Once upon a time, we all grew up with fairy tales. But have you ever wondered why in every fairy tale with a heroine, there is always villainess. More often than not, when there are two female characters in a story, one is bound to be the other’s enemies. It is less likely to see the heroine with her female friend. So why aren’t there more female friendships in fairy tales? When talking about the female dynamics in fairy tales, the incentive for the villainess is always her jealousy towards the heroine. Either beauty, power, or love there are always something females tend to compete against each other.
The perceived tension between two women, who sees each other as rivals, and undermines the other is never a positive thing. Because of that, there is a need to rewrite the narratives of these fairy tales. Let’s give the heroine a strong and kind female support figure rather than animal and magical friends.
Since many fairy tales are written from the perspective of a man, it lacks the nuance of women’s characterisation and power. The multifaceted form of womanhood can’t only be represented by the binary portrayal of good and evil. At the end of the day, there are no heroines and villainess, there are only women. As women, we have to stick together and come together as one Sisterhood.
Because we are women, we all face the same personal choices and issues. Women should be able to share their accomplishments, encourage other women to succeed, and embrace each other’s capabilities. We don’t need to fight the battle alone. We don’t need the happy ending that is provided by a man. We are all able to enjoy our lives to the fullest and make the world a better place for other women.
The lack of women representation and empowerment in the fairy tales are imperfect. However, they reflect society and push for change for the contemporary. We acknowledge our differences, learn to support, uplift, and empower one another. It’s time for us to create our own fairy tales!
