Fairly tales are probably the most popular and important entertainment children like to watch. It works on their creativity (bringing the story into live by their imagination) and give them an escape of boring stuff which they don’t like to do. Therefore we can include watching and reading fairy-tales on the play category of children, which is the most important activity for them. Despite all the advantages, fairy-tales might do more harm than good, because the “problem” about stories, cartoons and fairy tales, is that children learns from them and wants to be like them.
One of the most famous fairy tales are from Disney, and their characters and stories fall within the same concept. Is usually about love and shows a lot of stereotypes.
The Little mermaid tells a story of a young girl who wanted to know the human world, so she collected all kinds of artifacts and objects from past shipwrecks. During one of her discoveries she met a human and fall in love with him, thus giving up her family, voice and who she were to be with him. She had the help of Ursula, the evil octopus, that turned her into human and collected her voice.
In my opinion, the little mermaid shows a good “aspect” which is curiosity, which can motivate children to learn, for example, other cultures and views. The negative aspects falls within the stereotype and roles that men and women should have. And these children grows with these roles. Since throughout history men had always power and control over women, I think that these stereotypes are a representation of a sexist society.
The first stereotype that we can see from the little mermaid is that women have to be beautiful. But for me beauty is very subjective and does not have to be a representation of a slim body with long hair. For adults, the media plays a big role on this thought, for the children is the fairy tale ( and not only) that teaches the world of appearances. The second stereotype is that men have to be strong and brave and muscular and even the Ariel’s father is strong and muscular despite his age. Just what I mentioned above, the physical appearance is very subjective and fairy tale and media “imposes” on our looks that affects our opinions. The third stereotype is that the artifacts and objects the little mermaid collects are all related with the household. So once more, they relate women with domestic work. The fourth stereotype is that the villain is also a women. So women are loving, caring, fragile, beautiful, nurturing etc and evil at the same time? So, they represent women has having the two side of the coin, good and evil? Like men are angels. The fifth stereotype shown is that ariel would only have male friends. Is it because women can be also evil that she would only have male friends? Or is it because men have a conscious, would give better advice and they are intrinsically good without feelings of jealousy unlike the octopus.
In my opinion, there is so much going on in the present world, that those issues could be portrayed on these fairy tales. Why not create stories of encouragement, on not to give up on something we like, about respect, self-esteem, confidence, discrimination and many more. And it could still include prince and princess ( with different looks).
In conclusion, my opinion is that fairy tales are a great way to teach and send a message for children, but the content has to change. There are moral values that can be though through a fairy tale and would both entertaining and would teach children.
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