Not even Prince Phillip from the classic Disney tale Sleeping Beauty is immune from the swath of sexual harassment claims that have spread across the film industry.
An English mother would like to see the story abolished and doesn’t see the Prince as a fairy tale hero like most others do. She sees him as a predator like the other men in Hollywood who’ve made headlines in a bad way recently.
The Newcastle Chronicle interviewed Sarah Hall, who stated she was disturbed by seeing Prince Phillip save Princess Aurora the way he did. The Princess wasn’t able to consent to the kiss being that she was under a spell, so there is question about whether or not she would have been okay with it.
Hall was so upset by how the story plays out that she contacted her son’s primary school in Newcastle and demanded they remove him from the classroom. Not only is there a consent issue, but she doesn’t see the story as relevant in today’s modern times. She thinks it adds to the idea that boys and men can do as they please with women.
She was adamant that her son be removed from the class, but she doesn’t want the movie to be removed for good.
“My son is only six years old and he absorbs everything he sees, and it isn’t as if he can turn it into a constructive conversation,” Hall said. “I don’t think taking Sleeping Beauty books out of circulation completely would be right. I actually think it would be a great resource for older children, you could have a conversation around it, you could talk about consent, and how the Princess might feel.”
She also tweeted:
Tell you what, while we are still seeing narratives like this in school, we are never going to change ingrained attitudes to sexual behaviour #MeToo #consent #mysonissix pic.twitter.com/3g4gyjifi9
— Sarah Hall (@Hallmeister) November 19, 2017
It’s not ok to wake a stranger with a kiss so why teach our kids it is? @thepooluk #thepool https://t.co/kSQUrH6oUd
— Sarah Hall (@Hallmeister) November 26, 2017
This, of course, is just one opinion. After all, the kiss did break the spell, and if he hadn’t have kissed her, she would have died. Taking away from the consent argument, this was part of her destiny and she very happily went on to marry him.
How do you feel about this? Do you think Sleeping Beauty should be banned? Be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments!