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Charles Perrault

Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood.
One day her mother, having made some cakes, said to her, "Go, my dear, and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear she has been very ill. Take her a cake, and this little pot of butter."

Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who lived in another village.

As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, "I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother."

"Does she live far off?" said the wolf

"Oh I say," answered Little Red Riding Hood; "it is beyond that mill you see there, at the first house in the village."

"Well," said the wolf, "and I'll go and see her too. I'll go this way and go you that, and we shall see who will be there first."

The wolf ran as fast as he could, taking the shortest path, and the little girl took a roundabout way, entertaining herself by gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and gathering bouquets of little flowers. It was not long before the wolf arrived at the old woman's house. He knocked at the door: tap, tap.

"Who's there?"

"Your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood," replied the wolf, counterfeiting her voice; "who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter sent you by mother."

The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill, cried out, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up."

The wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and then he immediately fell upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment, for it been more than three days since he had eaten. He then shut the door and got into the grandmother's bed, expecting Little Red Riding Hood, who came some time afterwards and knocked at the door: tap, tap.

"Who's there?"

Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the big voice of the wolf, was at first afraid; but believing her grandmother had a cold and was hoarse, answered, "It is your grandchild Little Red Riding Hood, who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter mother sends you."

The wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up."

Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.

The wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bedclothes, "Put the cake and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come get into bed with me."

Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and got into bed. She was greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her nightclothes, and said to her, "Grandmother, what big arms you have!"

"All the better to hug you with, my dear."

"Grandmother, what big legs you have!"

"All the better to run with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big ears you have!"

"All the better to hear with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!"

"All the better to eat you up with."

And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up.

Moral: Children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf. I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.

Source: Andrew Lang, The Blue Fairy Book (London, ca. 1889), pp. 51-53. Lang's source: Charles Perrault,Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités: Contes de ma mère l'Oye (Paris, 1697).

The French title of this famous tale is "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge."

Aarne-Thompson type 333.

Links to related sites
Revised September 21, 2003.

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Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding hood made for her.

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Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Once upon a time in midwinter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black ebony wood. As she sewed she looked up at the snow and pricked her finger with her needle. Three drops of blood fell into the snow. The red on the white looked so beautiful that she thought to herself, "If only I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood in this frame."
Soon afterward she had a little daughter who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood, and therefore they called her Little Snow-White. And as soon as the child was born, the queen died.

A year later the king took himself another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but she was proud and arrogant, and she could not stand it if anyone might surpass her in beauty. She had a magic mirror. Every morning she stood before it, looked at herself, and said:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

To this the mirror answered:

You, my queen, are fairest of all.

Then she was satisfied, for she knew that the mirror spoke the truth.

Snow-White grew up and became ever more beautiful. When she was seven years old she was as beautiful as the light of day, even more beautiful than the queen herself.

One day when the queen asked her mirror:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

It answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Snow-White is a thousand times fairer than you.

The queen took fright and turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour on whenever she looked at Snow-White her heart turned over inside her body, so great was her hatred for the girl. The envy and pride grew ever greater, like a weed in her heart, until she had no peace day and night.

Then she summoned a huntsman and said to him, "Take Snow-White out into the woods. I never want to see her again. Kill her, and as proof that she is dead bring her lungs and her liver back to me."

The huntsman obeyed and took Snow-White into the woods. He took out his hunting knife and was about to stab it into her innocent heart when she began to cry, saying, "Oh, dear huntsman, let me live. I will run into the wild woods and never come back."

Because she was so beautiful the huntsman took pity on her, and he said, "Run away, you poor child."

He thought, "The wild animals will soon devour you anyway," but still it was as if a stone had fallen from his heart, for he would not have to kill her.

Just then a young boar came running by. He killed it, cut out its lungs and liver, and took them back to the queen as proof of Snow-White's death. The cook had to boil them with salt, and the wicked woman ate them, supposing that she had eaten Snow-White's lungs and liver.

The poor child was now all alone in the great forest, and she was so afraid that she just looked at all the leaves on the trees and did not know what to do. Then she began to run. She ran over sharp stones and through thorns, and wild animals jumped at her, but they did her no harm. She ran as far as her feet could carry her, and just as evening was about to fall she saw a little house and went inside in order to rest.

Inside the house everything was small, but so neat and clean that no one could say otherwise. There was a little table with a white tablecloth and seven little plates, and each plate had a spoon, and there were seven knives and forks and seven mugs as well. Against the wall there were seven little beds, all standing in a row and covered with snow-white sheets.

Because she was so hungry and thirsty Snow-White ate a few vegetables and a little bread from each little plate, and from each mug she drank a drop of wine. Afterward, because she was so tired, she lay down on a bed, but none of them felt right -- one was too long, the other too short -- until finally the seventh one was just right. She remained lying in it, entrusted herself to God, and fell asleep.

After dark the masters of the house returned home. They were the seven dwarfs who picked and dug for ore in the mountains. They lit their seven candles, and as soon as it was light in their house they saw that someone had been there, for not everything was in the same order as they had left it.

The first one said, "Who has been sitting in my chair?"

The second one, "Who has been eating from my plate?"

The third one, "Who has been eating my bread?"

The fourth one, "Who has been eating my vegetables?"

The fifth one, "Who has been sticking with my fork?"

The sixth one, "Who has been cutting with my knife?"

The seventh one, "Who has been drinking from my mug?"

Then the first one saw a that there was a little imprint in his bed, and said, "Who stepped on my bed?"

The others came running up and shouted, "Someone has been lying in mine as well."

But the seventh one, looking at his bed, found Snow-White lying there asleep. The seven dwarfs all came running up, and they cried out with amazement. They fetched their seven candles and shone the light on Snow-White. "Oh good heaven! Oh good heaven!" they cried. "This child is so beautiful!"

They were so happy, that they did not wake her up, but let her continue to sleep there in the bed. The seventh dwarf had to sleep with his companions, one hour with each one, and then the night was done.

The next morning Snow-White woke up, and when she saw the seven dwarfs she was frightened. But they were friendly and asked, "What is your name?"

"My name is Snow-White," she answered.

"How did you find your way to our house?" the dwarfs asked further.

Then she told them that her stepmother had tried to kill her, that the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run the entire day, finally coming to their house.

The dwarfs said, "If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want."

"Yes," said Snow-White, "with all my heart."

So she kept house for them. Every morning they went into the mountains looking for ore and gold, and in the evening when they came back home their meal had to be ready. During the day the girl was alone.

The good dwarfs warned her, saying, "Be careful about your stepmother. She will soon know that you are here. Do not let anyone in."

Now the queen, believing that she had eaten Snow-White's lungs and liver, could only think that she was again the first and the most beautiful woman of all. She stepped before her mirror and said:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

It answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Snow-White, beyond the mountains
With the seven dwarfs,
Is still a thousand times fairer than you.

This startled the queen, for she knew that the mirror did not lie, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her, and that Snow-White was still alive. Then she thought, and thought again, how she could kill Snow-White, for as long as long as she was not the most beautiful woman in the entire land her envy would give her no rest.

At last she thought of something. Coloring her face, she disguised herself as an old peddler woman, so that no one would recognize her. In this disguise she went to the house of the seven dwarfs. Knocking on the door she called out, "Beautiful wares for sale, for sale!"

Snow-White peered out the window and said, "Good day, dear woman, what do you have for sale?"

"Good wares, beautiful wares," she answered. "Bodice laces in all colors." And she took out one that was braided from colorful silk. "Would you like this one?"

"I can let that honest woman in," thought Snow-White, then unbolted the door and bought the pretty bodice lace.

"Child," said the old woman, "how you look! Come, let me lace you up properly."

The unsuspecting Snow-White stood before her and let her do up the new lace, but the old woman pulled so quickly and so hard that Snow-White could not breathe.

"You used to be the most beautiful one," said the old woman, and hurried away.

Not long afterward, in the evening time, the seven dwarfs came home. How terrified they were when they saw their dear Snow-White lying on the ground, not moving at all, as though she were dead. They lifted her up, and, seeing that she was too tightly laced, they cut the lace in two. Then she began to breathe a little, and little by little she came back to life.

When the dwarfs heard what had happened they said, "The old peddler woman was no one else but the godless queen. Take care and let no one in when we are not with you."

When the wicked woman returned home she went to her mirror and asked:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered once again:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Snow-White, beyond the mountains
With the seven dwarfs,
Is still a thousand times fairer than you.

When she heard that, all her blood ran to her heart because she knew that Snow-White had come back to life.

"This time," she said, "I shall think of something that will destroy you."

Then with the art of witchcraft, which she understood, she made a poisoned comb. Then she disguised herself, taking the form of a different old woman. Thus she went across the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door, and called out, "Good wares for sale, for sale!"

Snow-White looked out and said, "Go on your way. I am not allowed to let anyone in."

