Fairy Tales Stereotypes

Fairy tales have existed for most, if not all of human existence. Fairy tales have a major influence in many children’s upbringings and their overall development. However, fairy tales have both positive and negative impacts on a child’s development and thus two very polar arguments have arisen. Proponents of fairy tales argue that fairy tales have positive effects on a child’s development and thus are necessary during childhood. Proponents cite that fairy tales have the power of helping children develop morals and inspiring creativity and imagination as well as many other effects. On the opposing side, opponents of fairy tales argue that they are greatly detrimental to a child’s development and should play, if any, a limited role in childhood. Opponents refer to the fact that fairy tales are unrealistic and create a false sense of beauty and are full of gender stereotypes. In this essay, I will set out to
Therefore, fairy tales allow children to hear about these things and inspires them to imagine and put themselves into the tales, adapting them to their wishing. Marriage and family therapist Bette Kiernan further fuels the proponent’s claim that fairy tales assist in the development of imagination and creativity when she writes:
[Fairy tales possess] brevity, and arresting themes, and imaginative treatment of significant events allow them to be interpreted, reinterpreted, and expanded upon in an infinite number of ways to allow individuals to comprehend their environment and their personal difficulties and to construct guides to action though enhanced knowledge (Kiernan p.