Grimhilde's Mirror

[Trigger Warning: contains statistics on eating disorders]

We've all watched Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, correct? Well if you haven't here's a short synopsis: Snow White is a pale 14 year old who hits all of the standard "beauty ideals". Evil stepmother Queen Grimhilde makes Snow White a maid out of jealousy of her beauty. Evil Queen asks her mirror who's the "fairest of them all" and the mirror says Snow White. Grimhilde orders a huntsman to kill Snow White. Huntsman can't kill Snow white. Snow White runs away and lives with seven incompetent dwarves. Queen poisons her and puts her in permanent sleep. Nameless Prince Charming kisses and wakes Snow White. Prince kills Queen Grimhilde. The end.

I now realize that this movie is extremely difficult to write a short synopsis of. Creepy, under aged, non-consensual activity aside, this whole mess of a situation, simply stated, comes from one woman comparing herself to another. This movie was Disney's first animated movie, made in 1937, and unfortunately almost 80 years later people are still comparing their outer beauty to one another. While it may not result in a queen-on-prince battle, the consequences are extremely severe. According to the Anorexia and Associated Disorders website, up to 24 million people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations and any other facet of identity suffer from an eating disorder in the United States alone. Only 1 in 10 people who suffer from an eating disorder get treatment for it, and eating disorders have the highest death rate of any other mental illness. 

I believe society puts way too much emphasis on our outer appearance and I believe movies like Snow White give young children the wrong impression of how one should measure their own value against others. I believe media gives society unattainable ideals of what a woman (and men in many cases) should look like. Most importantly. I believe movies like Snow White teach young girls the most important thing to be is physically beautiful. It teaches girls that the best compliment you can receive is to be called "gorgeous", "sexy" or "pretty", when those should be the last things a person should value most. 

I think it's time to shatter Grimhilde's Mirror. 

I myself have struggled with body image since I was about 12 and I am very guilty of comparing myself to others so this topic hits close to home and I think we're centuries past due for a change in perspective.

This blog will tear apart articles, social media and other forms of advertising that glamorize the virtually unattainable beauty ideal, as well as comparing or scrutinizing people's outer appearance. It will also give spotlight to those who are working to change this. Stay tuned.

Also, a shoutout to my mama who gave me the great idea of using Grimhilde's mirror as a theme. You rule mom.

"ANAD." Eating Disorders Statistics « « National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/>.