is not quite the same effect as we have with Little Red and her hooded cape. 

I was able to come up with a list of items that we might instantly associate with a particular fairy tale character but, unless you were only using the Disney images for associations, no other definitive article of clothing for another character.

Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty could all be interchangeable princesses and fairy tale heroines if they were lined up side by side in ball gowns.  However, add an apple and maybe a forest creature or two and you would immediately know it must be Snow White.  The same goes for Cinderella and her already mentioned glass slipper, as well as her pumpkin coach.  Rapunzel could be any pretty, young girl with a very long braid but if she is near or in a tower with no visible door, then she is recognized as Rapunzel.  Sleeping Beauty needs the spinning wheel or to be seen lying atop her bed before she is easily identified as Sleeping Beauty.

These are all popular fairy tale characters, and yet, it is only Little Red that has that one, steady, consistent article of clothing that identifies her as the young girl who encounters a wolf while walking through the woods.

Clothes Make the Woman

We have left Snow White and Disney behind this week and moved on to Little Red Riding Hood, which is ripe with sexual innuendo, violence, and obedience lessons depending on the versions you read.  One point I was particularly taken with was raised by Zohar Shavit in his essay "The Concept of Childhood and Children's Folktales".

"While in Perrault's version the grandmother's love for her girl is not mentioned at all, in the Grimm version her love for Little Red Riding Hood is boundless, and she makes her the red hood as a symbol of her love.  Hence the hood serves a different function in each of the two versions: for Perrault it symbolizes the girl's eroticism, whereas for the Brothers Grimm it is an expression of the grandmother's deep love."  See, "The Concept of Childhood and Children's Folktales", by Zohar Shavit, p. 330.

The idea of the cape representing such different imagery has really impressed me, as did the current assignment in class of posting an image (just one) of Little Red and discussing the image evoked.  I have looked through hundreds of images online and chosen a handful that, for me, evoke either the beloved child or the erotic heroine in keeping with the statement above.

First, we have the Red that would be in keeping with Perrault's character:

And now, the Grimms' Red:



In every one of these images, the red cape is what identifies the girl in it as Little Red for us.  The capes are of varying length and style, even the shade of red varies, and yet we know this is Little Red Riding Hood each time.  Without it in any or all of these images, and I do not believe Little Red would immediately come to mind except, perhaps, in the first one where the character has slain a wolf.

The emotions and sensations these images conjure are also different.  When I see the erotic Red, I think of a siren who has been awakened out of her innocence by the Wolf, and who is thriving in her newfound womanhood.  The young, child Red invokes in me feelings of wanting and needing to protect her innocence and her life as a parent or grandparent would want to do with a child.

While I was not unaware of several versions of art and images of this character exist, I seldom spend much time searching through them and contemplating my reactions and feelings to them.  I have really enjoyed this project as it gave me a new reflective point.

Am I Under a Spell or Do I Just Believe in Magic?

In preparation for the essay I need to write this week on Jack Zipes' essay, "Breaking the Disney Spell", I have re-read it.  I still fail to see the harm in some of the things Mr. Zipes found fault with Disney over.  One of the first criticisms broached is probably the one I have the most trouble with.  Mr. Zipes appears to resent that the stories were altered to give people hope and make them want to believe in good and happily ever after.

"Of course it would be a great exaggeration to maintain that Disney's spell totally divested the classical fairy tales of their meaning and invested them with his own.  But it would not be an exaggeration to assert that Disney was a radical filmmaker who changed our way of viewing fairy tales, and that his revolutionary technical means capitalized on American innocence and utopianism to reinforce the social and political status quo.  His radicalism was of the right and righteous.  The great "magic" of the Disney spell is that he animated the fairy tale only to transfix audiences and divert their potential utopian dreams and hopes through the false promises of the images he cast upon the screen." 

See, "Breaking the Disney Spell", by Jack Zipes, page 333.

Back in the 1930's, when we were in the middle of the Depression, people wanted to believe there was something good to look forward to.  Today, in the midst of terrorist attacks, wars and deadly diseases that are ravaging our loved ones, I think we still want something good to look forward to.  Is it so terrible that Disney's animated fairy tales do that?  The bad people in the stories still get punished, (perhaps not as harshly as in the original tales, although I think I would be a bit disturbed watching the Evil Queen be forced to wear shoes that were ablaze and dance until she dropped dead - it sounds like something I would expect to see in one of the "Saw" movies), and the good people get rewarded (isn't that what we all hope will happen to us one way or another, that if we do good, we will be rewarded in kind whether it is a raise or a promotion at work for doing well there, or riches, or marriage and family if that is what we wish for).

I'm something of a visual person.  I do dream and imagine but I love to see images laid out before me that depict the very things I dream and imagine about.  It makes me feel good to see I am not the only one who believes in something, which in turn, gives me hope because then it seems a greater possibility of being achieveable if more than one person sees it as well.

People need to dream and hope and believe.  Without these ideals, our country would not be what it is today.  Maybe some of the Disney fairy tales are a little too sun-shiney sometimes, but I would rather have too much than not enough.

Princesses: Not Just for Decoration Anymore

The current module assigned reading is an essay by Jack Zipes entitled, "Breaking the Disney Spell", in which the author discusses his views on how Disney "ruined" the fairy tale.  One of the biggest issues I have with fairy tales, whether they are Disney's or someone else's, is that the female protagonist characters are frequently portrayed as weak, or needing a man to succeed, or having to rely on her beauty.  I was surprised that while Mr. Zipes mentions this phenomena in his essay, this was not one of his bigger criticisms about the ruination of the fairy tale.  According to Zipes, "The young women are helpless ornaments in need of protection, and when it comes to the action of the film, they are omitted."  See, "Breaking the Disney Spell", by Jack Zipes, p.349.

The weak, helpless girl whose only purpose is to be beautiful so she can attract a prince to save her is really disturbing to me as this could lead to self-esteem issues if girls and women today adhere to these principles.  I much prefer stories where the heroine is allowed to possess spirit and bravery, and exhibit intelligence and self sufficiency in addition to being beautiful (it is a fairy tale after all).

Someday My Self-Esteem Will Come

While looking through some old emails, I came across the cartoons below:

As you can see, they focus on how much attention and focus is given to the princesses' looks rather than other qualities. 

Is this something for us to truly be concerned about?  Are young girls basing most or all of their ideals regarding self worth on these cartoon characters who have no greater purpose than to be beautiful?  Yes, some of these girls are brave and attempt to live their lives on their own terms but somehow they still end up needing a man to fall in love with them in order to achieve their greatest desires.

I admit, I got a chuckle out of these cartoons when I received them, especially because some of the princesses have annoyed me more than others over the years for being too weak and simpering (actually I once wrote a series of satirical story poems I called "The Fractured Fairy Tales" where I re-wrote the stories of various princesses to paint them in a slightly less saintly light).  I do recognize though that some girls, rather than be annoyed by the characters, might think this is what we are supposed to strive to be in order to be successful as women which, to me, is disturbing.

I am not saying you shouldn't want to be beautiful.  I also see nothing wrong with wanting to stay home and take care of your family by cooking and keeping house.  I just don't like being objectified or cornered into one particular role as what I "have" to be, and I hope we are teaching our young girls that they do not have to be limited either.