La Belle et La Bete (et des autres)

Avatar and Banner image are from Disney's 1991 adaptation of La Belle et La Bete (both the film and concept art).

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

no more girlboss cinderella. society has progressed past the need for girlboss cinderella

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

was asked for context so listen. istg every Cinderella story since like. the 90s? 80s? for fucking ever has been “noooo Cinderella is a #badass who don’t need no man we promise” because, I don’t know, someone made fun of the fact she “needs a man to save her” and that escalated to the point where we can’t have the original story anymore?

Am I saying “we need to stick to the original story every time” no of course not, but like. It’s the fact that people are reinterpreting something that isn’t there. Cinderella isn’t about “woman needs man to save her” it’s about “an abused girl who has no way to escape her horrible home life remains nice and hopeful and eventually her kindness pays its way back to her even if the fucking universe has to send her a fairy just to give her a night off and start a domino effect that ends with her being happy and safe.”

Every Cinderella remake or retelling nowadays is about how she doesn’t need a man and can rescue herself, or about how her falling in love with the prince too fast was a mistake and he’s actually a dick, and it’s just clearly missing the point. It just. I honestly feel like most, if not all of the people misinterpreting the story never had to grow up in a toxic home environment that you literally cannot escape because there is no system in place that can help you, and you dream that one day all your problems would get magically solved with a wave of a wand and a few singing mice. Cinderella didn’t dream of getting married she dreamed of being happy, marriage just happened to come with that. She dreamed of not being abused 24/7 in a situation she couldn’t escape from and despite being treated like garbage since she was a child she remained a good fucking person and that’s why she gets rewarded at the end.

Girlboss Cinderella remakes are fine in small doses but when it’s like, every fucking Cinderella I see I just get so pissed because clearly some people never got over their “fairytales bad” edgy phase and Cinderella’s gotta deal with it.

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

Okay so this blew the FUCK up and I’d like to address some questions in the notes:

No, I do not hate Gail Carson Levine’s book Ella Enchanted that is a masterpiece

No, I do not like the 2015 Disney Cinderella remake that film is a two-hour middle finger to the 1950s film stop recommending it to me

@everyone saying “what about a Cinderella where she gets rescued by a found family instead of a love interest” first of all yes, second of all Matilda

[noodles-07]

Me every time I write

[noodles-07]

I’m glad to see that this resonated with so many people

[animatedtext]

[licieoic]

“Billie as Sleeping Beauty” - Digital Oil Painting

Another entry into the ‘Billie as different princesses’ series!

Please see the pinned post at the top of my Tumblr for my links if you’d like to help support me in saving for a safe place to live!

[lunwil]

14th century Aurora ✨

[delusionisbliss-deactivated2023]

This whole "Disney Twisted Tales" collection and their premises are just too intereresting to ignore. AND LOOK AT THOSE COVER ARTS!!!!

[largishcat]

i genuinely don’t get cishet monsterfuckers. for context, in the wake of shape of water i participated in this loving-the-monstrous type discussion event slash publishing party wherein i debuted a short story about a woman who “befriends” a cave monster—but that isnt the point. the point is i had to hear straight women talk for hours about how the appeal of monsters is some kind of weird “taming the beast” fantasy—loving a monster until it loves you back, sounding like every bad beauty and the beast take ever.

And there’s my queer ass being like literally none of you get it. this isn’t about power, this is about love and alienation and acceptance. you dumbasses, I’m the monster. this isn’t a metaphor for your shitty boyfriend, this is a metaphor for my own alienation from a society that tells me a the way i am and the way I love are grotesque. this is a fantasy of love free of judgement, separate from societal standards that I’ll never live up to anyway. that ghoul doesn’t care if I’m fat, they think it’s hot that I eat well. that immortal fae creature doesn’t care if the gender on my birth certificate matches the one I use now, they barely have a concept of gender in the first place. that tentacle monster doesn’t care if I shave, they don’t have eyes

monsterfucking is queer culture, everyone else go home

[redwaltz]

Oh. I’m guessing those were all yt women, too. Del Toro isn’t Queer, afaik, but he -is- Mexican in the us. It wasn’t really that long ago that interracial relationships were just as forbidden and taboo as Queer ones and there’s still obviously race tensions going on. The other in Shape of the Water is just as much, and likely written as, being a different race and the feeling of alienation of having a different place of origin. It happens to resonate with everyone who’s ever been considered a monster by society, and there’s not just one way this has happened.

The whole “love someone until they’re not a monster” is extra, super gross in that context because people don’t feel BIPOC are actually capable of human emotions who need to be taught to be human by some benevolent yt person who’s fetishised their body.