"You surely may take a look," said the old woman, pulling out the poisoned comb and holding it up. The child liked it so much that she let herself be deceived, and she opened the door.

After they had agreed on the purchase, the old woman said, "Now let me comb your hair properly."

She had barely stuck the comb into Snow-White's hair when the poison took effect, and the girl fell down unconscious.

"You specimen of beauty," said the wicked woman, "now you are finished." And she walked away.

Fortunately it was almost evening, and the seven dwarfs came home. When they saw Snow-White lying on the ground as if she were dead, they immediately suspected her stepmother. They examined her and found the poisoned comb. They had scarcely pulled it out when Snow-White came to herself again and told them what had happened. Once again they warned her to be on guard and not to open the door for anyone.

Back at home the queen stepped before her mirror and said:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Snow-White, beyond the mountains
With the seven dwarfs,
Is still a thousand times fairer than you.

When the queen heard the mirror saying this, she shook and trembled with anger, "Snow-White shall die," she shouted, "if it costs me my life!"

Then she went into her most secret room -- no one else was allowed inside -- and she made a poisoned, poisoned apple. From the outside it was beautiful, white with red cheeks, and anyone who saw it would want it. But anyone who might eat a little piece of it would died. Then, coloring her face, she disguised herself as a peasant woman, and thus went across the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs. She knocked on the door.

Snow-White stuck her head out the window and said, "I am not allowed to let anyone in. The dwarfs have forbidden me to do so."

"That is all right with me," answered the peasant woman. "I'll easily get rid of my apples. Here, I'll give you one of them."

"No," said Snow-White, "I cannot accept anything."

"Are you afraid of poison?" asked the old woman. "Look, I'll cut the apple in two. You eat the red half, and I shall eat the white half."

Now the apple had been so artfully made that only the red half was poisoned. Snow-White longed for the beautiful apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating part of it she could no longer resist, and she stuck her hand out and took the poisoned half. She barely had a bite in her mouth when she fell to the ground dead.

The queen looked at her with a gruesome stare, laughed loudly, and said, "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony wood! This time the dwarfs cannot awaken you."

Back at home she asked her mirror:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

It finally answered:

You, my queen, are fairest of all.

Then her envious heart was at rest, as well as an envious heart can be at rest.

When the dwarfs came home that evening they found Snow-White lying on the ground. She was not breathing at all. She was dead. They lifted her up and looked for something poisonous. They undid her laces. They combed her hair. They washed her with water and wine. But nothing helped. The dear child was dead, and she remained dead. They laid her on a bier, and all seven sat next to her and mourned for her and cried for three days. They were going to bury her, but she still looked as fresh as a living person, and still had her beautiful red cheeks.

They said, "We cannot bury her in the black earth," and they had a transparent glass coffin made, so she could be seen from all sides. They laid her inside, and with golden letters wrote on it her name, and that she was a princess. Then they put the coffin outside on a mountain, and one of them always stayed with it and watched over her. The animals too came and mourned for Snow-white, first an owl, then a raven, and finally a dove.

Snow-White lay there in the coffin a long, long time, and she did not decay, but looked like she was asleep, for she was still as white as snow and as red as blood, and as black-haired as ebony wood.

Now it came to pass that a prince entered these woods and happened onto the dwarfs' house, where he sought shelter for the night. He saw the coffin on the mountain with beautiful Snow-White in it, and he read what was written on it with golden letters.

Then he said to the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin. I will give you anything you want for it."

But the dwarfs answered, "We will not sell it for all the gold in the world."

Then he said, "Then give it to me, for I cannot live without being able to see Snow-White. I will honor her and respect her as my most cherished one."

As he thus spoke, the good dwarfs felt pity for him and gave him the coffin. The prince had his servants carry it away on their shoulders. But then it happened that one of them stumbled on some brush, and this dislodged from Snow-White's throat the piece of poisoned apple that she had bitten off. Not long afterward she opened her eyes, lifted the lid from her coffin, sat up, and was alive again.

"Good heavens, where am I?" she cried out.

The prince said joyfully, "You are with me." He told her what had happened, and then said, "I love you more than anything else in the world. Come with me to my father's castle. You shall become my wife." Snow-White loved him, and she went with him. Their wedding was planned with great splendor and majesty.

Snow-White's godless stepmother was also invited to the feast. After putting on her beautiful clothes she stepped before her mirror and said:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
The mirror answered:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But the young queen is a thousand times fairer than you.

The wicked woman uttered a curse, and she became so frightened, so frightened, that she did not know what to do. At first she did not want to go to the wedding, but she found no peace. She had to go and see the young queen. When she arrived she recognized Snow-White, and terrorized, she could only stand there without moving.

Then they put a pair of iron shoes into burning coals. They were brought forth with tongs and placed before her. She was forced to step into the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead.

Source: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Sneewittchen,Kinder- und Hausmärchen, (Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales), final edition (Berlin, 1857), no. 53.

The Grimms' source: Marie Hassenpflug (1788-1856) and other informants.

Translated by D. L. Ashliman. © 2002-2005.

This tale was included in the first edition (1812) and all following editions of the Grimms' Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Substantial changes were introduced with the second edition (1819).

Link to a translation of Little Snow-White, version of 1812.

Translator's notes:

1. Both elements of the heroine's name Sneewittchen are in Low German, although the tale itself was recorded in High German. The High German form of the heroine's name would beSchneeweisschen orSchneeweißchen.

2. Some differences between the edition of 1812 and later versions:

Beginning with the edition of 1819, the Grimms add the statement that Snow-White's mother died during childbirth, and that her father remarried. In the first edition, presumably the version closest to its oral sources, Snow-White's jealous antagonist is her own mother, not a stepmother.

Beginning with the edition of 1819, the poisoned apple is dislodged when a servant accidentally stumbles while carrying the coffin to the prince's castle. In the first edition the apple is dislodged when a servant, angry for having to carry Snow-White's coffin wherever the prince goes, strikes the sleeping princess.

Links to related sites
Revised November 15, 2005.

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Once upon a time in midwinter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black ebony wood. As she sewed she looked up at the snow and pricked her finger with her needle. Three drops of blood fell into the snow.

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The Princess Problem: Fairy Tales and Gender Roles

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The Princess Problem: Fairy Tales and Gender Roles

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A beautiful damsel in distress An evil hag (spice with jealousy and a long nose) One dashing prince in search of eye-candy A handful of charming and unthreatening animal pals A heaping spoonful of happily ever after in domestic bliss
It's a recipe we're all familiar with, with a neat ending and an unthreatening message of good defeating evil. But in this day and age, are the stereotypes supported by fairy tales perhaps a little archaic?

Who doesn't love a good fairy tale? We remember them as they were told to us as children, and they remain a large part of our lives through the power of blatant commercialisation and creative re-imagining in film (arguably the same thing). But as I've grown older, I've noticed a growing trend of concern about these stories (chiefly, the Disney princesses) and the messages they might send to children, who are at their most impressionable.

Despite the variety between different classic fairy tales in plot, setting and characters, it is clear that the gender roles remain mostly the same. The men are dashing, brave princes who save their princesses from mortal danger and the women are helpless and in need of saving. Of course, one could argue that the evil stepmothers and witches have some agency - but of course, their inner fire is driven by vanity and jealousy rather than any legitimate objective. And, of course, in the end they are defeated to make way for the pretty damsel, who in reality is just some eye-candy for the princes, who hardly (if at all) get to know their ladies before they marry them.

They're just fairy tales, you might say. Who cares? And on some level, you're right. Fairy tales are just stories - they're fun and romantic and have spawned endless other stories and adaptations. And anyway, a child isn't likely to sit down and psychoanalyse Cinderella. Nevertheless, the message that women are aesthetic objects waiting to be rescued by a strange man will probably transmit in some form - and i f these are the roles that young girls are raised to idolize, what will it do to their own sense of agency and self-esteem?

Not all hope is lost! Although the princess ideal is still undeniably popular amongst children (chiefly young girls), things are starting to shift in the ways that fairy tales are told. 2017's Beauty and the Beast, for example, showed Belle as a more self-sufficient character, educating herself and playing a more active role in her own life (especially her love life). Belle does not settle for Gaston, the archetypal hero prince, but rather bravely rescues her father and stands up to the intimidating Beast, ultimately saving him.

Further, entirely new tales are emerging through the movie powerhouse that is Disney, such as the highly popular Brave (2012), Frozen (2013) and Moana (2016), which paint the 'princesses' as the masters of their own destinies, concerned first and foremost with their own life and character and certainly able to save themselves from peril! Although it may seem small, portraying these female characters as the heroes of their own stories will likely positively influence the children looking to films and stories for life lessons.

