Shandie Fontenot

Critical Theory Research Paper

You Snooze, You Lose (Your Virginity):

Societal Influences on the Sex and Gender Elements in the Trope of Sleeping Beauty

In 1959, Walt Disney produced what would be his last fairytale movie, and with that film,

the story of Sleeping Beauty became imbedded in Western culture. Because I was born a girl in

America, I was raised on Disney films and was absolutely infatuated with the princesses of the

films. From 1937’s Snow White of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to 1991’s Belle of

Beauty and the Beast, I idolized all of them. They gave me confidence that, one day, my prince

or princess would come along and sweep me off my feet, and together we would steal away to

our castle while singing a song about how in love we were. However, as I got older and began to

embrace the ideals of the second and third waves of feminism, my adoration for the Disney films

turned to resentment. I realized that these Disney films were indoctrinating and misleading

impressionable youths with unfounded ideologies. I did what I could to tell my sisters and others

that these stories were not stories of true love and happily-ever-afters; on the contrary, they were

setting women up for inevitable heartbreak. I chose to write about the myth of Sleeping Beauty

to expose it for the sexist tale I believed it to be. After researching the topic, I realized the many

other versions of the tale had both positive and negative sub-textual commentary, and this

commentary is a reflection on the societal standards of the time and place. The differences

between Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” written in 17th century France and Disney’s

Sleeping Beauty produced in the United States during the 1950s are reflections of each society’s

attitudes toward gender roles and sex; whereas Perrault’s story encourages women’s
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independence and can be used as a tool to teach youths about sex, Disney’s adaptation portrays

women as subservient and incompetent and shields viewers from any sexual allusions found in

Perrault’s version.

The Fairytale Genre

It is important to examine the roles fairytales play in each culture in order to identify the

importance and effect of their existence. That being said, fairytales are an integral part of every

culture; these stories involve a variety of fantastical elements and plots: valiant knights slaying

evil dragons, goblins stealing princesses, fairies helping common folk, and terrible monsters

being tamed. According to “Evolution of Fairy Tales,” through fairytales and “nursery verse, a

child acquires a sense of how language functions, of how it defines and shapes the world” (105).

Sayers adds to this definition by stating that through such tales “one learns one’s role in life, one

learns the tragic dilemma of life, the battle between good and evil, between weak and strong”

(206). It is safe to say that fairytales are an essential and necessary element of a child’s

upbringing. What is taught to the youths through these stories, however, depends on the

priorities, morals, and social standards of the time the story is told.

The trope of a girl falling into an unnatural, lengthy yet finite sleep is no exception to this

theory. Throughout its adaptations, not only does the girl’s name and social status change, but

behind the more consistent plot elements lies differing cultural and societal commentaries. For

example, in 1634 Italy, Giambattista Basile wrote “Sun, Moon, and Talia,” one of the first

written accounts of the story. In it, women are portrayed as insignificant, weak, and devious

(Basile). From this, a reader could gather that Italian women of that particular time were

regarded in the same light.

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The Effect of the Age of Reason on “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”

Perrault’s story was published in the 1690s, right on the brink of the Age of Reason. He

was repeatedly a member of King Louis XIV’s court, and despite the fact that logic, reasoning,

and awareness were the primary goals of the time, “there was a wide interest in literature of an

allegorical…nature, and during the last two decades of the century it was a popular practice in

court circles to tell fairy tales” (Burne). This allowed fairytale authors such as Perrault to coat

life lessons in a thin veil of fantasy and “present [material that is personally unacceptable] in a

safe, accepting, even joyful package…thus encourag[ing one] to accept even the worst aspects of

[one’s] lives and selves” (Evolution of Fairy Tales). Perrault did this in numerous fairytales such

as Little Red Riding Hood, in which he encourages young women to beware of strangers and the

impulsive pursuit of pleasure (Burne). In “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood,” Perrault was

socially allowed to mask lessons in whimsical words, appealing to both adult and child.

