Kristen Bell used this classic Disney Princess story to explain consent to her daughters
As much as we love a classic princess tale, they aren’t exactly woke. Actress Keira Knightley recently revealed that she banned Cinderella and The Little Mermaid in her house because of the messages they send about romance and equality (“Cinderella is banned because, you know, she waits around for a rich guy to rescue her,” Knightley said). Now, Kristen Bell has admitted she thinks Snow White sends a terrible message about consent, and honestly, she has a point.
Bell told Parents.com that she loves reading to her daughters at bedtime but said that when they read classic Disney stories—they need to have a discussion about it after.
"Every time we close Snow White I look at my girls and ask, 'Don't you think it's weird that Snow White didn't ask the old witch why she needed to eat the apple? Or where she got that apple?' I say, 'I would never take food from a stranger, would you?' And my kids are like, 'No!' And I'm like, 'Okay, I'm doing something right.'"
When Prince Charming awakens Snow White with a kiss, Bell said she took that opportunity to discuss consent with her young daughters.
"Don't you think that it's weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?" Bell said she asks her daughters. "Because you can not kiss someone if they're sleeping!"
Luckily for Bell’s daughters, their mom’s film Frozen deals with consent beautifully. At the end of the film, Kristoff adorably asks Anna if he can kiss her; she says yes, they kiss, and it’s lovely.
Check out Bell’s full interview with Parents.com here.