It is perhaps an impossible task to rewrite all of the classic fairy tales (or limit their popularity), but with an increasing number of alternative stories for young children to look to, there is hope that the gender roles they support will not be seen as defining or inevitable. Instead, with a greater selection of 'princesses' and 'princes', children will not feel fixed to one path, but able to pursue whatever excites them, whether that be archery or glass slippers.
http://candiceraquellee.blogspot.ca/2015/05/why-you-can-still-tell-your-little.html
Rona Chadwick © Cath Tate cards, from http://www.mylearning.org/feminist-activism--education/images/1-2624/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomgauld/ https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/belles-town-age-beauty-beast-theory/ http://lwlies.com/articles/disneys-snow-white-live-action-remake/

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The Princess Problem: Fairy Tales and Gender Roles

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A beautiful damsel in distress An evil hag (spice with jealousy and a long nose) One dashing prince in search of eye-candy A handful of charming and unthreatening animal pals A heaping spoonful of happily ever after in domestic bliss It's a recipe we're all familiar with, with a neat ending and an unthreatening message of good defeating evil.

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Melissa Bedtime Stories – A Modern Look At Fairy Tale Heroines

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Melissa Bedtime Stories – A Modern Look At Fairy Tale Heroines

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Melissa Bedtime Stories - a modern look at fairy tale heroines such as Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Cinderella. The rock and roll wolf sure looks cool too. These are ads for Melissa Bedtime stories, a female shoes company. Enjoy!

You can trackback from your own site.

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Melissa Bedtime Stories - A Modern Look at Fairy Tale Heroines

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Melissa Bedtime Stories - a modern look at fairy tale heroines such as Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Cinderella. The rock and roll wolf sure looks cool too. These are ads for Melissa Bedtime stories, a female shoes company. Enjoy! You can trackback from your own site.

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Cosmetic Surgery and the Cultural Construction of Beauty

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Cosmetic Surgery and the Cultural Construction of Beauty

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Performing Beauty: Dove's "Real Beauty" Campaign

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Performing Beauty: Dove's "Real Beauty" Campaign

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Facts, Fairytales and the Politics of Storytelling: An Interview with Gaylene Preston

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Facts, Fairytales and the Politics of Storytelling: An Interview with Gaylene Preston

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Representations of Females and Femininity in Disney Princess Film

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Representations of Females and Femininity in Disney Princess Film

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An academic essay exploring the ways in which females and femininity are portrayed in Disney Princess Films.
Introduction
A young girl's journey into adulthood is very much constrained by the constructed ideals of femininity. Such ideals are perpetuated by cultural traditions, education and very often, the media. The media often, implicitly or explicitly, promotes mental models of how a woman should look, speak and interact with others. Arguably, young children's self-image is influenced by how they perceive their identities in texts both verbal and visual. Hence, media that girls are exposed to at a tender age play a major in shaping their gender ideologies.

Disney movies, which can be seen as very strong influences on impressionable children, may seem to unequivocally present the romantic lives of princesses. In every film, the audience watches a beautiful princess almost fall into a moment of danger, if not for the charming prince, quick to rescue her. Yet, at a deeper level, we see that Disney Films are vehicles of powerful gender ideologies. The aim of this project is to explore the kinds of gendered ideas that Disney Films project to their young audiences, specifically, with regard to femininity and how they construct very specific judgments about what is or is not desirable in females.
Brief Background of the Disney Princess Franchise
The Disney Princess series is a Walt Disney Company franchise, which began in 1938 with the adaptation of Snow White. With a total of 10 princesses (as of 2012), the series is popular among young girls. The extent of the influence of the Disney Princess series can be seen in 2007, when USD$4 billion in global retail sales was reported for the Disney Princess franchise. This includes the sale of "a bedazzling collection of pastel products that includes animated films, DVDs, toys, fast-food meals, music CDs, books, interactive web pages, video games, costumes, clothing, bed linens, school supplies, makeup kits, and even Cinderella cleaning supplies" (Iger, 2006).

Andy Mooney, Disney's chairman of consumer goods, also the mastermind behind the marketing strategy of promoting the Disney Princess as a unified franchise, narrated his experience when he first attended his first Disney on Ice show. He was shocked by the multiple young girls dressed as princesses at the event, deeming them as "generic princess products." (Orenstein, 2006.)

In addition to cinema screenings, Disney Princesses-themed films and related TV productions are also redistributed on Disney Channel. Disney Channel, originally a cable channel in United States, has undergone dubbing and/or subtitles to be made available in several non-English speaking countries (similar to Cartoon network), such as Taiwan (mandarin dubbing), Japan (Japanese dubbing) and the Netherlands (Dutch subtitles). It is available in over 127 countries. (Disney, 2012)

This pervasive influence of the Disney Princess franchise is noteworthy because it of its ability to shape perceptions of female identity and desirability. Females are made to measure themselves against the set of values that are meted out by the films. Beyond that, the films also construct the reality that these females ought to live in, neglecting the fact that the reality found in the films is very much different from the reality these females live in.

A timeline detailing the production of Disney Princesses characters up till 1992.
Representation of Women in Disney Princesses 1) Original archetypes in Disney Princess movies(1938 - 1992)
With the first generation of Disney Princess movies, the manifestation and establishment of several female archetypes is distinctly evident. These archetypes can each be defined by several similar properties, which can be analysed according to whether they are physical attributes or personal characteristics. Such archetypes work together in an intersubjective manner, to shape the way we see different types of women, both in the realm of Disney and in the real world.

The archetypal roles in these early Disney Princess films are that of the Princess, the Evil Guardian, the Fairy God Mother and the Foils. The Princesses include Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle and Jasmine. The Evil Guardians include the evil stepmothers and the wicked witches (who are included because they exist as the most prominent female adult character the princesses have, to look up to or depend on). The Fairy Godmother is present in a number of movies. The Foils include evil stepsisters and the other female characters in the movies.
Physical Attributes
On one hand, the unifying physical attributes of these early Disney Princesses include:

+ Extremely hourglass figures, voluminous hairdos and symmetrical faces.

+ Catering to Western society's dominant images of beauty:

- Cinderella and Princess Aurora, characters from the 1950s, both have blonde hair. This coincides with Hollywood 1950s' era of classic blonde bombshells, with the rise of Marilyn Monroe, and a multitude of other blonde celebrities, such as Barbara Lang, Barbara Nichols, Joi Lansing, Diana Dors and Mamie Van Doren. (Jordon, 2009)

- This applies to a character like Jasmine as well, who represented an alluring Oriental exoticism, highly appealing to the target Western society.

The Evil Guardians, on the other hand, are starkly different from the princesses. They tend to be:

+ Shockingly frail

- Maleficent, the disguised Queen and Lady Tremaine

Or

+ Unhealthily large

- Ursula.

+ Disfigured

- Disguised Queen

Or

+ Heavily made-up

- Arched eyebrows and red lips which create very piercing expressions

+ Wear dark or dull long drapes and capes.

The visible theme here, is the embodiment of evil. Their inner cruelty is physicalized, suggesting that a cunning character can be identified by one's appearance. This is highlighted by the fact that the Evil Guardians look distinctly different from the Fairy Godmothers who are plump and wear coloured cloaks, and when placed next to the Evil Guardians look far more endearing.
Personal Characteristics
When studying the personal characteristics of the princesses, it is evident that they share many similar qualities.

The princesses are:

+ Domesticated

- Provide for their evil step-sisters or dwarf friends in a very devotedly homely fashion.

+ Highly prized by men

- Presumably for beauty and domesticity

+Not just by courters but fathers as well

- In Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, the princesses' fathers dote on them.

- Strong relationships with their fathers, with the maternal relationship being essentially non-existent, without the presence of a biological mother in any of the movies.

+ Naive

- Finding themselves in difficult situations, after being tricked by villains

+ Possess little or not agency

- Dependent on men to save them

- Damsels in distress

+ Friendships with the animals

- Organically drawn to the princesses' good characters.

+ Do not have any close female friends.

Ariel's sisters in Little Mermaid, Cinderella's evil step-sisters in Cinderella and the barmaids in Beauty and the Beast all exist as the Foils in the movies. They all appear:

+ Ditzy

+ Desperate for male attention

+ Inadequate.

- Serves to elevate the princesses' desirability even more.

The Evil Guardians are all:

+ Distinctly jealous of the princesses

+ Spiteful

+ Perpetually scheming

+ Evil accomplices

- Stark contrast to the princesses' animal friends

- Usually harmful animals such as eels or crows, or supernatural constructions, such as the magic-mirror in Snow White.

In sharp contrast, the Fairy Godmothers are:

+ Benevolent

+ Constantly genial.

+ Associated to clean magi

- Unlike the Evil Guardians with supernatural affiliations

+ 'Maternal'

- These women who place these young girls before their own needs emerge as good, doting mothers. This ties the image of portly elderly women to the notion of being motherly - a notion subscribed to by many.

