Parents say damsel in distress stories

are 'outdated', survey suggests

By Neil Smith
Entertainment reporter

Most parents think traditional fairy tales that feature "damsel in distress" female
characters are outdated and old-fashioned, a survey has suggested.
Yet the same data suggests the majority of mums and dads feel that fairy tales
teach their children good morals.
More than 500 parents with children aged between five and 12 were consulted
as part of the YouGuv survey.
It coincides with a new book by former children's presenter Konnie Huq that
offers modern takes on age-old tales.
 Why motherhood made Konnie Huq 'step back' from TV
 Girl Power: How can books empower young girls?
 Should fairy tales change with the times?

According to the survey, the concept of a female character needing a male

character to save them rankles with 58% of British parents.
Two-thirds of British mothers - 66% - find the notion outdated, compared with
about half - 49% - of their male counterparts.
The survey also found that 58% of parents in Britain think traditional fairy tales
under-represent minority groups.
Overall, though, 81% of parents in Britain with children in the stated age group
think such stories impart worthwhile lessons.
Of the 549 parents who took part in the online survey last month, 251 were
male and 298 were female.

Huq, who co-presented Blue Peter from 1997 until 2008, said fairy tales had
lasted as long as they have "for a reason".
"Parents think they're a good and valuable thing to share with their children,"
she told the BBC. "You don't want your kids to be instilled with bad messages
and values."

 Talking Shop: Konnie Huq

When she came to co-author Fearless Fairy Tales, however, she could see the
value in seeing whether stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella still
spoke to parents.
"When you're doing this sort of thing it's good to test the tide and check there's
an appetite for it," she said. "How do people feel about the values and morals
these stories impart?"
'Tweaks and nods'
Fearless Fairy Tales, she continued, "work in conjunction with the traditional
stories" while offering "little tweaks and nods" tailored for a 21st Century
readership.
Sleeping Beauty, for example, becomes Sleeping Brainy, while Gretel and
Hansel sees the former resenting the fact her twin brother is paid more for the
same sweet-shop labour.
The topical spin on the Hansel and Gretel story was inspired in part by Huq's
own fight to be paid the same as her male co-presenters during her Blue Peter
years.

"There is a snobbery in the children's book world towards literature with

humour, but I think it's hugely important," she went on. "Reading and education
should be a pleasure, not a chore.
"Anything that gets kids reading is a good thing; they should be allowed to read
whatever they want. Books are just rectangles on shelves until you find one for
you."
Huq, who has two children with her broadcaster husband Charlie Brooker, said
she wanted her books to educate and instruct her readers as well as entertain
them.
"I want to do something that fills a gap," she said of her "stealth learning"
tactics, likening her strategy to putting "hidden vegetables in a pasta sauce".