Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us
by: Linda Christensen
 Quotes

"when we are reading children's books, we aren't just reading cute little stories, we are discovering the tools with which a young society is manipulated."

 This quote makes such a strong statement and opens discussion for the rest of the reading. It imply's that every story a child see's or reads sits deeper in their minds and creates how they should be in the world.  Girls should be pretty with a small hourglass figure so they can get the man of their dreams, step parents are seen as always mean, and that men are always at the top of the hierarchy of life. The whole text kind of surrounds around this one quote.

"Look, Ursula the sea witch is ugly and smart. Hey, she's kind of dark looking, The young pretty ones only want to hook their man; the old pretty ones are mean because they are losing their looks." 

This goes on in almost every fairytale I have seen. The villain is always ugly looking or they are mean because they are losing their looks, and every girl is simply on earth just to find that one guy. I mean Ariel gives up her voice to become and human but to really find the prince, seems a bit much don't you think? These types of stereotypes and many more are shown in the text and how the students now see what the underlying message was. 

" The Barbie syndrome starts as we begin a lifelong search for the perfect body. Crash diets, fat phobias, and an obsession with the materialistic become commonplace."

Anything you watch whether the pretty girl is always the one that most resembles a Barbie doll. Cinderella, Bell, Ariel, Pocahontas, Jasmine, and  Snow white are all shaped like a Barbie. In our society that is the "Perfect" body and that any girl who does not look like them are not considered beautiful. It gets in your mind without even knowing it. Growing up watching how the men all swoon over these women make us think that is how we need to look in order to get the right attention. The relevance to the text would be anything of the woman characters in all of the movies, and tv shows.

 Growing up as a young girl my sister and I grew up on all Disney movies. It was just the two of us so it was Barbie and baby doll heaven in my house! I totally fall into the category that one day i will have my happily ever after and it has probably ruined my sense of crappy boy acknowledgement ! I am a hopeless romantic and I definitely give some credit to all of those fairytale movies. I am now just accepting my body for what it is, all throughout high school and most of college I wish I could always look skinnier, or more fit, or had a bigger bottom. Now I am starting to get more comfortable with who I am and taking me as ME and not caring what others think. I am who I am and will continue to try to love myself more everyday regardless of what those fairytales showed while growing up!