- Image may not have been started by Disney, but certainly perpetuated by it.

- Vain women solely concerned with their own advancement (the Evil Guardians) are never good mothers. The image of a vain woman, donned in make up is tied to the idea of a bad mother.

Hence, these archetypes are distinguished from each other in overt ways. The princesses possess all that the Evil Guardians lack in personality and appearance. They garner the attention that the Foils fail to draw. The characteristics attached to the categories appear almost mutually exclusive. Young girls who admire the princesses are thus driven to simultaneously detest the Evil Guardians and look at the Foils with disdain. Accordingly, a hierarchy is constructed, where some categories of characters appear far more worthy of the audience's admiration than others.
2) Beauty, Vanity and Sexuality
The treatment of these three themes in Disney Princess films demonstrates how certain gender ideologies are constructed, disseminated and perpetuated.

As we have seen, all the Disney princesses display the common feature of being endowed with natural beauty that defines them as princesses. This simplistic equation of natural beauty to notions of goodness means that the princesses' identities and value are often determined by their beauty and sexual appeal. Femaleness and femininity are equated to beauty, which is then equated to being a woman's key to happiness. "Happily ever after" comes almost as easily and naturally to them as their beauty does. What results is a kind of "beauty contest motif" (Rollin, 1987), in which the beautiful get their reward, and the ugly never find happiness. There is an implication that females who do not fit the "natural" standard of beauty should accept their fate and not actively seek beauty lest they fall prey to vanity, a negative quality associated with villainy in the films. Other typical traits the princesses possess like grace, domesticity, and an almost child-like naivete are interpreted as desired feminine characteristics of kindness and purity (Shor et al., 1999). However, what is problematic in this portrayal is that their naivete, in particular, has the effect of infantilising them while the emphasis on their physical appeal sexualises them.

The princesses' sexual appeal is thus key to setting the premise and resolution of conflict. For example, Snow White and Cinderella are mistreated by their jealous stepmothers because of their beauty, but are also eventually rescued from their situations by Princes who are primarily attracted to their beauty. In Ariel's case, she is literally silenced when Ursula takes her voice and is given only three days to get Prince Eric to fall in love with her. Ariel asks how she will be able to do this without her voice, only to be told by Ursula, "You have your looks, your pretty face! And don't underestimate the importance of body language!"

Video: Poor Unfortunate Souls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oU85k7oOCo

Note the portrayal of the "miserable, lonely and depressed" and Ursula's advice to Ariel.

Due to this reliance on their sexual appeal, self-empowerment is downplayed or disregarded, especially when the films are compared with the original fairytales from which they are adapted, where the heroines often rely on their intelligence to outwit their foes. Instead, the princesses do not display much initiative and are portrayed as typical damsels in distress. Their propensity to be trusting and kind, even to suspicious strangers, as well as their relatively passive role in determining their own fates seems to imply that what is desirable in a female is a tender heart of gold as well as a willingness to suffer in silence. Notably, this aligns with early-20th century American ideals regarding femininity (Fisher et al., 2000). Furthermore, in the earlier films, Snow White and Princess Aurora both fall victim to villainous plots that plunge them into a deep, death-like sleep, only to be later woken by an archetypal male rescuer, the Prince, who gives them the "kiss of true love". This creates the impression that females are powerless figures in need of males to give them a new lease of life. Note also the pattern of restricting the princesses at puberty, the age of self-discovery and growing independence. For example, it is explicitly revealed that Aurora and Ariel are 16 years old at the time the films are set, and when they are rescued from their respective predicaments, they go on to marry their Princes. In the end, these Disney Princesses transit from one form of captivity to another without gaining much opportunity to empower themselves.

In contrast, the villains are always portrayed as ugly and often preoccupied with vanity, which is then associated with greed and malicious intent. This quality is especially distinct in female villains and manifests in their plots to imprison or eliminate the princesses, thus quelling their jealousy. In Snow White & the Seven Dwarves, where the Queen is determined to kill Snow White so that she alone can be "fairest in the land". In Cinderella, the stepmother regards Cinderella's beauty as a threat to her plans for her own daughters' advancement in society. Notice also that the villainous femme fatales of Disney are the women who actually do take the initiative to empower themselves. However, due to their portrayal as spiteful, calculating, and fundamentally bad, female power is cast in a very negative light. Intellect and cunning in women mostly manifests itself as the tool of the scheming and manipulative. Ursula, for all her evil intent, is still admittedly a very strong woman - she knows what she wants and goes for it. She displays a political cunning that enables her to overthrow King Triton, the very embodiment of male patriarchy in The Little Mermaid, but is eventually defeated and killed by Prince Eric. Evidently, ambition is a very dangerous thing for females to possess in the world of the Disney Princess.

Video: Snow White & the Seven Dwarves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkaOpI1S4Tk At 0.07 - 1.47, the huntsman cannot bear to kill Snow White because of her beauty and kindness. At 5.00 - 6.20, the Queen poisons Snow White.

As such, this further reinforces the schism between the beautiful-is-good and ugly-is-evil dichotomy that Disney Princess films portray. These very simplistic and neat categories allow the audience to quickly identify who the heroes and villains are through a "judging the book by its cover" sort of mentality.

The Good:

The Bad and (incidentally also) the Ugly:

Finally, the most common theme that runs through all the Disney Princess films is that of romantic love. Specifically, entering a romantic relationship or getting married is presented as the princesses' ultimate goal in attaining happily ever after. Notice that females were the leads only in romantic films and always ended up getting married or romantically attached. Furthermore, in a 2003 analysis of 26 Disney films, love at first sight was a theme in 18 of them, with very little information given about how romantic relationships were maintained (Tonn, 2008). Even when heroines like Belle and Ariel start off independent and free-spirited, they are eventually brought back into the patriarchal system when they fall in love. Not only does this reinforce heterosexual normativity, it also implies that a woman, no matter how strong, is only complete when she finds and gets her man.

Happily Ever After? (A photograph from the "Fallen Princesses" photography series, by Dina Goldstein)

The early Disney Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora) lacked agency and greater emphasis was placed on the princesses' physical attributes than on character development. However, as feminism and women's rights gained greater prominence, this early range of Disney Princess films attracted much criticism and prompted Disney to change the ways they portrayed their subsequent princesses.
Archetypal Characteristics of Modern Disney Princesses
Various cultural influences and social developments in terms of female rights play a large part in the formation of new moral codes and new definition of femininity as seen in these later Disney Princess productions.

Different forms of sexualization of the Disney Princesses are observed in these later films. These modern princesses have significantly more skin exposure as compared to their earlier counterparts. Ariel and Jasmine,produced in the late 80s and early 90s respectively, bare their midriffs, while Belle, Mulan, and Pocahontas are portrayed in states of undress at certain points in the films. This conforms to the idea of "sex sells" and open sexuality which are some of the most important elements of the 1980s and 1990s clothing design (Ewing, 1992.).

A newfound sense of agency can also be identified in these modern princesses. It is evident that they are more empowered as they can make their own choices and thus decide their fate. Ariel makes the choice of trading her voice for a pair of human legs while Jasmine willingly seduces Jafar in order to rescue Aladdin. Joining the ranks is Mulan, who rejects every aspect of being an ideal woman in her society and decides to disguise herself as a man to take her father's place in army.

Video: Honor To Us All http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkmsyhSEaWc&feature=related Mulan is prepared for her meeting with the village matchmaker.

Video: A Girl Worth Fighting For http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBW-V1CxPH4&feature=relmfu Mulan's comrades-in-arms sing about their ideal wives, much to her bemusement and chagrin.

These princesses are also empowered with intelligence and wisdom. As opposed to the earlier princesses who lack character development, Belle is portrayed as an avid reader while Pocahontas is well respected by her tribe and has a strong spiritual connection with nature. With these later productions, Disney can be said to be addressing the issues of feminism. It does that by endowing the princesses with assertiveness and intelligence and with more say in matters.

Evidently, with the onset of feminism and female empowerment in the 1970s, the portrayal of subservient female characters as seen in the earlier films no longer appeals as the epitome of femininity. The later princesses appear to represent society's shifting attitudes toward gender roles, in particular, the empowerment of women.
Conclusion
Although many of the female characters, such as Pocahontas and Mulan have found a new independence where relying on a "male rescuer" is not as essential as before, the ideals of happiness portrayed in the Disney Princesses series still depends largely on overcoming obstacles to fulfill romance eventually, rather than merely on saving the day. Also, the female characters mostly still conform to the Western ideologies of beauty and empowerment, such as hourglass body types and standing up for their own individual rights. No matter how deviant these later princesses are and have arguably matured in their independence, their "happily-ever-after" endings are the same as the earlier princesses'. They are still undermined by the fact that they cannot exist as an self-empowered individual and have to depend on their men to make them whole, thus still operating within the system of patriarchal hegemony and heteronormativity. The Disney Princess films, in their adaptation of fairy-tales, have made drastic alterations to the original stories. These alterations are deliberate, conscious choices that highlight so-called "desirable" feminine traits and values.

