Beauty and the Beast →
Maybe this is cheating because it’s a book based on a movie based on a fairy tale, and the problems I have with the book I also have with the movie and the fairy tale, but I haven’t seen the movie since I was probably 8 or 9. I did own it on VHS, along with Aladdin, though in general I wasn’t a huge Disney fan. I did watch Aladdin a lot because Princess Jasmine was hot and badass and I dreamt of being a princess who whined about being a princess and had a pet tiger. Beauty and the Beast was just ok. It was cool that Belle liked reading a lot, though, because I was/am a big nerd and thought books were the coolest. (Not as cool as pet tigers, but pretty cool.)
I revisited the story via this book and ok guys, wow. Like I know the whole Disney Is Sexist thing is pretty worn out at this point, much like Barbie Is Too Thin. We all know but everyone keeps buying it anyway. But this one is worse, right? It’s not just me?
Because, really, if some dude HOLDS YOU PRISONER it doesn’t suddenly make him a nice guy because he decides to let you out for a bit to visit your dying father as long as he can still keep an eye on you. That’s not love, it’s Stockholm Syndrome, and I think it’s actually a pretty serious issue that little girls love this shit. I’m not saying every kid’s book and movie has to be like, Here’s a Model of a Healthy Adult Relationship, but does it have to be about marrying an abuser?
That got too serious. I mean at least she likes books.
