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The Pervasiveness and Persistence of the Feminine Beauty Ideal in Children's Fairy Tales

Western Illinois University

Liz Grauerholz

Purdue University

This study advances understanding of how a normative feminine beauty ideal is maintained through cultural products such as fairy tales. Using Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, the authors explore the extent and ways in which "feminine beauty" is highlighted. Next, they compare those tales that have survived (e.g., Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty) with those that have not to determine whether tales that have been popularized place more emphasis on women's beauty. The findings suggest that feminine beauty is a dominant theme and that tales with heavy emphases on feminine beauty are much more likely to have survived. These findings are interpreted in light of changes in women's social status over the past 150 years and the increased importance of establishing forms of normative social control to maintain a gender system.

Key Words: beauty • fairy tales • Grimm brothers • social control

Gender & Society, Vol. 17, No. 5, 711-726 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0891243203255605


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