[largishcat]

reblog this version pls

[largishcat]

i genuinely don’t get cishet monsterfuckers. for context, in the wake of shape of water i participated in this loving-the-monstrous type discussion event slash publishing party wherein i debuted a short story about a woman who “befriends” a cave monster—but that isnt the point. the point is i had to hear straight women talk for hours about how the appeal of monsters is some kind of weird “taming the beast” fantasy—loving a monster until it loves you back, sounding like every bad beauty and the beast take ever.

And there’s my queer ass being like literally none of you get it. this isn’t about power, this is about love and alienation and acceptance. you dumbasses, I’m the monster. this isn’t a metaphor for your shitty boyfriend, this is a metaphor for my own alienation from a society that tells me a the way i am and the way I love are grotesque. this is a fantasy of love free of judgement, separate from societal standards that I’ll never live up to anyway. that ghoul doesn’t care if I’m fat, they think it’s hot that I eat well. that immortal fae creature doesn’t care if the gender on my birth certificate matches the one I use now, they barely have a concept of gender in the first place. that tentacle monster doesn’t care if I shave, they don’t have eyes

monsterfucking is queer culture, everyone else go home

[redwaltz]

Oh. I'm guessing those were all yt women, too. Del Toro isn't Queer, afaik, but he -is- Mexican in the us. It wasn't really that long ago that interracial relationships were just as forbidden and taboo as Queer ones and there's still obviously race tensions going on. The other in Shape of the Water is just as much, and likely written as, being a different race and the feeling of alienation of having a different place of origin. It happens to resonate with everyone who's ever been considered a monster by society, and there's not just one way this has happened.

The whole “love someone until they're not a monster” is extra, super gross in that context because people don't feel BIPOC are actually capable of human emotions who need to be taught to be human by some benevolent yt person who's fetishised their body.

[cinemamonamour]

Cinderella (1950) Background Art

“Mary Blair played a big part in the success of Disney’s Cinderella. Her rough color/environment sketches didn’t make it to the screen as such, nevertheless her artistic sensibilities influenced the entire production”

 - Andreas Deja

[mashallahmangoes-deactivated201]

Snow White twist where Snow White is played by a dark-skinned woman with snow white hair

[mashallahmangoes-deactivated201]

another twist: the story focuses on beauty in the context of racial prejudice 

the stepmother is white and known as the ‘fairest of them all’ but then this girl with dark skin grows to be more beautiful than her and she doesn’t understand and she doesn’t like it and she is threatened by it

you can see where this is going

[metoo-3]

People in the comments are so mad 💀

[xeebs]

whoops my hand slipped

[cyanspyder]

>_>

[drawing-usagi-deactivated202112]

Lips red as the rose.

Hair back as ebony.

Skin white as snow.

[fracturingfaerietales-lbelb]

Now that I think of it the description of Snow White could make many a different clown

[fracturingfaerietales-lbelb]

Cinderella, and the Royal/Noble in Disguise

While most refer to “Cinderella stories” as “rags to riches” quite a few of the original versions of the tale include a noblewoman or princess disguised as a peasant rather than a real peasant girl (or boy) being rewarded with higher status due to the social class of their spouse (earned through the capital of beauty). In these cases the Cinderella archetype uses some trait of theirs with material value to regain (or even better) their social status in society. 

Disney’s Cinderella (1950) most takes after Perrault’s “Little Glass Slipper” or “Cinderella” in which Cinderella (for some reason also called “cinderslut” by her stepsisters) is actually the daughter of a nobleman but pushed into servitude by her evil stepmother, and her father does nothing about this. So rather than having he high social class being her worth Cinderella’s material worth (as women are often treated or referred to as belongings or objects) is found through her virtue and goodness in this tale (and because she is beautiful inside she is revealed to be more beautiful on the outside) and quickly rises to the rank of princess by her new position as trophy wife for the superficial prince who only throws these parties to find the most valuable wife, a future Queen that is good and beautiful and will help keep the people's opinions of him positive. 

(Which I think will be really fun to see reversed when I finally watch Cinderfella though it was from the 60s so I don’t know whether I’ll get a TOS feminism or typical Hollywood sexism) Though in that one it seems the “Fella” is also trying to beat his evil step brothers in a treasure hunt left in his parent’s estate, based on the one scene of the movie I have seen Fella’s objectified worth is found in his charm, the way he steals the show and the attention of the Princess (who isn’t Audrey Hepburn, I looked it up), and his hidden worth like Cinderella’s hidden social status is the hidden treasure. 

