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STANDARDS OF BEAUTY
The Evolution of Snow White
KEEPING WITH THE THEME
Focusing on the fairy tale of
Snow White, I am going to
discuss the ways that
standards of beauty have
evolved overtime. I would like
to prove that today’s
contemporary fairy tales
communicate standards of
beauty in a more constructive
and positive manner.
A standard is a principle that is used as a basis for judgment. All throughout history, women have been expected to meet certain standards of beauty, and
are judged because of their physical appearance. These standards depict an "ideal beauty” which is admired
and in some cultures considered necessary to
achieve perfection.
WHAT ARE STANDARDS OF BEAUTY?
PLAN OF ACTION
Introduce and explain standards of beauty
Compare and contrast format
Limit sources to only those that pertain to film
adaptations
In General
In Fairy Tales
In Snow White
SOURCE SYNTHESIS
The author, Kathi Maio, discusses film adaptations of the
fairy tale Snow White with particular focus given to
"Mirror Mirror” and "Snow White and the Huntsman”,
both released in 2012. The films' attempts to modernize
the story with strong heroines are examined, and their
relationship to the 1937 animated film "Snow White and
the Seven Dwarves" by Walt Disney is touched on.
Beauty Fades But Fairy Tales Never
Die
Grimm & Disney Mirror Mirror & Huntsman
PAST VS. PRESENT
1812 1937
2012
THE COUNTER-ARGUMENT
“In Snow White and The Huntsman, the weak link is the casting of the title character. Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame) stars as waif turned Jeanne d’ Arc version of Snow White, but she can’t pull off the character anymore than she
can a British accent.”
Therefore, Maio believes that the director of Snow White and the Huntsman failed at modernizing the
tale of Snow White, whereas I am trying to convince my readers that he positively altered the way that
standards of beauty are communicated in fairy tales. .
RECAPTURING BEAUTY
This article written by Dr. LaNae Valentine discusses the beauty extremes to which women
across cultures will go in order to reach perfection. The examples that she provides
clearly demonstrates how serious standards of beauty are today, and truly emphasizes the need
for reform. In central Africa, the Mangbettu tightly wrapped the heads of female infants in
pieces of giraffe hide, to attain the elongated cone-shaped heads that were taken to be a
sign of beauty and intelligence.”
Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty
Myth aims to convey that
with an increased gain in
social power and prestige,
women are now expected
to adhere to more strict
standards of physical
beauty. Ultimately, Wolf
argues for more normative
standards of beauty.
SIGNIFICANCE
Information from this book will help me to introduce and define standards of beauty for my audience. In addition, since the book was first published in 1991, I could use evidence from recent adaptations of Snow White, to show that standards of beauty are slowly
beginning to improve.
According to Mary Poles, “This Snow
White, albeit 10 minutes too long and
loaded with the standard action
sequences of 21st century summer,
feels excitingly progressive because it
actually represents the victory of inner
beauty.” Then she says, “Not to cast
aspersions on the loveliness of Kristen
Stewart, but I believe—or hope—that’s
the result of an intentionally bold move
by first-time director Rupert Sanders in
terms of casting his two female leads.”
RELEVANCE
The author solely discusses the film adaptation of Snow White & The
Huntsman, which is proving to be the most talked about adaptation in recent
research. The author completely supports my thesis by saying that Sanders made an intentional, but very bold move by starring
Stewart as Snow White.
Snow White: Beauty is
PowerMaria Tatar says, “Snow White and the
Huntsman captures deepening anxiety about
aging and generational sexual rivalry in
clever, self-reflexive ways, with Charlize
Theron as a beautiful cougar (and established
Hollywood star) threatened by a younger,
sylph-like Kristin Stewart. In the world of the
film, beauty is the locus of female power, and
is thereby fleeting in its effects (men are
“enchanted” by women but “use” them until
they eventually “tire” of them); it is the source
of both fascination and horror.”
CONNECTION
This article not only touches on standards of beauty, but it shows the connection between beauty and power. As standards of beauty have changed over time, different sexes have taken on new gender roles in society. In relation to the article from
Times, this author also focuses on the casting of Snow White & the Huntsman.
Works cited
Maio, Kathi. “Beauty Fades But Fairy Tales Never Die.” Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Journal. October 2012. Web. 3 March 2013. Poles, Mary. “Snow White and the Huntsman: The Fairest Feminist of Them All.” Time
Entertainment. Time Magazine. 31 May 2012. Web. 22 February 2013. Tatar, Maria. “Snow White: Beauty is Power.” The New Yorker. 8 June 2012. Web. 17
February 2013. Valentine, LaNae. “Recapturing Beauty.” Brigham Young University. n.p., n.d. Web. 7
March 2013. Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. William Morrow and Company, 1991.