Fairy Tales

I read a comment on a blog recently decrying the sexism of fairy tales:  the story always focuses on the princess not because of her importance, but because she is an object to be won, a prize for the brave prince to collect once he's done the "real work".  What a misguided interpretation.  There are real dragons out there--kind, determined princesses and brave, selfless princes are more needed than ever.

Evil often focuses its efforts on young girls with a special intensity.  Girls become wives and mothers, and whatever post-modern feminism may have to say about the matter, there is no greater power or influence in life than that, and so if the young girls can be destroyed--or at least distracted by lesser things--it becomes much easier for evil to thrive.

A thought that comes to mind often as I raise my three young girls is a quote from President Hinckley: "When you save a girl, you save generations.  I see this as the one bright shining hope in a world that is marching toward moral self-destruction."

The essential truth in these fairy tales--one that we need to be more mindful of--is that, if you can save the princesses, the kingdom will prosper, but if they are lost, there isn't much hope for anyone.