Fairy Tales
Over the holidays I watched Disney's Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The message in both that I got was: Fairies, no matter how well-intentioned, are disempowering and princes are pretty much useless.
In the Brother's Grimm versions Cinderella/Ashenputtel made her own magic with her great virtue. And Sleeping Beauty/Aurora/The Princess was a passive airhead and the prince didn't have to fight his way to her because he just happened to show up at the right time when the spell broke and the briar hedge receded on its own. In this case, I have to say I liked the Disney version better. Excellent evil fairy/dragon! But let's face it, the female fairies were the real heroes.
In the Brother's Grimm versions Cinderella/Ashenputtel made her own magic with her great virtue. And Sleeping Beauty/Aurora/The Princess was a passive airhead and the prince didn't have to fight his way to her because he just happened to show up at the right time when the spell broke and the briar hedge receded on its own. In this case, I have to say I liked the Disney version better. Excellent evil fairy/dragon! But let's face it, the female fairies were the real heroes.