Through the analysis of the evolution of Disney Princesses across time, it is apparent that gendered ideologies portrayed in the films are also largely shaped by societal values at the moment of production. Rather than introducing original ideals of femininity, the Disney Princess series include, reflect, and reinforce the socially reckoned ideals of femininity across the different eras. Repeating these motifs in films then sets up certain narrative expectations which feed into normative concepts of female identity.

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Representations of Females and Femininity in Disney Princess Films

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Introduction A young girl's journey into adulthood is very much constrained by the constructed ideals of femininity. Such ideals are perpetuated by cultural traditions, education and very often, the media. The media often, implicitly or explicitly, promotes mental models of how a woman should look, speak and interact with others.

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Adolescent Evaluation of Gender Role and Sexual Imagery in Television Advertisements

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Adolescent Evaluation of Gender Role and Sexual Imagery in Television Advertisements

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Pepsi One Commercial Little Red Riding Hood

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Pepsi One Commercial Little Red Riding Hood

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Pepsi One Commercial Little Red Riding Hood

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#YouShall Find Your Fairytale Christmas Part 2 | Debenhams Christmas TV Ad 2017

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#YouShall Find Your Fairytale Christmas Part 2 | Debenhams Christmas TV Ad 2017

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#YouShall Find Your Fairytale Christmas Part 2 | Debenhams Christmas TV Ad 2017

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Christmas fairytale 2013 - M&S commercial

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fair*y (ˈfɛər i) n., pl. fair*ies, adj. n. 1. (in folklore) "one of a class of supernatural beings, generally conceived as having a diminutive human form and possessing magical powers."

"Fairy tales have as their basis this wish for happiness and bliss, where all wishes come true, and where everybody lives happily ever after. By using traditional fairy‐tale motifs and by adapting them to the modern world of consumerism and the instantaneous gratification syndrome, advertising agencies create the perfect medium with the irresistible message. When advertising started to gain ground at the beginning of the 20th century, fairy‐tale titles, certain poetic verses, and short allusions to well‐known fairy tales began to be used as manipulative bait. The reader would be reminded of the happy and satisfied fairy‐tale ending, thus deciding subconsciously that the advertised product must be the perfect choice.

As time went on, ever more glamorous illustrations were added to the verbal messages, combining the advertisement for a necklace or a piece of clothing, for example, with a beautiful woman standing in front of the mirror asking that eternal question, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?' And who would not want to be the most beautiful, especially since, in the modern world of advertising and consumerism, everything is possible. All that it takes is fairy‐tale formulas and allusions together with manipulative texts and glittering illustrations. Naturally sophisticated television advertisements can create a state of enchantment which barely leaves the viewer any choice but to accept the message as the ultimate wish fulfillment."

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fair*y (ˈfɛər i) n., pl. fair*ies, adj. n. 1. (in folklore) "one of a class of supernatural beings, generally conceived as having a diminutive human form and possessing magical powers." "Fairy tales have as their basis this wish for happiness and bliss, where all wishes come true, and where everybody lives happily ever after.

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Scholarly source 1: Don Draper Thinks Your Ad Is Cliché: Fairy Tale Iconography in TV Commercials

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Scholarly source 1: Don Draper Thinks Your Ad Is Cliché: Fairy Tale Iconography in TV Commercials

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Humanities 2016, 5(2), 29; doi:10.3390/h5020029
1960-2000 ads https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/5/2/29/htm

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Don Draper Thinks Your Ad Is Cliché: Fairy Tale Iconography in TV Commercials

English Department, Brigham Young University, 4198 JFSB, Provo, UT 84606, USA

Academic Editor: Claudia Schwabe

Received: 11 March 2016 / Accepted: 28 April 2016 / Published: 6 May 2016

fairy tale; iconography; advertising; commercial; TV; television

1. Introduction

For as long as television has been around commercials and sponsorships have operated as the stealth lifeblood pumping cash and life into the medium. In recent decades, additional revenue streams like syndication deals, DVD sales, and streaming rights have buoyed up the television industry, but there is no more important or influential facilitator of the TV industry than commercials.

The goals, restrictions, and lengths of commercials have varied dramatically over the years, but the premise has remained unchanged: a finite and small amount of time to sell a product, good, or service. Advertisers have precious little time to say what they want to say and to connect with their audience. Because of their limited time they've learned the shortcuts to attract attention and gain sympathies: peppy music, pretty people, cute animals, and a memorable tagline. The shortcut I'll be examining in this paper, however, is the strategic use of fairy tale iconography in commercials.

For many of us fairy tales play significant roles in the first stories we hear, the first movies we see, and the first television shows we watch. Our first brushes with heroes and villains, right and wrong, and the very concept of wonder often originate with fairy tales in one form or another. It didn't take long for advertisers to discover the tremendous relatability, love of, and staying power of fairy tales for the vast majority of the general public. Decade after decade advertisers have capitalized on this public awareness and love of fairy tales figures to sell us toothpaste, insurance, produce, and everything in between.

In this post-modern and increasingly media literate age, this reliance on fairy tale iconography in ads has not gone unnoticed by consumers and other creative professionals. In an episode of Mad Men, Madison Avenue 1960s-era advertising superstar Don Draper shoots down a shoe commercial idea featuring Cinderella, calling the idea "cliché" [ 1]. You can probably think of, and even remember, similar on-the-nose uses of fairy tale figures yourself.

The temptation for advertisers to rely on fairy tale figures and iconography continues today and many ignore Don Draper's aversion for cliché. With ads getting both louder and shorter due to rapid changes in the television industry is it even possible for contemporary advertisers to find fresh ways to feature fairy tales in advertising campaigns? In my research I'll be examining the intersection between fairy tales and TV commercials to answer these and other related questions.

2. Introducing America to Commercials

Let's start by looking at some of the earliest ads and promotions to feature familiar fairy tale iconography. On the first day of July in 1941 a few lucky New Yorkers with televisions tuned in to the WNBT station to see their Brooklyn Dodgers take on the visiting Phillies. The handful of baseball fans who got to their television sets early for this broadcast were about the experience history: they were about to see the first ever paid television advertisement.

Instead of the usual test pattern clock that was displayed between programs, viewers saw a modified test pattern clock modeled after Bulova brand watches, complete with the company logo and the tagline "America Runs On Bulova Watch Time". What lacks in the unimaginative tagline is made up for with the clever, almost too obvious, use of product placement in a familiar way. American television viewers saw a test pattern clock daily on their TV screens and it wouldn't come as too much a shock to any of them to see the same clock in a new context. Perhaps the advertisers for Bulova knew they would have to slowly teach American viewers what a TV advertisement was and how the viewers should respond.

Commercials as a medium were heavily influenced by the media that came before them, especially the cartoon short. Long before cartoon characters showed up on televisions in the family room they were appearing in movie theaters across the country. In this era before home television, feature films were shown with newsreels, movie trailers, and cartoon shorts. Animators like Chuck Jones, Ub Iwerks, Pat Sullivan, and Walt Disney made their bones early with specifically this kind of media. When television entered the scene it didn't take long for these cartoon shorts to migrate, both as featured content and mimicked in the commercials.

When this migration of cartoons to TV finally occurred during the 1950s, a taxonomy of commercials was established. Commercials had an average length of 1 min and were typically animated. They featured jingles (usually full, original songs) and a steady stream of declarative information about the products and the stories used to tell them. And so we come to the first few commercials that quickly turned to familiar fairy tale iconography. (See Figure 1)

This Bab-O Cleaner commercial is a textbook example of the 1950s television commercial. But even more interesting (for the purposes of this paper, anyway) is that this commercial acted as a primer for the series of Bab-O spots that would follow it-a series that featured figures from history and fairy tales interacting with the product. Below we see how Cinderella meshes with the 50s-era TV commercial style. (See Figure 2)

Integrating fairy tale motifs was handled without much elegance in the 50s. The figures of Cinderella's world use the same language and style as the declarative copy used in the first ad in the campaign. The fairy tale figures are secondary (by a long shot) to the goal of explaining what a product is and what it can do for the American shopper. Cinderella is inserted into a commercial and is nothing more than a familiar name. The same is essentially true of Pocahontas and John Smith's inclusion in a later Bab-O commercial.

This sloppy combination of ads and fairy tales wasn't a localized problem for Bab-O. Submitted for your viewing is a 1952 commercial for Halo Shampoo featuring Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. (See Figure 3)

Again, the idea of a folklore or fairy tale figure was repeated for this campaign, including other inelegant uses of mermaids, elves, and (again) Cinderella.

