(un)happily ever after

From the time I first learned to walk up through the earliest years of elementary school, I remember wanting more than anything to be a princess when I grew up (and I'm sure I wasn't alone).  How could I not? They're the classic representation of all it means to be the "perfect girl": they're pure, they're beautiful, and they make the perfect wives.  What else could you ask for?  Once you take a closer look at what these virtues mean, though, it's clear that the crown is a lot heavier to bear than it first appears...

In fact, all three of these virtues reinforce ideas of white supremacy.  Women are expected to be untainted, pure, white.  After all, there's a reason that there exists an archetype of sleeping princesses- they're meant to be preserved, to be looked at, but never touched.  

          

 

And what about the beauty of Disney princesses?  Why is it that virtually every little girl is eager to dress up and look like her favorite princess for a day?  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that their skin is as white as snow.  After all, what is more beautiful than fresh fallen snow, a culmination of unique snowflakes, all merging until the individual snow is no longer discernible, and all that can be made out is one large.... pile.   

But wait! Let's not forget about Prince Charming, after all, there simply can't be a happily ever after without him. In the end, the most crucial part of womanhood is the ability to do housework; "All the meaningfulness in [a woman's] life" is to "[revel] in her shiny pots and pans and shiny floors," to "[keep] this order" (128).  To be a proper housewife, everything must be spotless-- from the "stacks of white pillow slips" to the "fluffy white towels," and above all, the housewife herself (127).  

Many are quick to cluck their tongues at the five-year-olds who are all too ready to wear makeup, buy UGG boots, and find themselves their perfect boyfriends.  The children themselves are not to blame, rather, the virtues they are taught to follow in order to make all their dreams come true are.  How can we expect to eliminate race-based stigmas if the future generations of society are being conditioned from birth?