Final Blog Post!

I have to agree with Cara’s first comment – I also love blogs. When you find the right people/blogs to follow, you will encounter many thought provoking posts (and with some people on a daily basis!). I actually started a blog over the summer as a ploy to try to (one day) get my dream job as a venture capitalist (many of the best venture capitalists out there keep their own blogs and look at applicant’s blogs as part of the interview process), so this was an interesting way to be able to write about a completely different subject.

When we were first assigned this blog, I was very worried. How on earth would I be able to find fairy tales in everyday life once a week for an entire semester?! Once I started, however, it turned out this wasn’t too difficult. I enjoyed the process of trying to notice ways that fairy tales affect every day life, even though I did not see it as much as some of you. As you may have noticed, I did see it a lot in music, which surprised me. I became much more aware of the lyrics to many of the songs I listen to on a daily basis. I was surprised to see how much others noticed fairy tales affecting everyday life and this process has definitely made me more aware of how pervasive fairy tales have become. While I cannot recall any specific instances, participating in this blog has definitely made me aware of social issues arising from some of the constructs and themes that exist in fairy tales. The class (not necessarily the blog) has definitely made me more critical of fairy tales and I hope to take that critical eye with me as I leave Notre Dame.

...

I'm definitely not a blog type of person. A friend of mine tried to get me to do a collaborative blog with her a few years ago and she has posted on it very consistently...but I only posted once and that was only because I was stuck here for the summer taking orgo and bored out of my mind. Ooops. But now that I had deadlines for posting blogs it has actually grown on me a little bit, although I still enjoy reading others posts more than writing my own.

Coming up with a topic every week was certainly a struggle at times, but it was very interesting to see all the different places that I could find fairy tale references. I knew before that fairy tales were a big part of our lives, providing us with moral guidelines when we are young. What I hadn't really thought about before was how much it influences the basic script we have in our heads for how life is supposed to work and how people should interact with each other. This definitely became very clear when I was actively looking for fairy tale references in daily life, and I frequently noticed friends saying simple things that they don't even think twice about like "My boyfriend treats me like a princess." Something else that I thought was interesting was seeing how some modern retellings of fairy tales reflected how the values in our society have changed. For example, the short film I wrote about in my first blog gave voice to a segment of society that is marginalized in traditional fairy tales; the elderly. Although our society still idolizes youth and beauty, I think that people are becoming more sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of the elderly. Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" also reflects how cultural diversity and acceptance of these different cultures is becoming more important in our society, providing the first African American princess and a prince who is racially ambiguous, coming from the fictional country of Maldonia.

Going off of cultures and fairy tales, a lot of what I got out of this blog actually came from discussing potential topics for the blog with Ga Young. While discussing things we were thinking about using as topics, we would frequently go off on random tangents and I would learn a lot about how fairy tales differ or are the same in Korean culture. In particular, I was shocked when Ga Young was easily able to identify a character in a Korean tv show as Snow White solely based on their outfit, which was the same outfit worn by Disney's Snow White. I wouldn't think this was surprising for an American that was raised on Disney. I think this really shows just how influential Disney is in terms of shaping people's general idea of fairy tales and their characters. Overall, I think that writing this blog definitely helped me to realize that fairy tales are so prevalent in daily life because they are something that everyone, no matter what place and time, can understand and relate to on some level.

Insert Creative Title Here

I love blogs. I’m not really into technology, but somehow, blogs completely captivate me. You can figure out in a few posts what people value and cherish, you can figure out who loves the experience of writing and sharing their work, and you can figure out who just wants to make a couple of bucks.

Blogging is also intense. There’s constant pressure to be new and entertaining while still remaining true to your core audience, the people you found you and loved you from the very first post they read. I felt a similar pressure when writing blog posts for this class. How do I write about fairy tales while still being myself? How can I make fairy tales relevant to my life?

Turns out the task wasn’t too difficult. References to fairy tales are literally everywhere. In addition, fairy tales influence some of the most important aspects of our lives: our gender identity, the expectations we have from our partner, our sexual orientation, the way dating, marriage, and “happily ever after” should be. I found myself continually discussing topics I want to explore in my future career. In addition, I found myself constantly debating whether we are a reflection of fairy tales or whether fairy tales are a reflection of ourselves. Are men and women truly so different or have we become that way because of the roles we are required to play? Isn’t the world we live in socially constructed? Didn’t we create fairy tales, and as a result, create ourselves?

In conclusion, I have truly enjoyed this aspect of the class, though, at times, I did go struggle to find a topic to blog about (fairy tale shampoo = struggle city).

Corbys?

The Final Chapter

So I'm submitting my blog a bit late. Not because I forgot to submit it, but because I thought I should stick with what I've been doing the rest of the semester. This is the first experience I've ever had with blogging, but perhaps it won't be the last. I'm a fairly opinionated person, and a blog allows me to bitch and moan with nobody to argue against me.

