http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html4ever/031111.Grauerholz.tales.html
The fact that our society is circumscribed by the ideology of heteronormativity stems from the elements that we carry with us since childhood. Fairy tales represent a significant part of our childhood; and the values that are embedded in the stories taught us to be kind and helpful to get our wishes granted. However, in the process of communicating the moral values to children, the motif of feminine beauty is prevalent in most, if not all the stories. The article (link) above discusses the disadvantages of reading fairy tales. The researchers mentioned that fairy tales revolve too much around beautiful women (princesses) who are kind and ugly people (villains, or witches) who are evil. This will cause children to believe that people without good looks are more mean, and that beautiful and feminine girls will be rewarded with happy endings. Fairy tales also shape one's thinking about gender roles, as children might believe that engaging in sports or work is not part of being feminine. They may also be hindered from being independent and be intellectually competitive against other women and men, because fairy tales make them believe that beauty is their saving grace.
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