At first I thought I was imagining it, but little by little the concept of fairytales and romance is permeating it’s way through our culture through any outlet it can manifest in. The stories of princesses, princes, faraway lands are certainly nothing new, neither is the socially ingrained desire of being rescued by a tall handsome man who drives a Porsche Panamera (well, it was never going to be a white stallion!). But I am noticing a massive revived interest in the fantasy and it’s not as simple as Disney. Instead it’s fraught with questions about expectations, ambitions, independence and freedom.
Are we waiting for our Prince to rescue us?
Women are encouraged to be independent, successful and are constantly drilled to carve identities for themselves that aren’t defined by mens’ fantasies. At the same time the WAG culture is glamorized and with a hostile economic climate, it’s hard not to envy the ladies of leisure. I’ve always loved working and felt independence so empowering but one night whilst battling ice winds in Camden and cramming myself into an overcrowded tube on the Northern Line, that in my exhaustion I couldn’t help dreaming about a life steeped in luxury where I wouldn’t have to lift a finger and also not have to deal with being thrust into someone’s armpit every time the train jolted. In my 3 minute fantasy (very basic here), there were marble floors, floor to ceiling windows framed by long swagged curtains and I was reclining on a chaise lounge wearing a fur coat and smoking a cigarette in a cigarette holder (think Audrey Hepburn). Far fetched, yes. But at that moment it was my fantasy.
Sure enough, another night when I was again plagued by London commuters, I was reading The Stylist only to find the opinion column centred around the shift from working women’s independence to a life cushioned by a husband’s deep bank account (he probably manages a hedge fund) where she is free from expectation and the pressure of ambition. Shocking.
Never before have we been so confused about what it is acceptable to want. And this is not only worming its way into the back of our minds but also into mainstream culture. Taylor Swift sings about a “Love Story” and this year will see a return of fairytale classics on our cinema screens. Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs is getting a makeover and Tim Burton is currently working on his rendition of Sleeping Beauty (starring Angeline Jolie as the evil queen). Even the recent (and brilliant) Black Swan shows a young woman who is so consumed with achieving perfection in her career, she meets a nasty end. As you prepare for your Saturday night takeaway/ night out, Hollywood is busy in the process of churning out an endless slog of re-makes of classic romances where girl meets boy, falls in love medieval style and they both live in a big castle with their crowns happily ever after.
My first real exposure to romance was in the form of Pride and Prejudice wherein the heroine Elizabeth Bennett was rescued to the lavish home of Mr Darcy where it is presumed she leads a life of not only marital bliss, but also security. A friend of mine said to me, “When I get that feeling of a man looking after me, I feel trapped”. Needless to say my friend also expects him to pick up the bill on dates no questions asked. I have to admit I am not too faraway from this mindset. With mixed messages all around us, it’s hard not to be caught between wanting to be rescued and be the ambitious, successful females we are expected to be. Where is the compromise in all of this, if there is one?