This class has been one of the most unique I've ever taken, and as a finance major this certainly was a bit of a shakeup from my average classes. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions, and don't feel too bad about saying that I feel as though I held my own against you Arts & Letters types. This blog has in some instances allowed us to continue debates from class, and occasionally prove one another wrong (which coincidentally is something I enjoy doing more than I probably should).

However, many times I thought the things we were relating to fairytales were stretches, to be generous. With 20 people writing about one topic weekly, this was expected. I would skim most of the posts and only read more in depth if something caught my eye because so many of the posts looked so similar. As a suggestion for the future, I believe this problem could be helped by having a "theme" for each week's posts. This could be as generic or as specific as you'd like, but it would assist in preventing post after post from talking about dresses, weddings, and big girls who can't grow up.

Overall, I think the experience was a good one, but I hesitate to say great. It really was hit or miss with each post, and I had a tendency to lose interest especially later in the semester. That being said, some posts were very well done and truthfully thought provoking.

I Hate You All...

Just kidding. This blog was my favorite part of any class this semester, though debating whether Chicago skyscrapers resemble genitalia sits in a close second (remember?). It was certainly amazing to see how fairy tales related to, well, EVERYTHING. We've seen the Democratic Party, slutty halloween costumes, video games, the NCAA tournament, and P90X. Who knew that LOST related to fairy tales? But the real reason this thing has been so great actually has little to do with princes that have their way with comatose princesses or little men who rip themselves in half at mention of their name (fairy tales, duh). This blog has been a great medium for each person in the class to have their own voice and to express themselves in whatever manner they wish.

For example, who knew Cara could get so pissed off? That was definitely one of my favorite posts of the year. Karen taught us new languages, Greg gave us our "Song of the Week", and we found out Maureen is just a little bit excited for her wedding (congrats). Whether you wanted to express political belief in a subtle way or just rage out against the prom, the opportunity was there. I attempted to compare Snow White to passing out on St. Patty's day for heaven's sake. Anything and everything was fair game, and I think that's what really made this great (thanks Gretchen for allowing everyon... er.... my nonsense).

So here we are at the end, and I don't know if I've learned anything about "gender/racial/class/national identity" from the blog, but oh hell did I have fun with it. It was honestly one of the coolest things I've ever contributed to in a class, definitely a "happily ever after" to a very interesting (2.8) academic career. Best wishes to everyone in whatever they do post-ND.

Completely unrelated (you knew it was coming), here's a slightly inappropriate video I made for another class:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqZi0q7DtEI

Final Blog Post

Writing in the blog this semester has been an interesting experience because it made me realize how far reaching the impact of fairy tales has been. Not only do new twists on old tales continue to be written, but references to fairy tales can be found in almost any aspect of culture, from everyday speech to movies, music, and fashion.

The most surprising thing I noticed over the course of the semester was how often fairy tale references pop up in normal speech without people really noticing. This shows just how much fairy tale themes and ideas have infiltrated our culture and our expectations. Fairy tale weddings, princes riding white horses, and princess dresses are all things that get mentioned frequently and that are able to conjure up a very specific image in our minds. People make these references without even realizing what they are saying and this shows how normal these expectations are within our culture. I know that if I had not been in this class, I would not have noticed all of these references.

I think that all the pop cultural references to fairy tales further show how they have impacted expectations. Not only do we talk about them, but they show up everywhere. Since they are mutually understood, they can reach a wide audience, and so they are perfect for use in movies, music, etc.

I also think it is very interesting which parts of fairy tales our culture focuses on. Most of the references made are about rise tales, dressing up as a princess to find a prince, having a fairy tale wedding, even Cinderella stories in sports. I think that it says something about what our culture values that these are the elements of the story that are focused on and incorporated into daily life. It shows that people still believe in the “American dream” idea. They believe that with hard work, and a little luck, anyone can come out on top, just like in fairy tales (at least in the Disney versions).

"The last mellon..."

(That is a quote from Ice Age that my sisters and I think is really funny.... it's ok you don't have to laugh at it.)

So blogging has been a great experience for me, I've never done it before because I've always thought, 'Who wants to read that?' As I read our class posts, I think that many people would be interested in reading our musings because fairy tales are extremely prevalent in American pop-culture. Our Alice in Wonderland debate is particularly relevant - albeit one sided - as this blockbuster makes clear references to classic fairy tales in content and themes. I also enjoyed the various blog posts that compared authors' lives to fairy tales, because in a slightly poetic way, we are all counting our little victories among Sleeping Beauty and Snow White's resurrections from death (or death-like states, details, details) and Cinderella's rise to royalty. While none of us are going to marry a prince (or princess), we can still feel good about our daily lessons learned and personal victories.

Although I have noticed before how common fairy tale references are - especially ones referring to Cinderella - I started to notice various subtle references because of this class. For instance, a lot of people reference fairy tales partially, or without intending to. Sometimes grouchy people say, "I have to go to bed before I turn into a pumpkin." Think if you'd never heard Cinderella before... that phrase would illicit a "WTF?" Many people, particularly American women, say things like, "he treats me (I wish he would treat me) like a princess!" This analogy makes little sense in the context of American culture - because our country was built on trying to avoid monarchy - unless you consider the prevalence of fairy tales. In the context of fairy tales, likening yourself to a princess makes total sense because you'd be blonde, beautiful, and married for happily ever after.

