If the Shoe Fits... Part 1.
Have I mentioned to you all that I am a closet research whore? There's not a day that goes by that I am not goggling the most random subjects impossible. Hey, if I am going to continue procrastinating at least let me learn something while I'm at it lol. Last week, was it Thursday? I had temporarily put as my status: "Celine is like Little Red.. on a path of her own."
And thus I had found my little surf and search project of the day: Reading analyses about Fairy Tales and what Fairy Tales have to say about the concepts of femininity, morality, and childhood in modern society.
Look inside my mother's garage and you will see hundreds of little story books. Yeah, I had quite a collection of those "Little Golden Books" and the rest were story books exclusively based on Disney Animated Films(Yeah know.. back in the 90's when they were good.)So you know, there was Little Mermaid.. Beauty and the Beast.. Lion King. the list could go on.. seriously.
I had also received from my godmother a Book of Classic Fairy Tales when I was ten. I am pretty sure that I still have it somewhere. It was beautiful. It was the color green and hard covered and on the cover there was an exquisite oil painting of Beauty and the Beast.
Looking back I was completely socialized from the time I was a little girl to:
Fantasize about finding my own prince charming
To identify with and revere my favorite fairy tale heroines
To adopt a certain degree of femininity( I did have my tomboy phases but at the end of the day, I feel much better when I feel I look more like a "princess"
Which brings me to my first point: Since when does looking "princesslike" synonymous with looking "feminine"?
(Oh, note to self: Must read the entirety of the Feminine Mystique)
I have a guilty pleasure of pouring over Vogue, In Style and Modern Bride. I enjoy looking at all the whimsical avant garde couture. I know damn well, no one will ever wear this stuff in real life, but its the designers sharing with us what the world looks like through their eyes. Its about acting out their own fantasies and sharing them with the public at large.
But I digress.. sometimes, I'll see headlines that incorporate classic fairy tale mantras such as: "You'll be the belle of the ball"(Remind anyone of Cinderella ?) "Feel like a Princess". "This dress fits not too small.. not to big.. but just right"(Goldilocks).
So basically, they're saying is:
"When you feel like a princess, you will feel most like a woman. You will be the "fairest of them all" and thus, your "Prince Charming" should arrive on his "White Horse" at any minute.
And thus.. this stuff sells. It's why we see so many women on television shows such as "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?", and "My Super Sweet Sixteen". They are trying so hard to make sure their wedding/sixteen is straight of out a fairy tale. Because in today's society, "Something that looks out of a fairy tale" is perfect, beautiful and timeless.
And deep down, women want to be seen as perfect, beautiful, and timeless.
And who exactly is Prince Charming? We hear about him, in songs, from happy girlfriends, wives, or just girls with crushes say" Oh him? He's my Prince Charming.
You know what makes me laugh the hardest about the concept of Prince Charming? HE NEVER HAS A Name!
So maybe, why he's so perfect, devastatingly handsome, gallant, chivalrous, a great a dancer and horseman, and rich is because he DOESN'T EXIST. He, like all the fairy tales we have grown up with are mere fantasy.
Please take heed dear readers: I am not trying to take a stab at the "Sons of Adam"(Narnia reference. In fact, I know lots of great guys who would make wonderful boyfriends, husbands, and fathers. But notice I didn't use the term perfect.
I am just trying to remind myself that by definition, humans are falliable. We will never be perfect and no one else will be perfect either. And, no one will be 100 percent perfect for "Us".
Sure, in high school back before I waded into the dating pond, I had made up a list of qualities that I wanted "The perfect boyfriend" to have and then I ripped up that list into little pieces. There is no such thing as a perfect person. Remember?
However, what people can be is compatible with each other. Yeah, E-Harmony and Match.com say something along the lines of "We'll match you with the right person based on your tests of compatibility".
For example, someone who is adventurous and driven can more compatible with someone who is spontaneous and thrill seeking. But that doesn't mean that someone can't work with someone else who is introverted and practical.
After all, while "birds of a feather flock together and opposites also attract" And these both noteworthy when considering the rules of attraction.
