Even though fairy tales have their benefits and consequences, they are rapidly becoming outdated. Their morals and meanings can be adapted to the modern world, but many things must be changed in order for them to be useful tools for young girls.
Fairy tales can never be perfect: by definition, they rely on a lack of reality to tell their story. The model is flawed: it requires a black and white battle of good versus evil, and relies on traditional gender roles and stereotypes to transmit its messages.
So how can fairy tales be useful to the modern daughter? How can they be read to a child without teaching her to be a homemaker and a happy wife? While fairy tales aren't perfect, here are some modern re-tellings and interpretations that can kick Disney to the curb, and teach any girl to be a bit of a bad ass
A retelling of the classic Cinderella, Cinder Edna has freckles, loves the environment, recycles, tells great jokes, and has an all around amazing personality. Of course, the story ends with Cinder Edna marrying the prince's brother, but they settle into a small cottage where they build a compost pile and recycle regularly. The story is a great way to emphasize that individual interests are what make you unique, and that wanting to do good by saving the planet can still land you a man.
While not necessarily the most entertaining novel, Wicked helps to break away from the black and white "good versus evil" dichotomy. By taking a closer look at the complexity behind the terms "good" and "evil", the story casts a sympathetic look at the life of so-called evil do-ers. Exploring the danger of the mob mentality, Wicked teaches readers to question what's going on behind the propaganda. Sure, we still get the happy ending, but you learn a lot more from this story than Dorothy did on her travels.
A re-telling of Beauty and the Beast through the eyes of a dowdy girl. While the story maintains her innocence, kindness, and ability to love away a curse, the concept of beauty is challenged by this story. Beauty is her cruel nickname, for she is only beautiful on the inside. Her gorgeous sisters marry well, only to later be abandoned, or to lose their fortunes. Like Wicked, we are given a happy ending, but it reminds girls that external beauty is only worth so much.
This is definitely a collection for slightly older readers who don't mind the macabre. Angela Carter is known for her well written gothic novels, and The Bloody Chamber is one of her more popular works. Carter's goal when writing these stories was to make use of the traditional themes represented in fairy tales. The stories are all told from the perspective of the female protagonist, providing readers with information about the reasons for their actions. Definitely for older readers, but a great way to teach girls about the complexity of actions and consequences.
This anthology is an updated classic, but still worth mentioning. Barbara Walker penned what she claimed to be feminist versions of popular fairy tales and compiled them to make the anthology. Beauty and the Beast becomes Ugly and the Beast, with the emphasis of the story being inner beauty, kindness, and intelligence. Little Red Riding Hood wears a white hood in Walker's version, and she fights against deforestation and over hunting, as well as protects herself from brutal violence. While the stories are often simple reversals of the original tale, they all place the female characters into stronger roles. Most of the material is appropriate for younger readers.
We don't have to continue to rely on old stories to teach the younger generation how to be a bad ass woman. Contemporary urban fantasy novels often draw from mythology or fairy tales. Books such as the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, or the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews feature cunning, strong, intelligent, brave, and realistic women in leading roles. Their lives aren't perfect, but they are a very real representation of many problems female readers grapple with on a daily basis.
Fairy tales certainly aren't going anywhere, but there are plenty of alternatives available both inside and outside of the genre.
Image from the Fallen Princesses Project.