Overall I learned that I really love Disney movies, although I prefer Bambi and Fantasia to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, but they are culturally-impacted tales that tell a story about the society for which they were written. Built up from the classic versions we've read, these tales use stock characters, catchy tunes, and bright colors to all tell the same story. Yes, there are elements of sexism and racism, as well as brainwashing idealism of feminine perfection, but there is the stronger underlying message to follow your heart and your dreams to find happiness in everyday life.

Happily Ever After The End

I am not a blogger, and I probably never will be. The best I can do is random Facebook updates. Before last summer, I didn't even read blogs about anyone or anything. Even now, I only read a handful of blogs (I don't count the wedding blogs I only look at to see silly things that people will actually pay for). I NEVER comment on anything I read on the blogs, regardless of the strength of my opinion. This experience of blogging was completely new to me, and I can not say I enjoyed. I like talking to people about my ideas, but a blog is a one-sided conversation. The comments don't do much for me. I prefer a conversation.

I did enjoy seeing the impact of fairy tales everywhere though. They are such a common theme in our every day life that I often failed to notice them before having to do this blog.You can find them in fashion, advertising, Build-A-Bear Workshop (http://www.buildabear.com/shop/productdetail.aspx?ProductSKU=15606_15614_14987&Category=Enchanted+Friends&CallingPage=ProductSummary), and more! Some of the things other people found were hilarious and fascinating.

I thoroughly enjoyed the class and the many discussions we had. I took a lot more away from those than I did from the blog, but I believe it has more to do with my personality then it does with the blog.

*Just to defend myself, I wrote TWO wedding related posts, and one was before I got engaged.*

Fairy Tale Blog Reflections

I am not going to lie, when I first learned about our weekly blogs, I thought it would be a hassle and boring. But, surprisingly, once I began to consciously look for fairy tale references in our world, it was amazing to me how prevalent they truly are. I would be lying if I said there wasn't the occasional week where I struggled to find something truly original and interesting to talk about, but overall it was quite interesting. I never would have guessed how prevalent fairy tales were before taking this class.
Besides being surprisingly pleased with how much I noticed fairy tales references in my day-to-day life, I also was surprised with how analytical I was of the references. If you look back at my blogs, the vast majority of them were largely critical with how these references were utilized in our culture. I was genuinely a bit irritated by how the "Cinderella story" of the NCAA basketball tournament is, in my opinion, misinterpreted. To an even larger extent I was annoyed with how Bill Clinton used it to describe Barack Obama's campaign. But what this blog made apparent to me more than anything is that, even when fairy tales are wrongly referenced, they still are extremely relevant and influential in our world. People use references to fairy tales to stir up drama and in general to make an impact with their statements. Bottom line, fairy tales draw the attention of all types of people. This blog, more than anything else, helped me to see how much fairy tales are referenced in society, albeit oftentimes with misinterpretations of their proper meaning.

The Blog Report

Hmm... the blog. (Please imagine a sort of Colbert-style delivery on this; anything in parenthesis is one of those little commentaries on the side of the screen as he does the word segment on the Colbert Report. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please youtube it...the man's out of his mind funny.)

Honestly I'm one of those people that notices things that relate to the material in my classes. (It's really freaky when two classes' material overlaps, like the anthropology material and the fairy tales material... When that stuff happens I usually feel like the entire university faculty is conspiring to make me lose my mind.) I actually kind of enjoy having an outlet to address something semi-pertinent to class; the only problem is that occasionally the things I notice didn't seem deep enough or important enough to discuss. (I guess 250 words is pretty shallow...but still) One of the most entertaining thought processes I had was when I was shopping for a graduation dress. I found a huge pink sparkly ball gown in a department store dress department. Obviously it was intended for prom, but I swear someone stole it from a costume shop, it was definitely straight out of the Disney animated version of Sleeping Beauty. I wish I had taken a picture on my phone... it looked something like this, but worse:

(Imagine the Psycho theme music in your head when you see that and tell me it's not funny after taking this class.)

Basically the thought process involved a prom date that acted like the prince in Enchanted. (Think about how embarrassing he would be at prom. No, really...do it.)

Anyway, I think it's become clear to us that fairy tales can be found in so many hilarious locations in pop culture, and that's why the blog is a good idea. (That doesn't mean I feel any better when people walk past me in LaFortune and judge me for being on blogger..."It's homework, I SWEAR!!") Whether or not you noticed things spontaneously or had to scour the internet to come up with something creative enough to post about (Matt...jk), it became painfully obvious that the ideas of happy endings, princesses and princesses permeate our lives. We have complained about and dissected so many things relating to fairy tales, including technology, fashion, architecture, parenting, and music.