Honestly, as fun as it is to talk about cis-swap adaptations from the ‘60s I really just used this as a transition to get to the real Cinderella story I wanted to talk about, a small plot that actually is a cool homage to the Cinderella archetype as well as the violent and gross reality of what fairy tales (well, at least the originals) were. Including murder, cannibalism and implied incestuous nature of that cannibalism. Before reading on please watch the clip (and yes I’m sorry I spoiled some of Gotham season 2). All you need to know is that Oswald is Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin from the Batman canon and the other people are his “wicked step family”. In this story line he is the illegitimate son of a rich man/noble man.

So! Prior to this Oswald was the Kingpin of the Crime world in Gotham or as he liked to call himself “the King of Gotham”, he has already had a “rags to riches” in which he rises from poor working class to being of the ruling class by taking down those above him and climbing up the ranks. He’s docile and submissive in the beginning of this clip (product of what was probably torture) and regains what made him the King of Gotham in the first place, his violent ruthlessness and cunning, those are his most valuable traits, they are what has raised him up through the social classes. His father had already planned to leave everything to him (the only real blood related kin the man had, thereby making him the only true heir if we are going by bloodline). So tricks Grace into cannibalizing her own children then murders her to gain the fortune that is rightfully his and quickly regains his place as the King of Gotham, rewarded not for his goodness but for cunning and ruthlessness. 

(Gif from same episode)

[willow-s-linda]

Beauty and the Beast

[xylodemon]

this official Venom rom-com trailer is the only thing i care about today

[fracturingfaerietales-lbelb]

Queerness, Womanhood, and Monsterous relationships in Fiction

Think about monsters in fiction, think about romances between monstrous appearing people and women in fiction. Think about the number of romances between monsters and women, think about how women with monstrous features or who are monsters only get partners who are also monsters. 

Think about the prevalence of “monsterfuckers” and “monster lovers” wherein the most monstrous and furthest from western beauty standards are most often found attractive by women, gay men, and queer people. The “monsters” that most straight men are attracted to? Less monstrous, more like something you’d see on a furry porn forum (gah!) like snakes and other anthropomorphised non-mammals with boobs. 

Meanwhile, women and queer people generally stray more from the image of socially accepted beauty standards (mostly western). This is strengthened by la belle et la bête type relationships in media. 

Liz and Hellboy, the fish-man and Elisa, Belle and the Beast themselves, Fiona and Shrek, and even Venom and Eddie Brock.

In each of these relationships, the woman, (or queer person) in the relationship has already associated with the “monster” because of the “otherness” they, themselves have in their society, due to gender, sexuality, or personality. Each of these people are categorized as an “other” by the humans around them and pushed into a similar category as a monster would be. 

This is not just prevalent in fictional characters as many women and queer individuals grow up with only the monstrous characters to relate to, as those are the only characters coded as true others or queer coded, thus throughout a women’s or queer individual’s childhood and adolescence, they see themselves in the monsters of fiction and therefore find these monstrous characters more sympathetic and attractive as they were taught that this “monster” is just like them because of their “otherness”.

So, la belle et la bête and its archetype of fiction influences those like me, queer, or feminine, the “others” of society to embrace and accept both being “monstrous” and loving the “monsters” both the monstrous parts of ourselves and the monsters of fiction, those who are ostracized and strange, and different. Because even before the coming out or discovery of gender in relation to the self a child generally knows if they are an “other” even if they do not know yet why. And knowing this “otherness” of myself instinctually, I saw myself in the beast, hot-tempered, lonely, and intrinsically different from all else. So, when I also identified with Belle, an “other” in her own right, I saw a story of how to learn to love myself despite my various otherness-es, and later, through other stories of similar set-ups because of my otherness.

[fracturingfaerietales-lbelb]

To be clear: this monster coding can also be seen as coding for poc and immigrants, and the fictional tool of a monster was used a lot to reflect cultural fears and insecurities (especially in older monster media, circa 1950s etc) I spoke about femininity and queerness in relation to monstrous empathy and the attraction to monsters because I have more experience with these different identifiers, and as a white person whose most recent immigrant in the family is a 94 year old great-grandparent, I do not personally believe I have the life experience or privilege to speak on the subject of poc-coding in monster media.

[fracturingfaerietales-lbelb]

That Time Disney Remade Beauty and the Beast

Thanks, I hate it. Sponsored in part by Audible - join at http://audible.com/lindsayellis Merch Store: https://store.dftba.com/collections/lindsay-ellis Twit...

[thisobscuredesireforbeauty]

La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast), Dir. Jean Cocteau, 1946.