Page 10 - HGS Suburb News 149 - March 2022

CHANGE..

S U B U R B

Iʼm going to tell you all a story, a story that is probably very familiar
YOUTH
to all of you. The story of Sleeping Beauty. A young princess pricks
her finger on a spindle cursed by an evil fairy, Maleficent and falls
In this issue we have asleep for one hundred years. Oooooo spoooooky. However, of
course it must have a happy ending like any classic fairy-tale and so INTO
chosen the theme of a brave prince comes and saves her with a true loveʼs kiss, and so
change. Covid has the curse is lifted and they all live happily ever after. We all know
these traditional fairy tales; Sleeping Beauty, Snow White,
taught us a lot Cinderella, Rapunzel etc. Theyʼre the bedtime stories weʼve been
OUR
telling for centuries, the inspiration behind the popular plays,
about our priorities, movies and musicals that have shaped our childhood. Yet, what if I
ourselves as people asked you this? These classic fairy tales, what if they arenʼt teaching
children good morals, but instead making them closed-minded and
and how adaptable full of unrealistic ideas about the society we live in today? Perhaps
ʻbippity boppity booʼ, might just be ʻbippity boppity badʼ. This is
we are as humans to why fairy tales cause more harm than good and need to change. ADUL

changes. Change is To begin with, we can all agree that in the majority of these stories
a common trope is the ʻpoor damsel in distressʼ, who is constantly
inevitable. Itʼs the being saved by the handsome, strong prince. Itʼs 2022, and yet we
never see the princess rescuing the prince from the tower. These
only way forward in stories are a huge example of inequality and gender stereotypes,
teaching children from a young age that women should stay at
our collective effort home to cook and clean, and a man should be the one to work and
to make this world a fight. The image of the handsome, strong prince also perpetuates
toxic masculinity: the ideal that a man must be dominant,
better place. Here aggressive, or any other characteristic that is culturally impressed
on to them.
are our three pieces In addition, these traditional tales lack racial and physical diversity. THOOD
about different Even now, primary schools are breeding grounds for this sort of
bigotry and Iʼve heard roles being denied due to phenotypic
OUTDATED
aspects of change. differences. Incidents like this are not uncommon and, in all honesty,
cannot be blamed on the children; we as a society need to increase
We hope you enjoy the variety of the stories we choose to tell. They are giving young
reading them just as children the impression that you need to have a perfect slim body,
beautiful hair and a bright complexion, else no one will love you. All
much as we enjoyed encouraging confidence issues for those who do not fit this image.
By passing down these stories, we are perpetuating outdated
writing them! FABLES ideas and not helping to dismantle systemic problems. Itʼs time to
teach our children that you can be a boy and still like the colour
pink, people of colour are just as important as white people and
The Suburb that itʼs whatʼs on the inside that matters not whatʼs on the outside.
Youth Team Things need to change. Perhaps ʻhappily ever afterʼ is not so
happy after all!
KRITI & NYSA

P R HARTLEY

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
& REGISTERED AUDITOR

Accounting & Taxation Services

Call 020 8731 9745 or 07850 634395
Email: paul@prhartley.co.uk
www.prhartley.co.uk

10 SUBURB NEWS IS PRODUCED AND DELIVERED TO YOU BY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS