One mother from the UK seems to think so. The Newcastle Chronicle says mom Sarah Hall feels the book promotes an inappropriate sexual message since it tells children it's okay to kiss a woman while she's asleep.
She argued it teaches children that it is ok to kiss a woman while she’s asleep, which she says is not acceptable.
Sarah was reading a school book with her six-year-old son, which was based on the traditional story.
She said: “I think it’s a specific issue in the Sleeping Beauty story about sexual behaviour and consent.
“ It’s about saying is this still relevant, is it appropriate?”
I have seen many instances of people being against classic Disney movies/stories for unrealistic expectations of relationships and because of how women are portrayed but this is the first time I've heard of someone disliking the fairytale for THAT reason. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's a story, obviously it's not real.
I think instead of banning fairytales like this, we instead should use it as an opportunity to teach children that asking for consent is important and that just because you see something in a book or movie doesn't make it okay to do in real life. I believe using things like this as a learning opportunity is far more beneficial to the child. Ultimately, I simply take issue with banning any books or movies, regardless of the reason.
Sarah said she might not have given the story a second thought, but recent coverage of sexual abuse and consent, including the social media ‘Me Too’ campaign, made her think about the subtle messages which, say says, help create a culture where consent isn’t seen as important.
While I can understand her train of thought here regarding how society views consent, again, I view it as the responsibility of the parent (or any authority figure in charge of teaching children) to TALK to them about the material they are learning about. All banning the book does is shut down any potential for discussion and learning. If this mother indeed believes that we "create a culture where consent isn't seen as important" then shouldn't she want to change that, starting with having actual conversations with our children regarding these topics? Nothing is going to change by simply banning a story or fairytale.
I simply can't get on board with this notion of banning anything that could even remotely be viewed as "inappropriate." But I'm curious to hear the thoughts of others, do you agree with banning Sleeping Beauty? Is it inappropriate content for children and does it promote sexual assault? You be the judge.
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