A concerned mother in the UK has called for the Sleeping Beauty to be removed from the syllabus of younger children, like her six-year-old son, deeming the particular story as "inappropriate" and showing "sexual behaviour".
The concern stemmed from Sarah Hall's son came home with a kids version of the Sleeping beauty. What disconcerted Hall was that while it is a celebrated tale, the message that a Prince kissing a young, sleeping girl" could give young children. She did add though that while it couldn't completely be removed from the syllabus, it could be made accessible to older students to teach them about consent.
This, though the first such concern raised, is one among many associated with the celebrated Animated platform. Walt Disney is reputed among many as a man whose productions are full of sexually explicit content though well hidden until met by the observant eye.
Rapunzel: Rapunzel and her wild hair were a break from the often distressed damsel shown in Disney's version of the story but according to the 1862 Grimm Brothers' version, the Prince visited Rapunzel so often and impregnated her which led to the tightening of her clothes which further gave her secret away to the witch. She is said to have given birth to twins in the wilderness.
The Princess and The Frog: In the Grimm Brothers version of the Frog King, the frog tricks the princess into making a deal with him and continues to advance his list of 'to-dos'. This keeps happening until one fine day he asks the princess if he could sleep with her in her bed following which she grabs and throws him onto the wall. Death? Nah, that's when the frog actually turns into a prince, no kiss required here.
The Red Riding Hood: The Little Red Cap, as is the earlier known version by the infamous Grimm Brothers, is laced with sexual innuendo. When the Wolf dressed like the grandma gets into bed and convinces Lil Red to do the same, it refers to the often insatiable appetite that wolves — often compared with men — have. Another version goes so far as to say the little girl took off all her clothes to save getting eaten by the wolf.
Suffice to say, despite having been cleansed over the years, the dark tropes and meanings that were originally included, though disturbing, bring to attention the deep psychology behind some of the best Children's Tales of time.