The Allegory of Womanhood in “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”

When examined, it is apparent that Perrault’s “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” is an

extended metaphor for a girl’s ascension into womanhood. In addition, it displays women who

are not fertile as weak, inferior, or powerless; not only are men lacking, but young girls and

older, infertile women are as well. Its feminist undertones are complimented by an encouraging

moral at the end of the story: girls should resist the urge to rush into marriage and bear children

immediately after coming of age.

At the beginning of the tale, an upset, elderly fairy passes on a curse to the princess. This

can be seen as a parallel for the so-called “curse” of menstruation passed from mother to
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daughter. The good fairy, young and fertile, lessens the damage and says the curse will not kill

the princess, a feeling young girls may experience when they learn about what their bodies will

go through. Instead of death, the princess will instead be subject to a lengthy sleep. When the

king realizes that his daughter is going to fall prey to this curse, he tries to stop it from happening

by outlawing spinning wheels. This represents a type of reversed Electra complex; the father

does what he can to prevent his daughter from growing up because when she reaches

womanhood, another man will take his place. Consequently, the spinning wheel represents the

lifecycle and the passing of time. The father’s banning of spinning wheels illustrates his desire to

stop time and his daughter’s ascension into womanhood. Despite his efforts, the princess finds

her way to a woman in the castle who happens to be spinning, as she had not heard the king’s

decree. She is elderly and past her prime because as she literally kept spinning her wheel, she

metaphorically continued her lifecycle. When the princess attempts to spin and comes in contact

with the passing of time, she pricks her finger, drawing blood. According to Bettelheim, “In

major life changes such as adolescence, for successful growth opportunities…quiescent periods

are needed” (225). The drawing of the blood and the deep sleep that follows represent the start

of the young girl’s menstrual cycle and the time between reaching physical maturity and coming

to terms with one’s sexuality. The young fairy who granted the princess sleep instead of death

raises a thick forest around the castle while the princess sleeps, a defense mechanism which

protects the princess from would-be suitors or rescuers before she wakes up, or has her sexual

awakening. This raising of the thick forest could also represent the onset of pubic hair around

this time in puberty. When the prince comes by the castle, the thickets open themselves up,

allowing the prince entry. Her awakening is described as having a “look more tender than a first

glance might seem to warrant,” and the text goes on to say that the princess was less embarrassed
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about the situation than the prince because the good fairy “had beguiled her long slumber with

pleasant dreams” (Perrault). This could be seen as the princess becoming more content with and

happy about the idea of sex. After four hours of conversation, the prince and princess go to

supper and are immediately married afterward in the castle church. When it is time to retire for

the night, they do not sleep, citing the princess’s excessive amount of it before. The princess

finally woke up into her sexual maturity, and because she no longer wanted or needed to “sleep,”

they spent the night “awake” to consummate their marriage. Further into the text, the princess,

now queen, has two children, signaling the completion of the princess’s progression from child

to woman.

Feminism and Morals in “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”

Not only does this fairytale act as a lesson about the female body, but it also demonstrates

the weakness found in those figures who are not fertile women. Despite the fact that the king and

queen “tried the water of every country…and did everything that could be done without result,”

it is eventually “the queen [who] found that her wishes were fulfilled…she gave birth to a

daughter” (Perrault). There is a parallel present here; the described extravagant efforts the king is

involved with produce nothing, but when the princess is born, it is in a simple statement which

focuses on the queen’s fertility and power. At the celebratory feast, the good fairies turned

godmothers are able to grant the princess gifts to make her as perfect as possible. However, it is

at this point that the weakness of not-women figures is blatantly illustrated. The soon-to-be

snubbed fairy enters, and although the king tries to order a place for her at the table, it was

“impossible to give her a golden casket like the others” (Perrault). Because of the king’s failure
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as a not-woman figure, the fairy becomes so perturbed that she curses his daughter to death, an

act which shows a woman figure’s power and further highlights the effect of the king’s error.

