The "Fairytale" Life

As a girl, who has grown up with nothing but Disney princess movies, I have to admit that I have hoped and wished for that perfect fairytale ending. However, life is so much more complicated than that. In Noah Berlatsky’s ‘Twilight’ vs. ‘Hunger Games’: Why Do So Many Grown-Ups Hate Bella? and Deborah Ross’s Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination both have similarities and differences in the way we view female heroines in various movies and stories we have heard of. First, I will start off with the differences. In Ross’s article, she has a view of how Disney, a major “brain-washing” corporation, has rid us of imagination. She provides multiple examples, featuring Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Alice in Wonderland, and how Disney has changed them from tales that invoke self-will, into stories that ensue guilt for being a curious being. She describes women, as looking for stories to guide our morals while also having an entertainment factor. In Bertlatsky’s article, he analyzes that aspect between two characters from fictional books, which are found on opposite sides of the spectrum of girl types. Bella, from Twilight, is analyzed pretty harshly and is mostly the focus of this article. She is analyzed as clumsy, lovesick girl who cannot do anything for herself, but does however know what she wants in life. Katniss, from The Hunger Games, is more of a tomboy who has the strength and independence to care for herself. However, regarding the description of Katniss, I don’t think they cover the fact that her independence is ultimately the downfall for all those around her who love her. I believe Berlatsky takes on this article, more to show the public view of what everyone else thinks of these two books. His quote, ‘When you’re butch, you want your lovers to give you flowers. When you’re a girly girl like Bella, you want a lover who will give you the ability to run down and slaughter…” , which provides us with a somewhat accurate portrayal on what us girls try and look for when finding a romantic partner, someone who pushes us and allows to work outside of our comfort zone. When it came to similarities of these articles, we can compare that in both Berlatsky and Ross articles it analyzes modern heroines, children-aged and adult, to feministic approaches. They both show how multiple sources, especially Ross’s article, on how many agree that these female heroines do not represent the need for imagination and determination to be individuals that can choose for themselves.