The other thing I wanted to talk about today is classic Disney stories. My spanish teacher let us take out children's books in spanish for the vacation, and I naturally took the collection od Disney stories. I was reading Sleeping Beauty (La Bella Duermiento) to myself last night, realizing that I hadn't had a bedtime story in ten years, and noticed something. Well, actually, I did notice this before, but now especially it seems odd. All of the Princesses are (or are assumed to be near) the age of sixteen. Sixteen when they have adventures and fall in love and get married. Sixteen. I'm sixteen, too, and am nowhere near to any of these things. Maybe I'd like to do some of the things they do, but I can barely imagine it. Marry? That's not even legal at my age, and hasn't been for a LONG time around these here parts. Isn't it kind of creepy that they're all so young?
BUT then I thought about when a lot of these fairy tales were written- a long, long time ago, tales from all over the world. A time when it was normal to marry at that age. Snow White is German, I believe, Cinderella something like that, Beauty and the Beast from France, Sleeping Beauty is also German or something. I don't know about the Little Mermaid- Disney might have created that story themselves. These are the sixteen year old Princesses- or so it seems. Really only Ariel and Aurora/Briar Rose tell us their ages. Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Mulan (though not really a princess), Megara (also not a princess)- never say specifically how old they are. So then again maybe Disney classics aren't really that odd.
There are also people who are very anti-Disney because the Princesses let the Princes come and rescue them. It's not very feministic, they say, They're nuts in my opinion. Mulan and Megara are strong characters, and even rescue the boys; Belle is compassionate and was willing to trade her life for her father's and falls in love with Beast for who he is on the inside; and Jasmine is a dreamer, brave and smart. And as for Snow White and Cinderella- didn't they deserve their happy ending for their lives of servitude without contempt? Those who lash out at Disney classics are just hurt because they didn't get the happy ending they wanted or thought they deserved. Please, don't deprive your children (especially the girls) of fairy tales just because your life isn't one. They'll understand that a Prince may not just show up at the doorstep as they get older- us girls aren't that stupid, really. Disney classics are good for the soul.
Third topic of the day is the six words thing. My friend, code name Sparkles, had this sociology assignment for homework: write your life's story in six words. Not five, not seven, but six. She had the hardest time with it, and I still don't know just what six words she ended up with in the end. But that got me thinking: what is mine? And I think I've got it.
Barefooted Mind
Walking Lost
Through Dreams
I like it. It's actually really hard to do, and it's fun too. I reccommend it highly.