Following this, the dichotomy is even more clearly demonstrated. A young fairy attempts

to save the princess from the curse by changing it from death to a hundred years of sleep. The

fact that the young fairy is able to alter the older fairy’s curse illustrates the older fairy’s

decreasing amount of power as she ages; she is more than likely experiencing menopause. The

king’s attempt to save the princess is by making the spinning wheels illegal. However, when it is

time for the curse to be fulfilled, the king’s edict cannot stop the curse due to the fact that he is a

man and is, therefore, powerless. The princess finds her way to the woman spinning in a tower

and begs to try it herself. But, “partly because she was too hasty, partly because she was a little

heedless,” the princess, a non-woman attempting a very womanly task, pricks her finger and

drops to the ground (Perrault). The non-woman king and the non-woman princess are

unsuccessful in their efforts, both of which lead to the curse being fulfilled. The king sends for

the good fairy who, due to her womanhood, successfully saved the princess’s life. The fairy is

still an incredibly powerful figure; she travels 41,428 miles in “her chariot of fire, drawn by

dragons” and arrives there in less than an hour (Perrault).

A hundred years later, a young prince, “impelled alike by the wish for love and glory,”

goes to brave the thorns and bramble to see what was hidden in the castle. However, the

branches simply open, and when he saw the princess, he is too filled with nervousness to do

anything. He does nothing to awake her, for there is nothing he could have done; he just happens

to be at the right place at the right time.

The result of all of this comes down to a final moral Perrault presents at the end that

encourages young women to embrace their strength and independence and to avoid rushing into
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marriage and child-bearing. At the end of the story, the prince’s mother attempts to eat the

couple’s children and the princess herself. The mother’s oedipal jealousy occurs two years after

the prince and princess first fall in love; their immediate public marriage caused the family to be

put at severe risk. The end of Perrault’s moral reads as follows:

Some old folk will even say

that [true love] grows better by delay.
Yet this good advice, I fear,
Helps us neither there nor here.
Though philosophers will prate
How much wiser ‘tis to wait,
Maids will be a-sighing still –
Young blood must when young blood will!

Perrault is aware that his message will more than likely fall on deaf ears, but he still believes that
it is necessary to explain the moral of his story as clearly as possible for those who missed the
lesson he nestled in between the fanciful fiction he wrote.

The Influence of 1950’s America on Disney’s Sleeping Beauty

Perrault’s message is spelled out for his readers because there was no taboo preventing it;

however, despite the fact that Disney cites Perrault’s version as its point of reference, the taboo-

riddled era Sleeping Beauty was produced in stripped the story down, making it lack a positive

moral and replacing it with a negative one that fit the familial ideals of the time.

Because the Cold War was coming to an end, the U.S. economy experienced growth,

allowing households to purchase more luxury items (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 25). During this

period, the Golden Age of Hollywood was ending due to the rise of television. Disney released

Sleeping Beauty in 1959 when Americans began to embrace the boob tube over the silver screen,
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causing it to do poorly in the box office. However, the movie scene had something in common

with the popular television shows: they illustrated the society which heavily influenced the

production and content of the film.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the 1950s, 87.1% of families consisted of

a husband and wife, and 58.2% of families had children under the age of 18 who lived at home

(21). It can be inferred that these nuclear families embraced the beginning of the television era;

77% of households bought their first television during the decade (“Number of TV Households

in America”). It is general knowledge that this television era introduced such shows as Leave it

to Beaver, Father Knows Best, and I Love Lucy, programs that defined 1950s American culture:

standard nuclear families with dominant male figures; women who either remained unemployed

or failed to maintain employment; and children who acted fairly obedient and respectful. Men

took the reins; women stayed at home in their place. Without a doubt, these shows illustrated the

archetypal dichotomy of reasonable, stable men and emotional, capricious women. In addition,

the networks went out of their way to shield their viewers from any references to sexuality. For

example, in 1953 Lucile Ball of I Love Lucy became pregnant, and CBS had to find a way to

continue the show while avoiding the provocation of thoughts about how her character got

pregnant in the first place. The network implemented two twin beds into the Ricardos’ bedroom

so that the couple would be seen sleeping in separate beds, and the “word ‘pregnant’ was never

uttered. Lucy was ‘expecting’” (Bianco). The absurd hoops the network jumped through just to

avoid the slightest reference to sex are a sign of those times.

