from: Ellie
All too often, modern-day girls grow up believing that somewhere in the world, Prince Charming is waiting for them. These women base their future and, in some cases, their entire existence upon the hope of finding a perfect someone who will meet their every need. Rather than pursuing their own ambition, they wander aimlessly through life until their knight in shining armor arrives to rescue and carry them off into the sunset. Consequently, such females are so wrapped up in their quest for a fairytale romance that they completely fail to prepare for the reality of real world. The Social Psychology of Gender calls this conundrum the “Glass Slipper Effect.”The girl in the photo is wandering through the woods in search of her own Prince Charming. The white wedding dress she wears signifies her marital dreams and purity. Ordinarily, her bare feet might represent her childlike innocence. However, among the thistles and thorns of the forest seen here, her unprotected feet symbolize her naïve, senseless nature. The woods themselves are not magical and lush like those depicted in fairytales. On the contrary, they are gloomy, cold, and twisted. The trees hover over her small frame, seemingly consuming her. Stray branches snag her gown, ripping her dreams to shreds.Just as a stark contrast exists between the white dress and the dark woodland in the photo, there is an equally blatant difference between a fairytale and reality. The young woman searches for her perfect, romantic ending but in the process, neglects to prepare for the real world that looms before her. Finally, the girl’s face is not visible to the camera, signifying that her search for Prince Charming has left her without an identity of her own. As a result, she embodies the many victims of the “Glass Slipper Effect.”
3 comments:
I find this image to speak volumes. Immediately upon looking at it, there is this very surreal aspect to it. The image is very reminiscent of so many fairytale-like scenes. We have this sort of “damsel in distress” wandering through the woods in search of safety, or more importantly a man to carry her away to safety.
There are a number of details in the photo I find very appealing, and that also add to the strong message. First, I love that she has short hair, because long, beautiful hair is associated with that princess or the ultra feminine ideal. Making her somewhat androgynous really helps to dissect this the gender role that women are “meant” to fill. Also, a very small detail that I love is that she is walking barefoot on moss. We notice immediately the high contrast between the forest and her white dress, but looking closer it’s as if she’s walking on a softer surface perhaps symbolizing that she could find safety on her own without Prince Charming, if only she looked closer.
Apr 13 at 9:44 PM
Searching for Prince Charming
When I first look at this picture, I am immediately drawn into the dark appearance of the woods, and a young lady that appears to be lost. Like the "runaway bride", this women appears to have ran away without thought, into a patch of woods. The branches on the trees, appear to hoover around the bride as if they are trying to aggressively embrace her existence into the trees. Her curled up toes and feet are indications that she may be scared about where she has ended up. Her body stance appears to communicate that she is now frightened.
I am absolutely in love with this. This picture is as powerful as it is beautiful. I love the way she contrasts the dark forest in her white dress. I also agree with Tyler's comment in the fact that I like that she has short hair and not long "princessey" hair that you would associate with something like this, something like wandering the woods and searching for Prince Charming. I like how you can tell she's determined as well. She knows she is on this quest, even though she is probably aware that it is a losing battle. Overall, I am extremely impressed by this photo and the way it portrays nativity and the "Glass Slipper Effect" so well.
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