Kiss Sleeping Beauty Goodbye: Breaking the Spell of Feminine Myths and Models [Paperback]

I read this book in 1981, after reading a rave review in Mademoiselle magazine. I was 18 years old and altogether uncertain what being a woman meant, and would come to mean to me. This book was incredibly enlightening with regard to the 'warnings' that society sends young women about the punishment one is certain to suffer for behaving in an unladylike fashion. Little Red Riding Hood teaches us not to go out alone, and that if a Big Bad Wolf eats us, or those we love, it is probably our own fault because WE misbehaved. Sleeping Beauty is virginal perfection, her life only begins after her prince awakens her with a kiss. After all, what kind of life could a lady hope to have WITHOUT her prince??? I leant it to a friend and haven't seen it since, I placed an order with amazon and am hoping for the best!

I read this many years ago while I was still in high school. It's a fantastic book to read especially at that age. It really broke down all the messages that are sent to us girls and women that we may not be consciously aware of, but that still mold us - and not in good ways. In other words, it gives you a chance to look behind the curtain and see the tricks of "the Great Oz".

When we read the modern versions of fairy tales (which are almost unrecognizable from the originals) they teach young girls (and boys as well) awful lessons. They are not, by any stretch of the imagination, harmless.

I remember when I read this book I started to hear all the speeches from my mother, grandmother and many women in my life quite differently. I was told many times about my un-ladylike behavior (mind you, I was actually a pretty good kid - but just not a girly-girl princess, or as quiet and accepting of my situation as my sister). It really helped me put into perspective the deep guilt I was made to feel by them since I was younger. It helped not only to put their words into perspective, but to start really liking myself for who I was.

It also starting teaching me how to see that I was being sold all these absurd ideas about what to buy and how to behave to be "the woman that men wanted me to be"

Feminism is still very much needed now, as it was when the movement started. This is a well written and very interesting book, and it's due for a comeback.

Although this book has not been popular since the 1980's, I believe it is due for a comeback. This nonfiction work examines classical fairy tales from a feminist perspective, closely noting male gaze, the forcing of gender roles (particularly submissive roles upon women), and the urgency for women (and men) to embrace the feminist movement to move past these roles that exist within our own society. This would be of particular interest to students of literature, gender studies, or psychology. The writer also validates her claims with credible sources such as Simone De Beauvoir and could be cited for its academic weight as well.