Admit it, it's going to take a while for this to wear off. Even without the blog and our discussions in class, we'll be noticing fairy tale remnants all over for at least a few months. (Basically Gretchen wanted to brainwash us.) Do I feel slightly violated by fairy tales now? I won't answer that...but I do feel like I've learned a lot.

(Most important thing I've learned: If there's a psycho murderous stepmother witch upstairs planning to revive her dead demon seed baby with my father's blood, I will definitely be taking care of that problem FIRST.)

Also, just another fun "modern princess" image to leave you with.

Blog Reflections

Before I started contributing to this blog, I thought very little about the everyday effect that fairy tales have on our lives today. As a child, I know that fairy tales affected me greatly, given that I loved watching Disney movies constantly and enjoyed reading a fairy tale whenever I could. However, as a senior in college, I didn't often think about everything that was influenced by fairy tales that I encountered in everyday life.

After being urged by Professor Busl to pay attention to these influences, I was shocked to discover how often I noticed a nod to a fairy tale everywhere I went. Most of these I found in advertising, whether it be a commercial or an ad in a magazine, but there were also many interesting fairy tale aspects to the television shows I watched or the conversations I had with friends. In addition to noticing the effect that fairy tales have on our society, I am now more critical of this influence. The idea of a little girl needing a princess castle bed or a woman needing the fairy tale wedding was something that I had never really thought about before, and something that I look at now with a more critical eye. The role of the fairy tale in our world today is a negative one, in my opinion, because it leaves people with certain expectations for life that are unrealistic and impossible to fulfill. The things that we experience in life are constantly being compared to the way they are "supposed to be" in a fairy tale world that does not exist, and therefore, we are blinded to life's realities. Although I still think that there is no harm in indulging yourself in a fairy tale or a Disney movie for fun once in a while, I think that there is harm in taking everything that happens in these tales to heart. There are a strict set of expectations that surface when a person is confronted with a fairy tale-like situation, and to abide by these expectations is to be disappointed. Life is great enough even when it's not the embodiment of a fairy tale, and would very plausibly be worse if it did resemble a fairy tale too closely. Fairy tales are everywhere in our world, and we ought to be careful in how much we take them to heart.

Last Post

Observing the theme of fairytales in today’s culture has been an interesting experience for me this semester. After reading and writing about the presence of fairytales in popular songs, movies, T.V. shows, pictures interior design, the news, and in everyday life, I can safely say that fairytales certainly resonate with people. I was surprised to see how many areas of life fairytales crept into.

Popular culture definitely links the idea of fairytales to beauty, love, fantasy, perfection, weddings, and ideals. In this blog alone, we see ample proof of this. Before taking this class I would not have thought twice about this connection, but after a semester of study I can see that this commonly held view of fairytales is very one-sided and a misconception. Nowhere does popular culture reflect on the horrific elements of fairytales that we’ve learned about: rape, murder, adultery, and bestiality, to name a few.

But, perhaps it’s a good thing that fairytales in popular culture focus on the positive aspects of these tales. No one would walk up to a child in princess apparel and tell them that the role of princesses enforce the dominance of men over women, and represent submissive and reserved airheads who simply wait around for things to happen to them. In the same manner, no one would walk up to a girl in a Little Red Riding Hood costume and tell her that in one version of the popular story, the protagonist has sex with a wolf who wants to eat her. The entertainment industry enforces this point perfectly. Idyllic movies with happy endings and beautiful characters make far more money than movies like the made-for-T.V. film “Snow White: A Tale of Terror”. People want to escape from the real world, and fairytales provide the perfect virtual reality.

Participating in this blog as both a reader and writer definitely affirmed, if not increased my awareness of the fact that fairytales have and always will provide an ideal standard for people. Women wish for a “fairytale wedding” because it allows them to imagine and possibly plan for the perfect version of one of the happiest days of their lives. Movies like Shrek, the Princess Diaries, and every other chick flick exploit fairytale relationships to give people hope that relationships can end up being happy unions. Is this idealism a good thing? On the one hand, fairytales in pop culture will continue to propagate unrealistic expectations in life, which will lead to eventual disappointment. On the other hand, fairytales in pop culture (as I mentioned before) can also allow people to escape from the harshness of the world. There is no right or wrong answer. All I know is that fairytales will continue to influence huge aspects of our lives, and that I’ll never read the words “happily ever after” the same way again.

What A Disney Survey Can Reveal

For my Disney class our final paper requires us to ask people what their responses are to various aspects of the Disney brand (characters, merchandise, parks, films, etc.). I created a survey that focuses on how ND seniors think of Disney animated films, princes and princesses. The questions are as follows:

1. What is your gender?
2. What is your racial/ethnic background?
3. What is your favorite animated Disney film?
4. Which animated character do you best identify with?
5. Which prince/princess would you most like to date? (list provided)
6. Why?
7. If question 5 was changed to “which prince/princess would you most like to marry?” would your answer change and if so why?

