Mom Wants 'Sleeping Beauty' Banned in Schools for Sexual Harassment Content
A mother of a 6-year-old boy in Newcastle, England wants schools to ban the children's book "Sleeping Beauty." Sarah Hall insists that the fairy tale's context promote sexual harassment and its content isn't fit for kids.
Hall expressed her concern after seeing that her son borrowed the book from his school. The mother has issues with the prince kissing an unaware Sleeping Beauty and she's worried about the message this sends to children.
"I think it's a specific issue in the 'Sleeping Beauty' story about sexual behavior and consent," the mom told Newcastle Chronicle. "In today's society, it isn't appropriate - my son is only six, he absorbs everything he sees."
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The recent #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment also prompted her to ask the school to ban the book. Hall, however, isn't calling for pulling the book out of circulation completely. She still thinks older children will still benefit from the story if parents or teachers also discuss the character's feelings.
Italian poet Giambattista Basil originally wrote the story of "Sleeping Beauty" in the 16th century. It featured a princess named Talia who was raped in her sleep and bore twins while comatose.
The married king who raped her eventually tried to win her heart when Talia woke up. She earned the wrath of his wife who planned on murdering Talia and her twins but Disney created a sanitized version of the story in its 1959 animated adaptation.
Many disagreed with Hall's concern on social media, though. One netizen pointed out that one book or fairytale won't make young kids immediately have them kissing just about anyone.
Kate Edwards of Seven Stories also spoke to Newcastle Chronicle and stated that the story of "Sleeping Beauty" teachers what's right or wrong. There have been several versions of the original story or the fairy tale over the years but its main elements remained intact.