In the opening credits of Sleeping Beauty, Disney claims that it is based on “The Sleeping

Beauty in the Wood”; however, “Disney [took] the archetypes represented in the fairytale and

[went] Hollywood” (Friedmeyer). Disney created its adaptation of the movie to cater to the
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obvious demographic: the 58.2% of nuclear families with young children who could be

indoctrinated with the social commentary on gender roles.

The Westernized Adaptation of Perrault’s Tale

Because Disney’s version of the tale is that which boosted the myth into Western popular

culture and is the version that the majority of people recall when asked of the tale, it has received

much criticism from critics and feminists who contend that the story of Sleeping Beauty is sexist

and chauvinistic, even if they are aware of the existence of Perrault’s feminist version.

There is no consensus on how much change an adaptation from text to film should entail,

for it is impossible to avoid change, particularly in the case of this story. Perrault’s version “is

six pages in its entirety...[and] Disney had to add to the story to fit a feature film timeslot”

(Friedmeyer), so complete loyalty to the short story was impossible. This movie could be

considered pastiche due to its drawing of numerous details from previous versions, possibly to

extend the length of the film; however, the cohesion is sloppy. It embraces the misogyny of

Basile’s version, the short happily-ever-after ending of the Brothers Grimm’s version, and many

plot points of Perrault’s tale, such as the inclusion of fairies and the spindle. However, Perrault’s

messages are skewed, reversed, and diluted to the point where the feminist critics are correct:

“Disney has forgotten these stories’ roots and purpose, i.e. preparing adolescents for adulthood,

and created a whole new mythology,” one which teaches youths that women are inferior and

merely tiptoes around the topic of sex (Friedmeyer).

A Brief Look at Disney’s Blatant Sexism

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The message of inferiority is subtle to viewers, but when examined closely, the

differences in Perrault’s and Disney’s versions are glaring. The article “But marriage itself is no

party” warns that Perrault’s version of the myth “should not be confused with the [commonly

perceived] Sleeping Beauty myth,” because examining Perrault’s story shows intent to both warn

and encourage young girls, whereas Disney’s version “evacuates the Moral and completely

neutralizes its critique of marriage” (143). In fact, not only does the movie not encourage girls, it

belittles them and undermines their roles; Princess Aurora is on screen for less than 18 minutes

of the 75 minute movie. The princess’s mother has two lines throughout the entire film – three if

a worried gasp is included in the count. The princess is no longer a girl with six unnamed talents

and a gift which saves her from death, but one with two superficial traits: beauty and the ability

to sing (Disney). Princess Aurora meets the prince, and despite her efforts to push him away, he

physically dominates her, an act which causes her to fall in love with him. The message could

not be illustrated any more clearly: women are powerless, silent objects to be collected when and

where men dictate.

A Comparative Analysis of the Allegory of Womanhood

Because the movie focuses on masculine control and feminine inferiority, the allegory of

the transition into womanhood barely remains. Halfway through the movie, Princess Aurora

pricks her finger on the phallic point of the spinning wheel; however, blood is not seen,

removing the symbolism to menarche, and the spinning wheel is not turning, removing the

symbolism of the lifecycle. In addition, Disney’s spindle encounter happens after the princess

has already fallen in love. It is her sudden lust that encourages her ascension into womanhood.