The answers so far have been amusing, ridiculous, provocative, and extremely interesting. So far 80 people have taken the survey (48 female, 32 male). As I predicted, Aladdin and Jasmine are thus far the most popular choices. Among the male responses 17% changed their answers in the “date” to “marry” question, and among the female responses 32% changed their answers. The male reasons for their changed answers show a preference for Sleeping Beauty because she cannot talk, Jasmine because she has a rich father, Jane because she is classy and wealthy, and Belle because she is the smartest. The female reasons vary much more but generally show a preference for a greater maturity, social standing, financial situation, and idealized perfection in those whom they would choose to marry instead of date.

Yes, I understand that these are animated characters and do not exist past the 2D medium on which they are preserved. But that’s not the point. The point is that by asking people to use their imaginations past the limitation that one simply cannot date or marry a cartoon character it is possible to explore the way in which people think about relationships in the real world. (I would like to add that animal characters are included, such as Simba and Nala, for purposes of their portrayed personalities) For example, both males and females placed a HUGE degree of importance on physical attractiveness in selecting who they would date/marry. Money and wealth were also significant factors. Some responders even blatantly said they would choose Prince Charming because he is the “prototypical perfect man.” Yes, a lot of people commented on personality as well, and in fact I was impressed by one male response that said he would choose Belle based on her personality and the potential for growth in a relationship with her. Such a response stands in major contrast to “she’s the hottest princess.”

I have yet to decide what my paper is actually going to be about based on my research thus far, but it is definitely revealing to see how some people still draw on the fairy tale ideal of perfection in choosing their mate while others have a much more down-to-earth view that focuses more on if realistically/based on personality they would get along with their selected character.

A Dustland Fairytale

Not to continue a trend or anything, but I’m going to talk about another song I heard recently. (Sorry! I listen to A LOT of music!) This week’s song is “A Dustland Fairytale” by The Killers. I heard it while doing some work and when I looked it up later, I learned that the singer, Brandon Flowers, wrote the song about his parents. I still can’t figure out what exactly the song is about, but it is sort of depressing. The chorus begins:

Saw Cinderella in a party dress
But she was looking for a nightgown

Cinderella (his mom) has left the ball – she just wants to go to bed now. A later line says:

Now Cinderella, don’t you go to sleep
It’s such a bitter form of refuge
Oh don’t you know, the kingdom’s under siege
And everybody needs you

This could be Flowers acknowledging that his parents are growing older and beginning to come to grips with the fact that they won’t be around forever. They are growing older and Flowers can see that. His parents may have lived the fairytale romance in the past, but not anymore. I found it very interesting that Flowers used Cinderella as a (somewhat depressing) metaphor for aging and fading beauty. We have talked in class about how the stepmother (or a similar character) in many of the stories we have read can represent this, but in the song, Flowers uses Cinderella. Why do you think he does this? My only thought could be that even as she is aging, Flowers views his mother as a Cinderella-like person. He loves her and wants to remember her youth and the love she and his dad share.
Here's the video in case you'd like to hear the song:

Happily Ever LOST

A couple weeks ago, Lost premiered an episode titled “Happily Ever After”. For those of you who don’t keep up with the episodes, this quick plot summary might not make any sense…but I’ll try my best to convey what went on. The episode focuses on Desmond Hume, who wakes up in a daze and finds out that he is back on the Island. Rather than the usual Lost flashbacks or flashforwards, Desmond travels in between different realities. The first is the REAL world: where he is married to his wife Penny, has a son, and has been brought back to the island after successfully escaping (or so he thought) it. The second alternate reality world is drastically different: he has no knowledge of the island and he works for/has a great relationship with Charles Widmore. He also has no knowledge of Penny, and work drives his life.

On the Island, Desmond is placed in an electro-magnetic room, and flashes into the alternate reality. The Desmond in this world goes through a variety of encounters that puzzle him. First, during a near-death moment, he hallucinates a memory of an event that occurred on the Island. Then, in the hospital, he hallucinates a memory of his (real world) wife and only love, Penny. He manages to track down Penny, who is a stranger to him, and feels an instant connection to her, like he’s known her for years. After shaking her hand, he passes out, but when he wakes up he asks her out to coffee. She accepts.

The episode’s title is a bit confusing (but then again, the show’s name is Lost). The title might simply mean that real life does not end in happily ever after. After all, in the real world, Desmond is brought back to the Island after an apparent happy ending in Season Four (when he is reunited with Penny after years of being apart and promises her that he will never return to the Island). But, within the episode I did find allusions to fairytales, which I found to be pretty interesting. The issue of “spectacular, consciousness-altering” love was brought up. Desmond (in the alternate world) believes that he’s loved plenty of people, but is told that real and true love is something that only happens once and that one is not truly happy until he/she has found it. He meets another man, Daniel, who lives in the same alternate world but had already died on the Island, who tells him that he recently experienced love at first sight with a woman (also in the alternate world but died already on the Island). Daniel warns Desmond that “they are not experiencing their correct paths”.

