maymargaret

I love these pointless little controversies. They always seem to gain momentum during these times of distress, and maybe its because this is a rare time in the present generation’s history when we all have had nowhere to go unless we break a law.

So while this controversy of the non-consented kiss in Snow White and the Severn Dwarves isn’t exactly a new one, the wokeists (I have learned that there is a difference between the ‘left’ and wokeists, like there’s a difference between the ‘right’ and discrimination) have now got the platform with which to insult genuine arguments surrounding feminism and the question of consent. The key insult? That these issues have been whittled down to an charming and essentially innocuous Disney movie that has been around since 1937.

And I know, yes, Prince Charming does essentially kiss a corpse. But wasn’t the antidote to the poison true love’s kiss? Yes, it may have been a touch presumptuous on the part of the Prince, but it worked, didn’t it? Unless you believe the theory that it didn’t, of course, and the Prince collected Snow White to take her to heaven.

The thing is, if you look at this movie from such a standpoint, not only are you ruining the experience for yourself, but you’re also inviting others to do the same. And I’m doing the same right now on this wonderful Sunday afternoon, because frankly it’s a bit grim outside and I like this kind of thing. In my quest, I have found the following issues that have faded into the background.

1. Toxic femininity – toxic femininity is a very real thing, and can be just as damaging as toxic masculinity. Here, we have a tale about a queen who orders the murder of Snow White because she is more beautiful than her. She is the epitome of feminine beauty and grace, and the Queen hates it, because she thought it was her. Therefore, offing the princess would allow her to become the fairest of the land.

2. Abuse of power – the poor huntsman seemed like a nice fellow, and yet he is placed between a rock and a hard place by his queen to kill Snow White, the Queen’s step daughter, a delicate petal who’s done nothing wrong, all because of her own envy.

3. Breaking and entering – there’s no one home, so I guess it’s okay to enter a home with your new animal friends if you ask the air whether you can come in and sleep on multiple beds.

4. Sexism – the world we live in today is all very fond of highlighting past cultural norms and branding them unacceptable and not up to today’s standards, which is entirely impossible to rectify. So when Snow White questions the untidiness of the place, she presumes its because they have no mother, and so takes on the role as mother because, well, apparently this is a woman’s work. And it was, at the time. Likewise, she presumes that the dwarves can’t look after themselves, including general hygiene.

5. Why does nobody care for the poor fellow reduced to a skeleton in the Queen’s dungeon, who is openly mocked as having died reaching for water?

The thing is, if you’re going to open a can of worms, be ready for the rest of the questions. We could look further and question Cinderella’s catfishing her Prince Charming, Ariel willing to trade her voice and her life with her family all for a man who didn’t ask her to, and, a more recent one I had thoughts about, open mockery in Ralph Breaks the Internet concerning Merida’s Scottish accent (I thought mocking accents was taboo, or is it just certain ones?)

If we look at every kid’s film, and indeed every film, through these insidious lenses purposed to see bad in everything, what is that really achieving? I loved Disney films growing up. Had the outfits, loved the stories. My favourite was The Little Mermaid, but did I grow up thinking that I would have to give up my voice to win a man’s heart? No, I was too concerned with getting my parents to let me go for a family meal in my Anastatia dress and plastic Spice Girls sandals. Likewise, I understood that just as mermaids didn’t exist and kisses didn’t really bring the dead back to life, I knew that these films weren’t perpetuating rape culture. If you’re convinced that a child’s moral compass and understanding of right vs wrong is determined by a kid’s film rated U that’s been around for several decades, maybe reevaluate what a parent’s role really is in a child’s life.

As a side note, I knew someone who’s mum didn’t let him or his sister watch The Lion King after hearing a kid committed suicide after watching it, and so his principle entertainment growing up was anime such as Bleach. Didn’t result in him thinking he was a Soul Reaper though did it?