Furthermore, the fairy tale gives us an outlook on the role of gender as a social category through the characterization of the girl and the wolf, tying in key stereotypes. In culture, things like aggression and violence are commonly associated with men, while things like irrationality and obliviousness are associated with women. These hold true in the tale, exemplifying how the wolf came to deceive the girl, and how she ultimately got eaten.
The versions of the tale we grew up reading probably looked a little something like this:
Familiar, right? Little red riding hood was seen as an innocent young girl, unaware, or oblivious, to what was happening around her. But the image of "Little Red Riding Hood" didn't stay so sweet for long. Fast forward a few years, to 2011, and a we get a poor adaptation of the tale in film version, titled "Red Riding Hood," starring Amanda Seyfried.
The film proved to be unsuccessful, unable to capture the target audience, and receiving a dismal 11% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Not only was the quality of the film not up to par, the characterization of Red Riding Hood was a bit too far from the classic image in the fairy tale. In the film, Amanda Seyfried's portrayal of little Red Riding Hood was seen to be provocative and shallow. A critic expressed his concerns, arguing, "Sexualising a beloved children's fairy tale seems an odd move, but when flanked by an unoriginal story and lacklustre performances, that appears to be the least of the film's problems."
With this film adaptation as just one of the many, it's easy to see just how easily the identity of little Red Riding Hood we grew up with can be lost. Which version of "Little Red Riding Hood" that you remember is your favorite? Does the tale now have a different meaning to you, after learning of identities and gender roles? How has the reputation of the classic tale been tarnished by poor adaptations?
I found this intriguing, especially because it highlights how early on gender roles are established in our lives. Not only by expectations, but also the media we come into contact with. It's ridiculously counterintuitive, if you think about how much "progress" our society is making to thwart stereotypes and gender roles in modern society; yet, people react poorly when media makes an attempt to. I haven't seen the movie, but I do think that giving Amanda Seyfried that role is an interesting twist to the character of the little red riding hood, rather than it being "an odd move," as it was criticized to be. It just shows how judgmental and uncompromising our modern society is, regardless of how it is portrayed.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra, your post brought up a lot of interesting issues with societies skill, or lack there of, in story telling. I was drawn to this post because I'm a tutor for elementary school students and have recently read Little Red Riding Hood with them. Only know have I thought about what the story tells us about gender. It definitely encourages the stereotypes of the hysterical woman and the aggressive man, which unfairly puts these ideas into children's head before they have the knowledge to analyze what their reading. The film as a movie is a sad portrayal of the movie industry on its lack of creativity, and desperation for profit. I think the general idea of taking an old tale and adapting it is not necessarily a bad thing though. Commentary, analysis, and opinion is how we excel as a society. Adaptations can help emphasize issues that were not successfully translated in a first rendition. They can also be watchdogs and call out faults of the first version. Sometimes we need people who can check up on what society is producing these days. Ultimately, we need adaptation to thrive, but specifically purposeful, thoughtful adaptations. Abusing an all ready overly used childhood story like Little Red Riding Hood is not helpful.
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