“Happily Ever After” poses two questions. First, can you love someone you’ve never met before (a.k.a. love at first sight)? Second, is love fated? In fairytales, the answers to these questions are yes. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and many more fall in love with their princes without any knowledge of who they are or what their personalities are like. It seems like these relationships are fated – the females in fairytales find better lives, are rescued, or are brought to life. Without their princes, their lives would not be complete. This Lost episode reveals that in Desmond’s alternative world, he falls in love with Penny after meeting her for the first time. He also makes sense of what is going on around him after he meets her. The episode confirms the messages of love that fairytales seem to provide. For a show that talks a lot about fate, this view of love comes as no surprise, but it does force one to think about the subject. Many would say that love only occurs after getting to know someone, although some people claim to have experienced love at first sight with their spouses. Is there a “correct path” for love that we are destined to fulfill? No one will ever know what the answers are…or if there actually are any ultimate answers.

Watch it here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/140084/lost-happily-ever-after

Clinton - Obama as Fairy Tale

So in my desperate attempts to find something refreshing and new to talk about fairy tales with, I simply googled fairy tales. One of the first articles to come up was from 2008, in which Bill Clinton came under heavy fire for referring to Obama's stance on the Iraq War as a fairy tale. When Clinton clarified the issue, he made sure to point out that he wasn't referring to Obama's campaign as a whole, but rather just his claims to have been against the Iraq War from the start. According to Clinton, Obama had never been asked to respond to his own remarks in 2004, in which he allegedly said he did not know how he would have voted. To Clinton, this means that Obama's claim to have always been against the War was false, and thus a fairy tale.

I found it interesting how, yet again, the term "fairy tale," just like many stereotypically "fairy tale" terms, is thrown around loosely in popular culture, often times with connotations not at all representative of their original meanings. In this case, Clinton clearly thought of "fairy tale" as indicating "false" or a "lie". Most of us in the class would by now agree that the vast majority of the tales we have read are indeed fiction and thus not "true", and also that "magic" is usually a required element of the tale. Yet, as was recently shown with the True Story of Hansel and Gretel, for example, the term fairy tale is somewhat fluid. Some people in the class were at least open to considering this story a "fairy tale", and yet nothing within it, while sometimes improbable, was completely beyond the realm of reality. If this is conceded, then a fairy tale, without any supernatural, magical occurrences, can occur in real life. Thus, a fairy tale from this point of view would not be inherently "false" or a "lie".

Before this class, I probably would have had no objection to using "fairy tale" in a similar manner to how Clinton used it. However, particularly in light of the last couple of weeks, I'm not so sure if fairy tale can automatically be used to indicate something that is a lie or false. As the discussion about the True Story of Hansel and Gretel showed, it is at least arguable that fairy tales can occur in reality without any supernatural occurrences. If this is true, then Clinton's utilized a poor choice of words.

My Long Overdue Post

So I don't even remember if this was due a week ago, two weeks ago, or what. I just know I'm behind one blog post, so I figured I would get on it...finally.
Ok so this is lame as well, but I don't really know what else to write about. In preparation for this post, I did cut out an excerpt from the New York Times the day after the NCAA Championship. The front page article, covering the game between Duke and Butler, began with "The clock finally struck midnight on Butler's Cinderella story - barely."
Rather than discussing whether or not an underdog basketball team making a run deep into the NCAA tournament is truly a "Cinderella story," I instead want to discuss how, even in today's world, the fairy tale references are utilized in pop culture not just offhandedly, but decisively to generate media attention. In this case, for the entire week the main story line was about Butler, a relatively small school in Indiana, making a Hoosier-like run to the NCAA championship, and how great a story it was. The underdog, small school, playing within minutes of their campus, was done up to be one of the most improbable runs of all time. While I would agree that most people didn't have Butler getting to the championship in their brackets, this hype was completely over the top. Rather than being ridiculously overmatched, Butler belonged there. Period. They entered the NCAA tournament with the longest active winning streak, and were a preseason top 10 team that remained ranked for essentially the entire season. Just because they came from a smaller conference, did not mean that they were not a good team. And everyone knew that, based on their rankings. And yet, the media continued to hype their run as a Cinderella story, their matchup as David vs. Goliath.
As was shown in the game, despite the loss, they were clearly not overmatched. Butler did not shoot lights out, or get fluke calls for them from the refs, or have Duke play horrible. They didn't need that. Even with a relatively average effort, they came within two points of the perennial power Duke.
Regardless of the validity of a run by an "underdog" being labeled as a Cinderella story, it was quite clear that the story of Cinderella and fairy tales moves the masses, drawing their attention effectively. Otherwise, the media would not have hyped Butler as such an underdog. They weren't. Yet, Cinderella brings attention, and the media wanted nothing more than that.

Is Little Red Riding Hood Appropriate for Children?

Every week I volunteer at a daycare where I spend time with a group of 3 year olds. Last week, the sister of one of the little girls in the class, who was 7, came in to read the class a story, and the story she picked was Little Red Riding Hood. I thought that this was an interesting choice because it showed that kids still really do enjoy the classic versions of fairy tales. She read the story, and, when she was finished, she told the teachers that she was going to donate the book to the class.