Whereas the curse in Perrault’s tale is one hundred years of sleep, Disney’s version demands true
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love’s kiss to awaken the princess; therefore, Perrault’s princess wakes up after completion of

her inward pensiveness, but Disney’s princess wakes up when the prince grants her a romantic

kiss, putting the control in the prince’s hands. Perrault’s princess must reach womanhood and

accept her sexuality before she can fall in love; Disney’s version very subtlely alludes to

womanhood as that which must be reached in order to fulfill men’s sexual desires when the men

deem it the proper time. A female must let herself become a damsel in distress; if not, she cannot

be rescued by a male’s exertion of power, and, therefore, cannot obtain her happily-ever-after

ending. In addition, it should be noted that the brambles around Perrault’s castle are there to

protect the princess and stave off intruders from reaching her before she is ready, but Disney’s

forest of thorns is part of Maleficent’s offence that the prince must violently thrash through to

acquire his prize: the princess. Perrault’s forest illustrates the beauty and protection of

womanhood, but Disney lessens that beauty, once again illustrating male dominance over a

feminine element.

Maleficent, the evil fairy who is said to know everything “but love, or kindness, or the

joy of helping others,” raises an incredibly valid point near the end of the film (Disney). She

captures the prince and tells him that she can and will keep him from reaching Aurora for one

hundred years. During this time, the princess will remain beautiful, but the prince will still age.

Then finally, Maleficent says sarcastically, he will be able to kiss her and “prove that true love

conquers all” (Disney). This implies and validates the fact that the love between Prince Phillip

and Princess Aurora is completely superficial. The prince would wait for 100 years just to obtain

this beautiful princess he met once, and the princess would awake to find that the handsome

prince she was in love with had become old and unattractive.
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The Incompetence and Lack of Morals in the Fairies

In addition to the evil fairy Maleficent who curses Aurora , there are three other fairies in

Disney’s version: Flora, the red fairy; Fauna, the green fairy; and Merryweather, the blue fairy.

These four figures replace Perrault’s seven fairies. Whereas the one fairy actively involved in

Perrault’s plot is good in nature and could be seen as the heroine of the story, the fairy who

portrays the most vivacity, cunning, enthusiasm, and dedication is Maleficent, the antagonist of

the film. The other three fairies are shown as clumsy, foolish, and deceptive.

Disney’s rendition inadvertently portrays the seemingly altruistic and good fairies as

deceivers. The fairies lie to the princess about who she is and raise her in a cottage in the middle

of an abandoned glen away from the rest of civilization. Because of this, the princess has little to

no self-identity, and what little she may have is completely false. Even her name is changed;

Princess Aurora is now the simple-minded Briar-Rose (an allusion to the Brothers Grimm’s

version, whose princess’s name is Briar-Rose). All of this is, of course, is said to be done for the

princess’s own good. In addition, after they fail at protecting Princess Aurora from succumbing

to the curse, they devise a plan immediately; the kingdom will not be sad about the loss, nor will

they find the fairies at fault, for the fairies will simply put the entire kingdom to sleep until

Princess Aurora awakes so that “nobody will ever know” (Disney).

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are generally shown to be caring, helpful, and proficient.

However, when they take mortal form and act as domesticated women, they are incompetent at

their tasks. When Aurora’s sixteenth birthday arrives, the three fairies attempt to bake her a

birthday cake and sew her a dress. As standard mortal women, they fail miserably in their

domestic duties mandated by the 1950s. Fauna follows a cake recipe too literally, folding whole

eggs into the batter and layering and icing the cake before it has been cooked. As it slides apart,
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Fauna attempts to use a broom to hold it up. Her incorrect use of a broom shows her

incompetence as a housekeeper even further. Flora and Merryweather attempt to make a dress

for Aurora from the bottom up, which turns into a hideous hodgepodge of fabric and bows. They

finally give up on doing things “the mortal way,” and Merryweather fetches their wands to use

their magic; as mortal women, they simply could not accomplish their tasks. However, using

their magic also illustrates their incompetence as female figures. Fauna begins to read the recipe

out loud to the ingredients, then gives up and says to them, “Just read this; I’ll put on the

candles!” Following that, the light of Flora and Merryweather’s wands erupt from the chimney

as they bicker over the color of the princess’s dress, which leads to Maleficent’s discovery of the

cottage. Later on, they give the princess a moment alone as she selfishly cries over the thought of

never seeing the prince again. As a result of their neglect, Maleficent is able to seduce Aurora to

the spindle. These fairies are lazy, ignorant, petty, and daft in both mortal and fairy form because

either way, they remain feminine figures.