In her 1997 article "Fairy Tale Motifs in Advertising", Patricia Baubeta attempts to answer the question of why advertisers so quickly turned to fairy tale iconography and why they continue to decade after decade. She points out fairy tale figures are familiar, cute, and feel-good, but there is a factor even more important: "If we ask why advertisers use fairy tale motifs, the answer is obvious. Because they work" ([ 2], p. 37). And in the sixties the commercials had a lot more going for them in addition to the simple inclusion of fairy tale figures.

3. The Artistic Revolution of the 1960s

In Donald Haase's "The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales: A-F" Wolfgang Mieder uses the tale of the pied piper of Hamelin to explain the practicality and efficiency of using folklore and fairy tale iconography in advertising. He likens the pied piper to a "symbol of the world of advertising" who would "play his pipe ever so sweetly and the consumers following him without resisting his charming and manipulative music" ([ 3], p. 5). While this is certainly true categorically of fairy tale-themed commercials, the tunes played and pipers playing them went through some drastic and experimental changes in the 1960s.

There are three key figures in the 60s advertising world that shaped the creative revolution: Doyle Dane Bernbach, David Ogilvy, and William Bernbach. Doyle Bernbach was the mind behind the infamous lemon Volkswagen ad campaign that cleverly presented all the criticisms of VW's cars as benefits. In his book "Confessions of an Advertising Man", David Ogilvy began to establish a taxonomy for modern advertising-a taxonomy founded on ethics and honesty [ 4]. And William Bernbach was one of the first advertisers to embrace the youth culture that was changing just about every other aspect of society in the 60s. Advertisers were getting to their audience in new ways through humor, honesty, and attempts at a genuine connection. The industry shifted from proclamations and lecturing consumers about their products to the idea of relationships and artistry.

In print media and on television there was a focus for increased visuals and less copy, fewer words. There was a desire to find new ideas, new characters, and new ways of selling products. Both the programing and advertising on television followed suit. Let's take a look at this TV spot for Ajax laundry detergent soap featuring a fabled White Knight of European lore that straddles the line between the showing of the 60s and the telling of the 50s: (See Figure 4)

The middle section betrays the energy and finesse of the start and end of the commercial. The TV spot ran in 1965, right when audiences were growing accustomed to the new, fast paced editing techniques while still familiar with the stilted delivery of 50s ad copy. In the 50s, the White Knight would have been named, would have directly addressed the audience, or simply would have been more explicitly involved. Instead, the knight streaks across the screen and the audience is supposed to connect the dots themselves between the majesty of the hero and the cleaning power of Ajax.

Next, let's take a look at an advertisement that attempts to blend humor with a fairy tale figure. This time it's the Fairy Godmother, breaking the fourth wall to publicize a prize giveaway from Crest in connection with the 1965 television broadcast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (See Figure 5).

What works about this commercial is that the fairy tale connection is played only for laughs. The visible wires, the malfunctioning wand, and the Fairy Godmother speaking directly to the stagehands controlling the pulley system keeping her up undercut any sense of majesty, wonder, or actual magic typically used to push products via fairy tale figures. Sure, she speaks directly to the viewer, but she does so with energy and personality.

It would be misleading to say that all or even most commercials of the 60s strove for artistry over clarity or suggestion over description. Take for example this ad for Hidden Magic hair spray starring Wanda the Wonderful Witch (See Figure 6).

This commercial operates like a 50s commercial in many ways (abundance of ad copy, directly addressing viewers, catchy jingles, etc.), but it does show some signs of its decade. For one, the spot is live action as opposed to a cartoon. But for our purposes the most interesting and timely aspect of this ad is the character herself: Wanda the Witch. She was a character created whole cloth and not some existing figure shoehorned into a shoe commercial. She is undoubtedly modeled after Bewitched's Samantha (and even relies on some of the same trick photography commonly used on Samantha's show), but there was at least some attempt to make her original. The same is true for Ajax's White Knight (again, it's not much, but it is there).

Where the 50s relied on and named known fairy tale figures in TV spots, the 60s borrowed more iconography than characters. This was mostly due to the artistic revolution sweeping creative fields. Following the late 50s debuts of Tony the Tiger, Mr. Clean, and the Trix Rabbit, demand was high for more original commercial mascots. The 60s delivered with still-popular figures like Ronald McDonald and The Pillsbury Doughboy. In general, the trend in the 60s was to rely on new, or at the very least more recently created, pop culture icons.

For the 1960s that meant instead of Red Riding Hood and Cinderella hawking wares, TV audiences saw Alvin and the Chipmunks repping Post Cereal, The Muppets selling Dog Chow, Rocky and Bullwinkle pushing Cheerios, and Bugs Bunny as a mascot for baseball cards.

4. The Many Pivots of the 1970s

The 1970s is a decade characterized by many historians as a "pivot of change" for America politically, economically, and socially. There are few places that better show this drastic change in U.S. values and societal attitudes than the television programing of the 70s. At the beginning of the decade once powerhouse shows like The Ed Sullivan Show (the show famous for introducing The Beatles to American audiences) and Gunsmoke were canceled, effectively ending the reign of the Western as a TV genre. These shows were first replaced in popularity with family-focused shows including Happy Days and The Brady Bunch, then by more sexed up shows like Charlie's Angels and Three's Company all leading up to a wave of "social consciousness programming" like the female-centric and empowering The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Sanford and Son, one of the first shows about an African American family.

American culture in the 70s as a whole was moving away from the strong societal pull of community that blossomed in the 60s towards a reframing of the individual as the basic unity of society. Again, we can turn to television programs to see this change, but this time in the advertisements airing between the original programming.

In fact, television advertising has rarely worked as memorably or effectively as it did in the 70s. Advertisers doubled down on the value of the individual to unprecedented success. Take for example the now famous "I'm A Pepper" and "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke", campaigns for Dr. Pepper and Coke respectively. Both emotionally promote feelings of self-esteem and individualism (look no further than the word "I" that starts and anchors both campaign ideas).

With these movements and shifts in mind we can turn our focus at last to the fairy tale figures still being heavily incorporated the ads of this era of self-consciousness. Let's begin with a spot for grocery store Safeway (See Figure 7).

In this ad Snow White is positioned as the head of a household who takes grocery shopping very seriously. The ad copy spoken by Snow White alternates back and forth from playful winking at the familiar story to speaking directly about her needs as an individual. Her line, "I serve my family with confidence" effective positions Snow White as an avatar for atomized individualism.

For the all the progress advertisements can capture in the moment with ads like Snow White's Safeway spot, media is too often painfully behind societal movements like feminism. A renewed push to secure social equality for women was well underway in the 70s and this movement helped women join the workforce in droves (including women like Mary Tyler Moore). Let's look at this series of anti-smoking Public service announcements (PSAs) featuring Rapunzel, the Frog Prince, and Sleeping Beauty that illustrates the reductive ways the media has depicted women via fairy tales (See Figure 8).

"Give it up, because it stinks" is an effectively simple focus for an important campaign like this, but ultimately what these commercials are really telling their audience is that women need to give up smoking to please men. This campaign touches on a troublesome nerve of the antiquated gender roles in fairy tales that has only become increasingly problematic since second wave feminism of the 1970s.

This practice of going broad and conservative in commercials is well-explained by Linda Dégh in her chapter of fairy tales in advertising from "American Folklore and the Mass Media". Speaking of the over-reliance on cliché and old-fashioned values, Dégh explains that "the advertising industry knows what dosage of primitiveness, awkwardness, and bad taste is called for to satisfy public demand. The results of penetrating market and laboratory research vouch for the efficacy of these commercials among the majority of consumers" ([ 5], p. 48).

There are plenty 70s commercials that skew heavily towards the awkward and primitive. In one commercial two children infiltrate a giant's castle and rely on the strengthening power of Cheerios to escape. In another ad, a weeping Cinderella deals with a Fairy Godmother who grants wishes in as literal a way as possible. The spots are cute and mostly harmless, but they do little more than use familiar settings and characters to get in and get out with their pitches-and that's exactly how the advertisers designed them.

5. Back to Basics in the 1980s

In 1984 Jack Zipes published "Folklore Research and Western Marxism: A Critical Replay" in which he summarized the research of several folklore scholars and ran it through a Marxist lens. In that article he concluded that fairy tales in television and film "exploit folklore to evoke images of the attainment of happiness through consumption" ([ 6], p. 334). And while Zipes doesn't specifically include television commercials in that article, the TV commercial is a perfect encapsulation and culmination of the exploitation of folklore iconography. Fairy tales and commercials mashup to show, through familiar faces, just how easily happiness can be bought. While happiness wasn't necessarily a defining theme of the 1980s, the decade was certainly livelier than the one it preceded. Earned or not, the 80s brought a renewed sense of enthusiasm through economic and technological advancements, reflected in media as what can only be described as an aggressive amount of energy. This was the decade MTV launched, the decade cable television became more accessible and popular, and the decade that saw video games go mainstream.

