When my daughter got into fairy tales and princess things, she would dress up and play pretend every chance she got. She would construct elaborate stories and wear as much of her costume jewelry as possible. If her dad or I were around, we would usually be added to the cast of characters. Daddy was the King or the handsome Prince, and I was the Evil Queen.
At first, I was totally taken aback by this label. EVIL QUEEN?!?!? Was this an early rebellion? Was I coming down too hard on our preschooler such that she had already identified me as the “mean” parent? I don’t WANT to be evil. Something had to be done!
But as I paid closer attention to what my daughter was actually watching, the innocuous Disney dramas took on a slightly sinister role. Fairy Tales were teaching my daughter that while girls were good, women were evil. Of all the unholy sermons… this was the most offensive.
Undoubtedly, stepmothers have always had a bad rap from Cinderella. Snow White literally has an evil queen character who is not only competitive and vain, but also a witch. Hansel & Gretel were left in the woods to die by their (step)mother and are nearly eaten by an old… you guessed it, witch.
The kicker for me, though, was Tangled. My daughter didn’t understand that the woman with Rapunzel wasn’t her mother but an evil old woman who STOLE her from her mother. I had to explain that several times that Rapunzel called her “mother” because she was tricked and didn’t know any better. I explained that her REAL mother would never stop crying until Rapunzel was returned home.
But, I think, the damage was already done.
Despite my joy at the movie’s red-headed heroine, I was initially put off by Brave because the Queen was, again, the enemy. She was the disciplinarian, the strict parent, the “problem.” The movie saved itself (spoiler alert) as the Queen and Merida reconciled to understand each other better and grow to become friends as well as mother and daughter.
Why are grown women always portrayed as the bad guys in children’s movies?
Is this some kind of sick joke?
Who is writing this crap?*
*Note to self: Write a decent fairy tale that doesn’t make women out to be the bad guys.
This “Evil Queen” thing shows up outside of fairy tales too. There is a commercial airing now for Multi-Grain Cheerios with a mother-daughter exchange that I HATE.
I found plenty of posts about this on some entertaining threads and thoughtful blogs but the thing that disturbs me about this commercial is the look the mom gives the daughter acknowledging that she is, in fact, wearing her daughter’s jeans. It is smug. It is confrontational. It is a challenge saying “HA! What are YOU going to do about the fact that I am as skinny as you?”
It is so repulsive to me.
I love Cheerios. (I especially love the new fruity Cheerios.) But this portrayal of the mom as mean-girl is such an enormous offense that it could not possibly have had a mom on the creative team. [Or perhaps it did and she is keeping her mouth shut because she has had to take one too many personal days to care for her kids and is worried about her job… another post for another time.]
It gives me pause to think about how much we manufacture the drama between women and how much of it is inevitable. Why did we stop being community sisters – helping each other with household chores, errands, child-rearing, feasts, etc. – and start being bitchy mortal enemies?
Who has the time for all this drama?
I have two daughters. And while they are not yet growing into little women, I look forward to when they do so that I can help them feel proud of their changes and confident in whatever shape nature gives them and to honor the wonder that is the female body.
Despite my fierce desire to protect my little princesses, I have noticed a bit of “Evil Queen” mentality creeping into my own mind recently. As I barrel into 40, I’ve taken to calling out my age in much the same way as I used to call out my weight – as an apology.
There can be no good that comes of it and it likely makes people as uncomfortable as it did when I belabored my weight-related self-loathing. So why do it?
Old age is a privilege. Hell, MIDDLE age is a privilege. I may not be the perfect, powerful, rich and thin me I had dreamed for myself at 40 but it’s all relative. I’m not too shabby. I made a terrible princess but I might yet make a fabulous queen if I let myself get into the role a bit.
I’ve got two princesses watching how to grow with grace and honor and humor. So snap out of it, Schmidt! There is no dress rehearsal for mommies.
I wouldn’t trade my life now for any other time. I really DO believe that the best is yet to come.
And as the great philosopher Will the Krill says, “Fearing the best is a complete waste of time.”
So, tell me.
Where do you see the Evil Queen myth creeping in and what are we going to do about it?
Schugarmama 