Analyzing Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

Experts say fairy tales not so happy ever after

8/27/12 9:14 PM

Purdue News
November 11, 2003
AUDIO Liz Grauerholz, sociology professor, talks about her Brothers Grimm fairy tale study that analyzed gender messages (42 seconds) Grauerholz discusses what parents should be aware of when their children read fairy tales. (43 seconds)

Experts say fairy tales not so happy ever after
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Fairy tales about pretty princesses winning Prince Charming are more harmful than parents might think, says a Purdue University sociologist. Liz Grauerholz, an associate professor of sociology, teamed with Lori BakerSperry, an assistant professor of women's studies at Western Illinois University and a former Purdue graduate student,
These stories were written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 1800s and were used in central Europe to teach children the roles boys and girls should play, as well as what it means to be good or bad. Of the tales analyzed, 43 percent have been reproduced in children's books or movies. The five tales that have been reproduced more than 101 times are "Cinderella," "Snow White," "Briar Rose" (also known as "Sleeping Beauty"), "Little Red Cap" (also known as "Little Red Riding Hood") and "Hansel and Gretel." Their study "The Pervasiveness and Persistence of the Feminine Beauty Ideal in Children's Fairy Tales" appeared in October's Gender & Society. The study was supported by the Purdue Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The researchers found that the majority of fairy tales that survived into the 20th century feature characters with young, beautiful princesses. This trend reinforces the message to children that physical attractiveness is an important asset women should aim to achieve and maintain, Baker-Sperry says. "Fairy tales are important historically because they provide children with information about a certain period," Baker-Sperry says. "What they don't do is provide positive images about groups who are not white, middle-class or heterosexual. "We don't discourage children from reading fairy
Grauherholz and Lori Baker-Sperry, an assistant professor of women's studies at Western Illinois University and a former Purdue graduate student, examined 168 Brothers Grimm fairy tales to evaluate how beauty is portrayed in the storylines. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger) ABSTRACT The Pervasiveness and Persistence of the Feminine Beauty Ideal in Children's Fairy Tales Lori Baker-Sperry and Liz Grauerholz This study advances understanding of how a normative feminine beauty ideal is maintained through cultural products such as fairy tales. Using Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, the authors explore the extent and ways in which "feminine beauty" is highlighted. Next, they compare those tales that have survived (e.g., Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty) with those that have not to determine whether tales that have been popularized place more emphasis on women's beauty. The findings suggest that feminine beauty is a dominant theme and that tales with heavy emphases on feminine beauty are much more likely to have survived. These findings are interpreted in light of changes in women's social status over the past