Apple's iconic 1.5 million dollar Super Bowl ad announcing the arrival of the Macintosh computer is the most famous television commercial from the 1980s. The ad was successful for many reasons, chief among them that it was such an outlier in the advertising conventions of the time. The trends Apple avoided include a hard resurgence of the jingle extended to commercial-length original songs, the co-opting of rock music heavy with synths, and a manic pace. Look no further than the Kool-Aid campaign from the 80s for evidence of these tendencies. The reason for these trends is understandable given the success of "I'm A Pepper" and "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" from the 70s, but in turning these concepts up to 11 the originality was lost. Let's look at a Sugar Free Dr. Pepper campaign from the 80s that dates itself in the first few frames with headbands and spandex (See Figure 9).

This first spot uses the story of Little Red Riding Hood with just small bits of originality. Red's optics are certainly modernized and she capably stands up for herself to the wolf, but these ideas are put on the back burner and eventually give way completely to romance once the product shows up. Another TV spot from this campaign uses a genie character with even less imagination, but features more blown-out hair.

Next let's examine a 1980s multimedia Huggies campaign built around the tagline "happily ever after" with a commercial starring Sleeping Beauty (See Figure 10).

The fairy tale angle ends up being nothing more than bookends to a by-the-numbers diaper commercial. Sleeping Beauty is introduced as sleeping for 100 years and dreaming of leak-free diapers, an inelegant combination of fairy tale jargon with straight ad copy. Some credit can be given, I guess, to the fact that no Disney-inspired design is used, but that might be more for copyright reasons than innovative ambition. Things just get more arduous with this Lucky Charms ad (See Figure 11).

The bears, from Goldilocks' story though she is absent here, don't show up till the commercial is halfway done and they are never even named. And saddest of all they are summoned into existence by the magic of the cereal pitchman and only speak to talk about everything they love about Lucky Charms. Their entire role in the commercial is to exist only to sell happiness through products. Again, fairy tale figures aren't the only ones being mistreated and achingly marginalized in their own commercials. Just check out the way Roger Rabbit is used in this commercial for Diet Coke and how Slimmer, of Ghostbusters fame, became the face of a new Hi-C flavor. This isn't the first time this instance of slim traces of originality gave way to decades-old pat strategies has shown itself in television commercials. From previous research it is becoming clear this is the disappointing pattern and 80s was no time for exception and maybe even had the worst showing. At the very least, one can hope the coming decades won't bring commercials as tired as Fairy Tails, the unsuccessful My Little Pony spin off.

6. The 1990s Corporate Takeover

In Marina Warner's short history of the fairy tale, "Once Upon a Time", she posits that one of the primary functions of the fairy tale is the sharing of familiar stories with an audience. She goes on to explain "the stories' interest isn't exhausted by repetition, reformulation, or retelling, but their pleasure gains from the endless permutations performed on the nucleus of the tale, the DNA as it were" ([ 7], p. 45). While fairy tales have a long history of corporate usage, it is during the 1990s that the very DNA and nuclei of fairy tales became increasingly co-opted by media companies, by Disney in particular. Disney wasn't just using the Little Mermaid to sell shampoo, they were attempting to establish their version of the Little Mermaid to the public as the definitive take on the tale. Again, Disney had commercialized popular fairy tale figures before to great success, but the 1990s was a unique decade of interrupted commercial and critical success. This decade has been described as the Disney Renaissance, a span of years where the studio released 10 animated films, including The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and others. During this decade, advertisers relying on fairy tale figures had to differentiate themselves stylistically from the Disney versions of the tales, both to establish their own unique place to sell products and presumably to avoid any legal action from the House of Mouse. So, while Disney's fairy tale figures were showing up unceremoniously in McDonald's Happy Meal commercials, other brands had to find new ways to exploit fairy tale iconography. In the Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales, Jack Zipes explains, "fairy tales are well suited to television commercials because they are popular and easily recognized. Their familiar motifs can be truncated and adapted for brief commercials while still remaining meaningful" ([ 8], p. 610). A perfect example of this truncated style of storytelling can be seen in a 1999 Ford commercial featuring the Three Little Pigs (See Figure 12).

This story is told without narration or dialogue, instead relying entirely on familiar iconography and recognizable animation styles. The only narration comes at the end: simple ad copy naming the product and connecting it to the tale with a quick pun. In a sense, Ford responded to the Disney takeover by featuring Looney Tunes and Sesame Street characters in their commercials for their latest Windstar minivans, a halfhearted attempt to set themselves apart. A 1997 Honey Nut Cheerios commercial uses a truncated version of the Little Red Riding Hood story, starting right in the middle of the familiar story without explanation, assuming audience familiarity with the tale. The story is quickly and literally interrupted by a corporate mascot (See Figure 13).

It is notable that even in this ad featuring lighthearted music, that also presents the wolf as an amusing if not comedic character, it still ends with an ominous reminder that the wolf ate Red's grandmother. The dark nucleus of Red's story survives, even as BuzzBee's rattles off the superlative qualities of Honey Nut Cheerios. One of the more interesting fairy tale-adjacent commercials of this decade comes from Levi's. The commercial opens with an image of a clock striking midnight and cuts next to the image of a woman running down stairs, leaving behind a shoe. The iconography is unmistakable and immediately recognizable as a Cinderella story (See Figure 14).

After 7 or 8 s of these kinds of traditional establishing shots, the story starts to take unfamiliar turns. The prince charming figure chasing after Cinderella is scared away by another man on a motorcycle. The motorcycle man leaves behind an article of clothing himself as he quickly exits, leaving Cinderella to pick up the pair of jeans and begin her search for this illusive man. The commercial digs into this subversive gender-swapped narrative, empowering Cinderella with active agency as she looks for her perfect match. The men in the commercial are increasingly objectified to the point where when we finally see the motorcycle man again he is shirtless, sweaty, and shot in slow motion. This Levi's ad succeeds where so many other commercials featuring fairy tale iconography have stopped short. It knowingly comments on the tropes of fairy tale and updates them with modern sensibilities all while artfully remaining true to the DNA of Cinderella's story. And if that wasn't enough, it does all of this with artistic and imaginative shots and edits while additionally relying on depictions completely separate from the corporate-owned versions permeating the culture of the time. Would that all fairy tale commercials were this innovative.

7. The Digital Age of the 2000s

In the new millennium the buzzwords of the first decade were globalization and technology. Across the globe the internet, computers, and cell phones were bringing people together and changing the way people lived their lives. A pair of studies at the start and the end of the decade showed a jump from 6% to 62% of Americans having in-home internet access [ 9, 10]. Cell phone popularity surged as well, fueled by advances in text messaging and mobile internet accessibility. In a very real way the world was changing. These sudden changes didn't come out of thin air-they had to be sold. And once again advertisers turned to fairy tale iconography to sell these new technologies. Using fairy tale stories to sell these innovative products was a natural fit, as Jack Zipes describes in his Oxford Companion, "basic fairy-tale elements like magic, transformation, and happy endings lend themselves perfectly to the advertiser's pitch that the feature product will miraculously change the viewer's life for the better. Products act as magic helpers who assist the heroes and heroines of the mini-fairy tale overcome whatever dilemma they face" ([ 8], p. 610). Cell phone commercials flooded the airwaves and haven't left since. Fairy tale types like Hansel & Gretel and Cinderella were inserted into commercials for AT&T and Cingular Wireless to explain their miraculous features and to humanize the gadgets. And one particular commercial from Nokia went long by comparing their phones to all the different kinds of magic in the fairy tale realm (See Figure 15).

In the commercial Nokia's cell phones are described as magic wands, shining stars, and hidden treasures promising to reveal secret worlds. Cell phones are perhaps the best modern example of the product-as-magic pitch described by Zipes. Even if the products advertisers were pitching weren't as easily marketed as life-changing, they still combined this message with fairy tales. For example, this Mercedes-Benz commercial featuring Peter Pan (See Figure 16).

In the ad, Peter returns to a grown-up Michael and invites him come fly again. Smash cut to Peter riding shotgun while Michael drives a new Mercedes across the English countryside by moonlight. "It's never too late to fly", says Peter in the ad. In other words, it's never too late to transform your life back to the happiness of youth through spending money. Other clichés from previous decades like sexualizing fairy tale figures continued, as seen in this Pepsi One commercial featuring Kim Cattrall as Goldilocks with the Chicago Bears. On the flip side, commercials like this 7 Up Red Riding Hood spot pushed back on those genre expectations by having Red head-butt the wolf stand-in at the end of the commercial. And other commercials, like this one from Adidas, went for an artistically bold modernization with a stripped-down narrative (See Figure 17).

