My mom used to put me to sleep reading fairy tales. I always enjoyed those stories, especially the one about Cinderella and Snow White. As soon as I was old enough to choose my own clothes, toys, and accessories, I always make sure my mom buys me things that have the picture of Cinderella or Snow White on them. I became obsessed and wanted to become like these princesses to the point that I grew up knowing that at one point or another, I will meet my own prince and find my true love.
I am quite an adult now and I have matured. Despite that, my love for fairy tales never waned. I now have children of my own and I feel like now is their time to love the fairy tales that I once loved as a child. I bought a handful of these classic stories on CD and asked my son to watch them when there is no school (my son is not allowed to watch TV during school days). She loved them and I like the way my son responded to these stories. I see myself on my back as a child during the days when I was still a gullible child.
One night my husband and I decided to do a fairy tale marathon with our daughter. We started watching fairy tales after dinner and continued until we finished three: Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Mulan. We went to bed happy and dreamy. We felt like little children.
As I lay in bed that night, I began to reflect on the fairy tales we have just seen. That night, I was a cross between being a child and being an adult. I started to think about the plots of the story and how the characters went from being the weakest to being the most beautiful princess in the kingdom (as in the case of Snow White), or getting closer to the man of your dreams (like that of Ariel) . Finally, I came to a conclusion. These three princesses or ladies that I loved so much as a child were basically identity theft criminals!
I wanted to laugh at myself that night, but just so you understand, this is how I came to the conclusion.
Cinderella: she was a house helper who, with the help of her friends and her fairy godmother, was able to assume the identity of the most adorable girl in the kingdom. She was able to fool the prince, but when the clock struck 12, she was forced to revert to her original identity.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel was so in love with the prince that she rescued him that she was so willing to give up her mermaid status to be with the human she loved. She drank a potion that allowed her to be a “normal” human with legs and lived with the identity until the prince married someone else.
Mulan: This is a clear case of identity theft. Mulan adopted her father’s identity because she did not want her father to join the army because he was too old.
Okay, I know. Their motives were noble, but they are still identity thieves, right?