After the visitors left, one of the teachers read the story again at the request of the kids. When she got to the point in the story where the woodsman cuts open the wolf’s stomach to get Red and her grandmother out, she made a comment to the other teacher about how she liked that this version had him using a scissors instead of an ax, but, instead of saying ax, she made an arm motion that clearly meant ax. It was like even the word was too violent for 3 year olds to hear. Also, when she read the line about putting rocks in the wolf’s stomach the little boy sitting in my lap turned around, looked at me wide-eyed, and asked why they would do that. This showed me that the teachers do a good job of keeping the kids away from violence.

Even though we have talked about the violence present in some fairy tales, I had never really encountered anyone in my life who felt that it was a serious issue, at least not that I can remember. It was interesting to see that the teachers were a little bit concerned about even having the book in the classroom because of the violence. It seemed to me that they were only thinking about the violence the kids may absorb rather than explaining the moral of the story to the kids. Their focus on only one aspect of the fairy tale, and a negative aspect, was a different perspective for me.

I personally don't think the teachers were giving the kids enough credit. They are old enough to understand that stories are not reality, and I don't think any of them will be tempted to take a scissors to another kid just because of the story. I think that even though there is some violence, the kids could look past it if they were told that while whet the woodsman did was not very nice, he was just trying to protect people from being eaten, and they could learn a lesson from the story.

A Tale of Two Dorms

Lately, I have been living a fairy tale. I liken it most to Cinderella's story because it involves transitioning from a life of oppression and squalor to one of opulence and freedom. I am, of course, referring to my recent move from Lyons Hall to McGlinn.

In Lyons, I was forced to live in boarder-line uninhabitable conditions. 51 girls were forced to share three 45 year old showers, and four 58 year old toilets. On weekends, when Cathy our house keeper is off duty, you can imagine what that's like. Our bathroom gets so dirty, smelly, and generally disgusting, that I bet we could give Morrissey's shit holes a run for their money. Additionally, three of the stairs between Lyons' side door and my humble abode, 321, have loose tiles. I've only fallen down on each of them two or three times, and have not yet suffered any broken bones, thankfully.

When I began hauling my things into McGlinn, I certainly felt like a maiden rescued by a charming prince on a noble white steed. I glanced into the bathrooms and was shocked to see that sanitary facilities do exist on Our Lady's campus. Not only were there six toilets and eight showers, they were shiny, white, spotless, and built in 1997. More importantly, as I prepared to drag my futon from the ground level to room 427, I was relieved to find a fancy elevator. I hardly knew how to operate it, since I've only read about them in books and seen them on TV.

More important than the furniture and amenities, when I lived in Lyons, my existence was marred by hall staff. They fined me for petty violations daily - to the point where I had to go to Finny's instead of Fever on Thursday nights (couldn't pass up that reverse cover). My rector, ARs and RAs joined evil forces as a legion of stepmothers and sisters and branded my beloved group of friends "The Mafia," and did everything in their power to break our good spirits and frivolity.

Since I've moved to McGlinn, I tend to be as loud as I want at all hours of the day and night. Not a soul has criticized my lifestyle or my group of friends, and I feel completely free of all hall staff power trip driven oppression. McGlinn has truly been the prince charming to my social life.

Fairytales and Halloween Costumes

Fairytales have served many purposes in their history. These tales can educate, warn, or provide an escape for the reader. Halloween is the quintessential holiday when people dress us to become someone else. So it is fitting that there is a whole industry that is dedicated to the creation of fairytale inspired Halloween costumes. I began to research the gamut of fairytale costumes, and here is what I found.

These costumes are very tailored to women and young girls (which is not very surprising…the only time a man would dress up in a prince charming costume is if a girl made him). The costumes of the young female demographic are what one would expect. Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty…the costumes for these characters are all available, complete with matching shoes. They’re the kind of costumes that make adults say “aww” and cough up more candy. Although the stereotypical image of characters like Snow White have been popularized by Disney films, these costumes look like what you would typically expect from a costume or image from a fairytale.

On the other hand, we have the adult fairytale costumes. As college students, we already know that Halloween means something much different for the average young adult than it does for the average young child. These costumes are not only short and revealing, but they embody sex in a very obvious way. Somehow, the classic characters of (pictured here) “Little” Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Gretel, and Cinderella have transformed into tight-fitted, corseted, ridiculously high-heeled women with body-hugging clothes that don’t leave a lot to the imagination. Since when does Riding Hood wear laced up black platform boots and striped tights? Wouldn’t young Gretel from the original fairytale get cold while wearing that shoulder and leg-baring get-up? And don’t even get me started on the Snow White costume’s high red stockings and dangerously short yellow skirt. Oh also, Cinderella looks like she just came from shooting a porn film.

Obviously, the theme of making sexy and revealing Halloween costumes for women is not new, but it’s interesting to see how these costumes (which, by definition, is a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period) barely relate to the original fairytales. I don’t know what’s more sad…the fact that these types of scandalous costumes are on the market, or that people our age actually buy them.