The wordless and almost monochromatic ad (only the shoes and the wolf's eyes are shown in color), focuses on style and tone instead of product or story. The commercial is selling a personality and not a product. Product descriptions had been slowly become obsolete, as a result of branding becoming the main focus of commercials decade by decade. Meanwhile, Disney was successfully branding their fairy tale heroines as a collected franchise targeted at young girls and other companies were looking to share in the profits. Playmobil marketed a fairytale kingdom Sleeping Beauty play set, but the advertising goes out of its way to avoid the phrase "Sleeping Beauty". Barbie relaunched their direct-to-video film series with adaptations of the then-Disney free stories Rapunzel, Swan Lake, and Thumbelina, always releasing a new line of dolls to go along with the DVDs. Fairy tales figures in popular media were becoming increasingly gendered while fairy tale stories were leaned on heavily to sell everyone on joining the new digital world. The 2000s was a brave new world, but it still had room for fairies.

8. Fairy Tales in the 2010's Remix Culture

Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig published a book in 2008 titled "Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy", which hypothesized about the societal effect of the internet, specifically for the way in which it gave rise to the remix culture [ 11]. Lessig recognized a trend in the rising popularity of derivative works that combine or edit together existing materials to produce something new. (One quick example is Pogo's "Alice", a song spliced together from images and sounds from Disney's Alice in Wonderland film.) What was a hypothesis in 2008 became a reality in the 2010s-remix culture was everywhere. Sampling became an inescapable trend in music, Wikipedia became a de facto source of knowledge, and Hollywood was continually attempting to reboot old intellectual properties into new franchises. At the same time originality was still very much present. In the opening months of 2010, Old Spice released a commercial that is still being adapted and repeated six years later. "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" shot the advertising world with a bolt of manic energy, resulting in a privileging of the weird and the funny. Originality was still present, but it's copied and run into the ground with increasing speed. While Old Spice has doubled down on weird and funny ad campaigns, within a few years the tone-stealing derivatives have shown up less and less. Other brands like Geico settled back into controllable and innocuous humor, like this recent ad featuring Peter Pan (See Figure 18).

There were, of course, still unimaginative campaigns that featured individual variations on fairy tales with specific products (for example Red Bull featured Aladdin, Rapunzel, and the Frog Prince; Security Service Federal Credit Union relied on Snow White, Cinderella, and Red Riding Hood; and Sky Link used Aladdin, Frog Prince, and Princess & the Pea stories). But remix culture would manifest itself in television commercials with ads that featured half a dozen fairy tale types all at once, like this one from PNC Bank (See Figure 19).

The ad depicts a wedding attended by unicorns, teddy bears, ballerinas, soldiers, hummingbirds, and magically blooming flowers. The father, who walks his beautiful princess down the aisle, watches as his daughter marries prince charming. In the end it turns out the commercial takes place in the mind of a father watching his young daughter while she reads a book of fairy tales. Commercials like these are complicated by Marina Warner in "Once Upon a Time", where she comments on the fairy tale's spotty history with gender representation. "Current fairy tales on stage and screen reveal an acute malaise about sexual, rather than social, programming of the female, and the genre continues ever more intensively to wrestle with the notorious question Freud put long ago, 'What do women want?'" ([ 7], p. 173). The PNC Bank spot is perhaps a bit too Freudian as the father imagines what his grown daughter wants most as a fairy tale wedding, prompting him to open a new savings account to prepare for that eventuality. With this question of gender representation in mind, this Christmas commercial from Marks & Spencer (M&S) becomes almost painful to watch (See Figure 20).

This commercial is a paragon of remix culture, as the main character morphs into Alice, Red Riding Hood, Gretel, a carpet-riding beauty, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. In the first minute alone the main character has five costume changes and two of them manage to present her slow-motion in just underwear. Marks & Spencer posits that what women want is purses, clothes, and (above all) shoes. When women are unmistakably in charge of using fairy tale imagery to tell stories the gender representation issues tend to be much less problematic. For example, an-all female college-prep academy created an ad campaign with the tagline, "Life's Not a Fairytale", which featured ad copy like "Don't wait for a prince", "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. Be more than just the fairest of them all", and "You are not a princess". Another playfully perverse challenging of these dubious genre tropes came from comedian Amy Schumer. In the sketch "Princess Amy" from her television show Inside Amy Schumer, the realities of being a princess are explored: you have to marry a first cousin at age 14 to preserve the purity of the royal bloodline and are threatened with death if you can't produce a male heir. More than halfway into the 2010s, it is clear we aren't free from the same questions and concerns that have been raised by fairy tales for centuries. And for every innovative and subversive fairy tale-themed commercial produced, three (or more) cliché-ridden ads appear at the same time.

9. Conclusions

In his 1979 book, "Breaking the Magic Spell", Jack Zipes shared the story of Priscilla Denby, a researcher who spent an entire day watching TV in 1969 logging all the traditional folklore and fairy tale items featured in shows and commercials. In 1969 Denby logged 101 themes in one day of television ([ 12], p. 119). In 2016 we live in a time described (sometime jokingly, other times seriously) as Peak TV. As more channels and online content providers attempt to stake out ground and cement their place in the media landscape, more and more television shows are being produced. According to research done in 2015 from the television network FX, there has been an unprecedented rise in programming from all television networks and content producers in the last few years [ 13]. In 2009 there 211 original scripted series, 217 in 2010, 267 in 2011, 288 in 2012, 343 in 2013, 376 in 2014, and 409 in 2015 (See Figure 21).

One can only imagine what a study like Priscilla Denby's would look like in 2016. In 1969 there were only a handful of channels and now there are hundreds. With more commercials and shows than ever before fairy tales have more opportunities than ever to show up on the small screen. In the introduction to "Channeling Wonder", a book exploring the fairy tale's role in the age of Peak TV, Pauline Greenhill and Jill Rudy explain, "television seriality works especially well for establishing the horizon of expectation while keying on a fluid relationship of fantasy and reality. Wonder invokes and responds to this fluid relationship, helping to illuminate fairy tale's persistence in, and even conscription of, new media." ([ 14], pp. 13-14). Television advertisements are by nature temporary and ethereal; it is impossible to quantify this genre collectively as a whole or even viewing most of them, however, it is still beneficial to examine and catalogue the wonder and storytelling operating within these artifacts when possible. The digital age and the new media it's brought have created an ideal environment for the fairy tale to adapt. The call Jack Zipes made in "Breaking the Magic Spell" is more relevant than ever as fairy tales find new places in commercials and television programs. According to Zipes, to counter the "corporate inundation of our imagination, the familiar fairy tales must be made strange to us again if we are to respond to the unique images of our own imagination and the possible utopian elements they may contain" ([ 12], p. 118). While Zipes was speaking specifically against mind-warping TV advertisements featuring fairy tales, there are still those rare commercials that genuinely make the tales strange to us again by commenting on the genre or showing us their place in the modern world. To close out this series let's examine one last commercial that manages to comment on online journalism, social media mobs, police brutality and militarization, privacy rights, conspiracy theories, insurance fraud, and the financial crisis. And the framing mechanism for all of this? The familiar tale of the Three Little Pigs (See Figure 22).

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Don Draper Thinks Your Ad Is Cliché: Fairy Tale Iconography in TV Commercials

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When examining the history of fairy tale iconography in advertising, folklore scholar Donald Haase's fairy tale encyclopedia compared the Pied Piper of Hamelin to a symbol of advertising who could "play his pipe ever so sweetly and the consumers following him without resisting his charming and manipulative music."

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In my research I realized that fairytales are usually intended for young children as a source of comfort and escape from the real world. One of my sources mentioned at this developing time a child's mind is very impressionable and these stories mould their minds. Female are taught at a very young age that the prince charming will come and save them. They will get their happily ever after if they maintain their physical beauty, follow the rules, and stay in their ‘place’. These fairytales in the articles present a reoccuring theme; the theme of the beautiful damsel in distress.Many females in western society are introduced to the concept of beauty at a very young age. Fairytales, introduce the idea of femininity, beauty and their roles in shaping gender roles. Typically most people are familiar with the Disney fairytales as they are child-friendly, however, they are usually introduced at an age where they are very impressionable. This essay will examine how advertisements use the stereotypical standard of beauty perpetuated in fairy tales to make money off of women's insecurities when comparing them to the ‘perfect’  fairy tale heroine. Stories such as Dineys’ Snow White, Cinderella, sleeping beauty, as well as the Grimm brothers’ little snow white and  Ash girl as well as several secondary sources will be used to analyze the influence of these advertisements.  Without these products she is perhaps, only ordinary. Some of these articles use readings such as Snow White and modernized versions of Cinderella.where physical beauty was an important aspect of the story. I found that it was difficult to examine the element of beauty in fairy tales and connect that to advertisements without touching on how it has affected society. In essence I will further be learning and exploring how the use of fairy tales in advertisements affected and moulded the ideals of female beauty standards