Well, those dwarves are certainly…something!

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    The problem is the story was written by shitheads. Her name is a reference to how “fair” her skin was, being white as snow with lips as red as blood and hair as black as ebony. This was a standard of beauty in 19th century Germany. That characterization is problematic in a global market with various standards of beauty.

    So the racist shitheads have a quasi-valid point that the modern reimagining of a racist (and misogynist) source fairy tale isn’t quite as racist as the previous reimagining.

    But the real question is why we’re reimagining old, racist fairy tales?

    • EfreetSK@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      I think I’m lost, can you elaborate on how is Snowwhite a racist fairytale?

      • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        It’s based on the 19th century Northern European standard of beauty that paler (fair) skin is more beautiful. The source of the Evil Queen’s jealousy is that Snow White is whitest and therefore most beautiful of them all. The Queen hires a murderer to cut out Snow White’s heart because the Queen is only the second most whitest woman in all the land.

        • absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz
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          9 days ago

          Yes because fair skin implied that you were rich or upper class. White/pale skin = not working the fields or as a maid cleaning and getting dirty.

          That notion got turned on its head relatively recently, when in the 1920 Coco Chanel got a sun tan whilst in the French Rivera. Being tanned no longer meant that you were “low class”.

          A lot of old fairy tails are about paths to becoming rich. When Snow White was written it had little to do with race, if anything, and everything to do with classism. There was virtually no social mobility, if you were born poor you stayed poor! These are not aspirational stories designed to motivate you to better yourself, they are there to remind you of your place in the world.