Gender Stereotypes In Fairytales (Snow White)

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Discuss The Ways in Which Fairytales May be Seen As Either Reinforcing Gender Stereotypes or Subverting Them. Fairytales are present in all westernized cultures yet many stories are so similar they could even be described as different versions of the one tale. In each version of a fairytale the underlying story seems to be the same not only in structure but in moral meaning as well. Therefore these universal stories not only have a world wide reach but in fact have the same meanings and morals within them, it becomes even more important then to see what gender stereotypes these fairytales may include. ‘Snow White’ is a tale which, like many, has a variety of versions yet some seem to approach gender stereotypes in opposite ways. The Grimm's Brothers ‘Snow White’ and Anne Sexton’s ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ both approach such stereotypes differently either reinforcing them or subverting them. The theme of beauty is key in the fairytale ‘Snow White’ especially in the Brothers Grimm’s version. Such a theme can be seen as reinforcing the gender stereotype that woman obsess over looks and hold appearances higher than any other trait such as intelligence. One of the ways in which this is done is by the questions asked to the enchanted mirror by the Queen, ‘“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who’s the fairest one of all?”’. Since this mirror is enchanted or magical it is seen to be powerful and perhaps full of knowledge. Yet the only thing asked of it is in relation to appearances, which makes such topics seem to be of real importance. Also since such questions are only asked by female characters a connection can be made, this connection implies that beauty is perhaps of the upmost importance to woman. The undeniable competition between Snow White and the Queen fueled by the mirror further reinforce that looks are the most important thing to woman. This is

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