Rumpelstiltskin in "Shrek Forever After"

I went and saw the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" over Easter weekend and saw a preview for a fourth Shrek movie called "Shrek Forever After." This latest installment of the Shrek series is set to come out in May this year. It will have at least one new fairy tale character, Rumpelstiltskin, who is the new villain in this continuation of the story. From the previews that are out so far, Rumpelstiltskin is portrayed as being very tricky, manipulative, and power hungry.

Based on the previews for the movie, Shrek is experiencing some nostalgia and wants to remember what it was like being a "real ogre." In exchange for one day in Shrek's life, Rumpelstiltskin promises him a day of being a "real ogre" again. What Rumpelstiltskin doesn't tell Shrek is that the one day he plans to take from Shrek's life is the day that he was born. This of course changes everything about Far Far Away. Rumpelstiltskin is king, Fiona is the leader of a band of rebellious ogres and can't stand Shrek, Donkey is afraid of Shrek, and Puss in boots is fat and lazy (and wearing a pink bow instead of his usual attire).

I think that this portrayal of Rumpelstiltskin shows how he is commonly, and somewhat unfairly, considered an evil trickster. It is true that in the fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin," he did plan to take the first born child of the miller's daughter/Queen (did she even have a name?), but he was very upfront about his plan unlike in the newest Shrek movie. Granted, it is a very odd and horrible request, especially since Rumpelstiltskin never explains why exactly he wants the child. But he did save the miller's daughter from being killed by performing the miraculous feat of spinning straw into gold. The miller's daughter made a deal with him, and failed to hold up her end of the bargain. If anyone should have been punished in that fairy tale it should have been the miller, who got his daughter into that horrible situation in the first place by falsely claiming that she could spin straw into gold.

Cool homonyms

This isn't my blog post, but I was working on my critical review and thought this was pretty cool.

Words substituted with near homonyms: The beginning of Little Red Riding Hood

"Ladle Rat Rotten Hut"

"dare worsted ladle gull hoe lift wetter murder inner ladle cordage, honor itch offer lodge, dock, florist...."

How Fairytales are like Senioritis

As you probably know by now, I tend to write about things that are significant to my life or pertinent within culture at the time. That being said, let’s talk about the wonderful phenomenon affectionately known as “The Senior Slide”.

Now as is true with a fairytale, there is a certain element of magic that surrounds Senioritis. Before, we nervously obsessed about term papers, tests, quizzes, and daunting reading assignments. Somehow, magically, overnight drunks, extensive tanning and Frisbee on the quad during class, and something called body shots replaced these stressful pastimes. How do we explain this unreal transition? Why, it’s the Prince Charming known as the job offer.

Much like Cinderella, we toiled beneath icy stares of those who condemned us to menial labor; awful, heartless tasks like Managerial Economics and Calculus II. We prayed for deliverance, and my friends, that is exactly what we received. Princes and suitors of all shapes and sizes lined up at the proverbial ball known as the Career Fair, giving opportunities to even us lowly beings with 2.9 GPAs. When the glass slipper finally fit, well, it was 5 o’clock pretty much everywhere and all the time for the next week.

So I guess this is where the happy ending comes in. Four years worth of difficulty followed by this victorious grace period where we ride triumphantly off into the sunset. Well deserved. However, we never hear about what happens to princes and princesses after their “Happily Ever After’s”; it’s probably because they start office jobs in Columbus, Ohio.

Completely unrelated, here’s a video of a little girl who is clearly more knowledgeable about music than half of the civilized world:

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2010/03/23

Taylor Swift's "Love Story"

Recently, whenever I think of fairy tales, I think of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.” This unconscious association is troubling mainly because I know that “Love Story,” is missing many of the key elements of fairy tales, including magic. Nonetheless, I cannot seem to stop my brain my connecting fairy tales to “Love Story.” I think this happens for two reasons. First, the majority of fairy tales are stories about young men and women and their difficulties finding love. Similarly, “Love Story,” Swift’s modern retelling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” follows a young man and woman in their desperate attempt to date and marry against their parents’ wishes. Secondly, the male characters in fairy tales are often active as opposed to their female counterparts, which are often passive. In “Love Story,” Swift sings, “Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone/I’ll be waiting;” in addition, she sings: “Romeo save me I’ve been feeling so alone.” In these lines, Juliet is the passive recipient of any and all affection Romeo is willing to give her. He is capable of saving her while her salvation can only come through him. One aspect of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” that Swift doesn’t translate to “Love Story” is the ending. In many of the fairy tales we read in the beginning of the semester, the young couple does not experience a “happily ever after” ending. This is similar to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” in which both Romeo and Juliet commit suicide and other postmodern fairy tales. However, in Swift’s “Love Story” the couple lives “happily ever after,” an ending typical of Disney’s fairy tales.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xg3vE8Ie_E

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Hans Christian Anderson! Fairytale master!