The Resulting Damage of Disney’s Stories

In addition to power dynamic of gender, the story also addresses issues of class. A

seemingly poor peasant girl with no redeeming qualities but her beauty falls in reciprocal love

with a charming prince after meeting in a simple glen. When the prince explains to his father that

he will marry this royalty-wise nobody, his father yells, “You’re a prince, and you are going to

marry a princess!” (Disney). In the end, both of their desires are met, communicating that any

plain and average girl will be able to instantly fall in reciprocated love and live perfectly happily-

ever-after. Aurora’s only conscious problem, the only thing through the film that makes her

upset, is that she will never see the prince again; afterwards, she sleeps through the obstacles that
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one faces when falling in love. This leads to the belief that we as women should have everything

given to us and let others take care of those problems which could detract from our happiness.

Compared to Perrault’s tale, “instead of reawakening into adulthood, Sleeping Beauty wakes to

her one true love” (Friedmeyer). This tells young girls watching the film that true love will be

handed to them, despite their lack of maturity or effort.

American society desires happily-ever-after endings. All’s well that ends well, and

Disney’s 1959 Sleeping Beauty demonstrates that concept clearly. Based on Perrault’s “The

Sleeping Beauty in the Wood,” it is clear that 17th century France respected and exalted women

and was more open-minded to fact, to reason, and to teaching the youth about the realities of life.

Disney’s Sleeping Beauty is a perfect example of the American culture’s refusal of discourse

about human sexuality and its embracing of a society dominated by men. Based on history, one

would expect more progression and open-mindedness over the course of time; however, the

surprising fact is that by the 1950s, American culture seemed to have regressed from the open-

mindedness found during the Age of Reason. Because these Disney films continue to be a large

part of American culture, it is doubtful that these unrealistic expectations we instill in young girls

will be reversed any time soon.

Works Cited

Basile, Giambattista. “Sun, Moon, and Talia.” 1634.

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Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairytales. New

York: Random House, 1976. Print.

Bianco, Robert. “10 turning points for television.” USATODAY.com. 9 Feb 2004. Web.

<http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-02-09-turning-points_x.htm> 3 Dec

2010.

Burne, Glenn S.. “Charles Perrault – French writer (1628-1703).” Writers for Children: Critical

Studies of Major Authors Since the Seventeenth Century. Ed. Jane M Bingham. New

York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1987. 29 September 2010.

Disney, Walt, prod. Sleeping Beauty. Buena Vista Distribution. 1959. DVD.

"Evolution of Fairy Tales." Children’s Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns. Vol. 106. Detroit:

Thomson Gale, 2005. 89-164. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. 29 September 2010.

Friedmeyer, Wendy. “The Disneyfication of Folklore: Adolescence and Archetypes.” 19 May

2003.

Hillman, James. “A Note on Story.” Children’s Literature 3 (1972).

“Number of TV Households in America.” <http://www.tvhistory.tv/Annual_TV_Households_50

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-78.JPG>

Perrault, Charles. “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.” 1697.

Rochere, Martine Hennard Dutheil De La. “But marriage itself is no party”: Angela Carter’s

Translation of Charles Perrault’s ‘La Belle au bois dormant’; or, pitting the politics of

experience against the Sleeping Beauty myth.” Marvels and Tales 24.1 (2010): 131+.

Literary Resource Center. Web. 29 September 2010.

Sayers, Frances Clark. “Walt Disney Accused.” Hornbook. December 1965.

United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Office of Publications & Special Studies. 1950 United

States. <http://www.bls.gov/opub/uscs/1950.pdf> 13 Nov 2010.