Do you want to raise successful girls? Read them and do this

Recent research shows that girls are beginning to understand that they are not equal when they are children. So I want to congratulate actress and mother Kristen Bell for calling one of the most insidious sources for this type of message: fairy tales for kids. Bell, better known as Anna's voice in frozen and as a star of the television miniseries Veronica Mars, loves to snuggle up and read bedtime stories to her daughters, Lincoln, five, and Delta, three.

But when she's done, she does not just put them away and turn off the light. She has a brief chat with the kids about the lessons, good or bad, you can learn from a fairy tale. Take "Snow White," a story of the Grimm brothers that of course has become a beloved Disney classic and that Bell has targeted in a recent interview with Parents magazine. In the story, Snow White is a princess who has housed seven male dwarves while hiding from her wicked stepmother who envied her beauty and intended to hurt her. But when the mother-in-law disguises herself as a monkey and offers Snow White a poisoned apple, she eats it and falls into a death-bed. She is saved when a handsome prince comes in and kisses her, the only thing that can bring her back to life.

There are a lot of things that are not going into this story, so whenever she reads it, Bell dissects her for her daughters. "I look at my daughters and ask them," Do not you find it strange that Snow White did not ask the old witch why she needed to eat the apple? Where did she get this apple? "I say," I would never take food from a stranger, is not it? "" When her daughters answer "No!" Bell thinks she's doing something right. She also asks Lincoln and Delta if they think it's strange that the prince is kissing Snow White while she sleeps and without asking her permission beforehand – again a no-no. Does she also doubt that the whole value of Snow White seems to come from her beauty and housekeeping skills? Bell does not say, but it could be a good next step.

Bell is not the only movie star to have thought through the messages that her daughters could receive classic fairy tales and popular culture. Keira Knightley, known for her role in Pirates of the Caribbean and currently featured in Colette, Told Ellen Degeneres that Disney movies Cinderella and The little Mermaid her three-year-old daughter has forbidden to watch her because she does not reflect the emancipation of women. In CinderellaKnightley said, "She's waiting for a rich guy to save her, do not do it, save yourself, of course." Not to mention the fact that his entire future rests on feet smaller than anyone else.

The little Mermaid is forbidden – even if Knightley loves music – because Ariel gives his voice to the wicked Ursula for the chance to meet the prince she is in love with from afar. "I mean, the songs are great but do not give your voice to a man. Hello ?!" Said Knightley. The original story of Hans Christian Andersen is even worse. In this one, not only does the siren give up her voice, but she has to endure excruciating pain every time she walks or dances on her human legs, which she often does. And when she fails in her quest to prevent her beloved prince from marrying someone else, she dies.

Is it better to talk to your daughters about how fairy tales and movies portray women, or to ban them altogether? There are arguments in both directions, but I am in favor of the discussion, because parents can not always control the content of the content their children are exposed to when they visit friends or even the children. 39; school. And once you start paying attention to the messages that classic children's stories and classic movies convey about women's place in the world, it's hard not to start seeing them everywhere – in sitcoms, books for kids, cartoons, etc. Bringing your girls to see these messages could be the best first step towards their protection.