Tierin-Rose Mandelburg
As part of its content reevaluation, Publisher Ladybird Books has deemed titles like “Snow White” and “Cinderella” as problematic, citing them as “ageist,” lacking diversity, and putting too much emphasis on beauty.
In a report by The Blaze, the publisher, a subsidiary of Penguin, is taking an active effort to use “sensitivity readers” to point out any problematic parts of these books.
Numerous examples were given of how Snow White is “ageist,” including the fact that the villain is an evil old woman. Apparently, this sends the signal that old people are evil.
There are also apparently “too many white princesses with blonde hair and blue eyes” in the fantasy genre. I guess Tiana, Jasmine and Pocahontas weren’t considered.
Perhaps most strikingly, The Blaze reported publishers complained that Snow White assumed the prince was a man, saying the book should have used gender-neutral pronouns until Snow White learned that the Prince’s pronouns were male-specific.
No, this isn’t a joke.
The “sensitivity readers” also suggested that the books emphasize beauty too much. Whether it’s terms like “handsome prince” or “beautiful princess” or simply the idea of love at first sight, it all seemed to be a problem for these critics.
Another complaint was that in these stories, female characters relied too heavily on men and needed more “personal agency” for their happiness and safety.
This is ridiculous. These are kids’ books that are a hell of a lot more appropriate than the garbage kids are being handed at school about sexual identity, masturbation and gender ideology.
Seriously people, find something else to worry about.
