I pronounce you Royal and Royal. You may now kiss Royalty.

This past Friday morning, along with a billion other people, I curled up in front of the TV to watch the Royal wedding. Through all the commotion of someone else’s big day, I sat admiring Cinderella-like carriages, stunning bridal gowns and above all, Prince Charming. 

 Image courtesy of clker.com  

This Royal affair, like Grimm fairy tales, serves to perpetuate the false hope of a young girl meeting her very own Royal Prince. Matchmaker reality TV specials, romantic comedies and TV networks devoted to televising soap operas, are no better, as they only help to further sustain this myth. 

All I have to say is, good luck living up to your "princely" expectations boys. 


I cannot tell you how many little Princesses I saw walking the streets this past Halloween. Little girls all dressed in Cinderella ball-gowns-- elegant little ladies-- who have already been sold the myth of “Prince Charming”. Lillian Glass (2010) discuses this myth as a syndrome, which she entitles “Waiting for Prince Charming”. Glass states:

It is based on how little girls have been conditioned throughout their childhoods with stories of Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. Each of these characters is rescued by Prince Charming and, as a result, ends up living “happily ever after” . . . Written in the 1800s, these stories are simply not relevant in today’s world. In the early days, especially in Europe where these stories were first created, women didn’t have many rights and little girls certainly did not have many dreams, with the exception of finding a man who would determine their fate in life. (p. 92; emphasis added)

Although Glass suggests that fairy tales are not relevant today, I would argue that such ideals are alive and well-- that is, as long as little girls continue to believe that Princes are charming and happy ever afters exist.

Hence, suggesting that little girls need new stories. Stories that do not leave women marginalized and dependent upon White Knights to right their wrongs. Stories where women are loved for more than their “vanity”. Stories that empower little girls to dream their own dreams and determine their own fate. Stories that leave little girls strong women. 

Glass, L. (2010). Toxic Men: 10 Ways to Identify, Deal With, and Heal from the Men Who Make Your Life Miserable. Avon, MA: Adams Media.