Well, that is the end of part 1. I will put up part 2 hopefully “before the clock strikes twelve and the “spell” of inspiration is broken”
For now, this Cinderella has to tend to her two ugly step sisters who are known as “Home work and Studying.
And thus I had found my little surf and search project of the day: Reading analyses about Fairy Tales and what Fairy Tales have to say about the concepts of femininity, morality, and childhood in modern society.
Look inside my mother's garage and you will see hundreds of little story books. Yeah, I had quite a collection of those "Little Golden Books" and the rest were story books exclusively based on Disney Animated Films(Yeah know.. back in the 90's when they were good.)So you know, there was Little Mermaid.. Beauty and the Beast.. Lion King. the list could go on.. seriously.
I had also received from my godmother a Book of Classic Fairy Tales when I was ten. I am pretty sure that I still have it somewhere. It was beautiful. It was the color green and hard covered and on the cover there was an exquisite oil painting of Beauty and the Beast.
Looking back I was completely socialized from the time I was a little girl to:
Fantasize about finding my own prince charming
To identify with and revere my favorite fairy tale heroines
To adopt a certain degree of femininity( I did have my tomboy phases but at the end of the day, I feel much better when I feel I look more like a "princess"
Which brings me to my first point: Since when does looking "princesslike" synonymous with looking "feminine"?
(Oh, note to self: Must read the entirety of the Feminine Mystique)
I have a guilty pleasure of pouring over Vogue, In Style and Modern Bride. I enjoy looking at all the whimsical avant garde couture. I know damn well, no one will ever wear this stuff in real life, but its the designers sharing with us what the world looks like through their eyes. Its about acting out their own fantasies and sharing them with the public at large.
But I digress.. sometimes, I'll see headlines that incorporate classic fairy tale mantras such as: "You'll be the belle of the ball"(Remind anyone of Cinderella ?) "Feel like a Princess". "This dress fits not too small.. not to big.. but just right"(Goldilocks).
So basically, they're saying is:
"When you feel like a princess, you will feel most like a woman. You will be the "fairest of them all" and thus, your "Prince Charming" should arrive on his "White Horse" at any minute.
And thus.. this stuff sells. It's why we see so many women on television shows such as "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?", and "My Super Sweet Sixteen". They are trying so hard to make sure their wedding/sixteen is straight of out a fairy tale. Because in today's society, "Something that looks out of a fairy tale" is perfect, beautiful and timeless.
And deep down, women want to be seen as perfect, beautiful, and timeless.
And who exactly is Prince Charming? We hear about him, in songs, from happy girlfriends, wives, or just girls with crushes say" Oh him? He's my Prince Charming.
You know what makes me laugh the hardest about the concept of Prince Charming? HE NEVER HAS A Name!
So maybe, why he's so perfect, devastatingly handsome, gallant, chivalrous, a great a dancer and horseman, and rich is because he DOESN'T EXIST. He, like all the fairy tales we have grown up with are mere fantasy.
Please take heed dear readers: I am not trying to take a stab at the "Sons of Adam"(Narnia reference. In fact, I know lots of great guys who would make wonderful boyfriends, husbands, and fathers. But notice I didn't use the term perfect.
I am just trying to remind myself that by definition, humans are falliable. We will never be perfect and no one else will be perfect either. And, no one will be 100 percent perfect for "Us".
Sure, in high school back before I waded into the dating pond, I had made up a list of qualities that I wanted "The perfect boyfriend" to have and then I ripped up that list into little pieces. There is no such thing as a perfect person. Remember?
However, what people can be is compatible with each other. Yeah, E-Harmony and Match.com say something along the lines of "We'll match you with the right person based on your tests of compatibility".
For example, someone who is adventurous and driven can more compatible with someone who is spontaneous and thrill seeking. But that doesn't mean that someone can't work with someone else who is introverted and practical.
After all, while "birds of a feather flock together and opposites also attract" And these both noteworthy when considering the rules of attraction.
Well, that is the end of part 1. I will put up part 2 hopefully “before the clock strikes twelve and the “spell” of inspiration is broken”
For now, this Cinderella has to tend to her two ugly step sisters who are known as “Home work and Studying.