Feminist campaigner calls for princess stories to be OUTLAWED to encourage young girls to ‘break out of stereotypes’ (so do your children's books pass the test?)
- Author Jos Dirkx, 31, and wants instead to promote' conscious storytelling'
- Says children's books are often one-dimensional in their portrayal of women
- Wants to 'create as much space for as many different kinds of stories as possible'
- Campaigner has made it her mission to integrate 'inclusive and diverse stories'
A feminist campaigner is on a mission to outlaw princess stories in the hope it will encourage young girls to 'break out of stereotypes'.
Dubai-based author Jos Dirkx, 31, believes children's books are often one-dimensional in their portrayal of women and wants parents to promote 'conscious storytelling' instead.
While tales of princesses and knights on white horses are as old as time, Jos argues they do not always reflect 'modern values' nor the type of role models children should look up to.
'Though there’s nothing wrong with keeping some traditional stories around - after all, the goal is to make space for everyone - we do want to create as much space for as many different kinds of stories as possible,' Jos told MailOnline.
The campaigner has made it her mission to integrate 'inclusive and diverse stories to build trust, understanding, empathy and confidence'.
Jos Dirkx, pictured, believes children's books are all too often one-dimensional in their portrayal of women and wants instead to promote' conscious storytelling'
'By leveraging inclusive and holistic stories that have the power to inspire, spark curiosity and build diverse communities, we can help both girls and boys understand that there are so many ways for them to ‘be’ and that old rules don’t necessarily support new ambitions,' she said.
Here, Jos reveals why she thinks our children's books should undergo a much-needed makeover.
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What is a 'good girl'?
'A "good" girl used to mean being a nice girl,' says Jos. 'A quiet girl. A girl who played by the rules, didn’t speak up, and didn’t challenge the system.
'We consciously need to re-write the narrative about what being 'good' means. It's about doing your own version of good.
'Girls aren't good. They aren't bad. They're girls. And we can all do our own version of good to change our world bit by bit. So how can the stories you read help create inclusive and safe spaces for boys and girls?'
Tell honest stories
'For pretty much all of us, life is not a fairy tale. We go through our own struggles, challenges and difficult decisions - the sooner we are able to hear different versions of the truth, the better we are equipped to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.
'So, be mindful that you share real-life stories of superheroes struggling, changing the world and being their authentic self. Allow kids to explore success and failure and relate to others who have done the same.
Jos, pictured, has made it her mission to integrate 'inclusive and diverse stories to build trust, understanding, empathy and confidence'
You can’t be what you can’t see
'Telling kids stories that feature diverse characters and personalities is crucial to their understanding of the world - it’s through these narratives they are able to find new ways to relate not only to the environment around them, but also to others that share the same space.
'One of the reasons we have perpetuated the tale of the princess and the knight is because this is the only narrative we believed we had access to. It is the narrative too many of us seemingly trusted and understood.
'Have you ever thought about what would happen if you changed the identity or gender of characters in existing fairy tales while reading them out loud to your kids?
'It’s our responsibility to show kids that there are countless ways to "be", that there are countless ways in which their positive spirit and energy can change the world.'
Jos Dirkx is the author of new illustrated children's book Girls Do Good, pictured
There’s no right answer
'This isn’t about one character being ‘better’ than another. It’s about choice, about variety and diversity, and it’s about acceptance.
'The last thing we need to focus on is whether a character like Mulan is a stronger character choice than Cinderella.
'That type of restrictive thinking still does not allow us to get to the root cause of what we are trying to do, which is to make stories for all different kinds, featuring all different kinds of characters.
'The most important thing we can do is show versatile, fun and different characters, that each tell their own tale of success and change and that don’t necessarily fit into a specific, predefined box.'
Overhauling the fairytale
'Let’s re-define the fairytale. Maybe it can go something like this... Once upon a time, there was a young girl who decided the one-dimensional view of a princess was no longer the only way to be.
'She wanted to show kids around the world all the wonderful ways to be powerful, strong and fun. She wanted to explore what it might mean if fairy tales were re-written to feature all kinds of heroes.
'Most importantly, she wanted to be her own hero. Perhaps not your typical fairy-tale, is it?'
Jos Dirkx is the author of Girls Do Good: A Colourful Guide to Changing the World with Stories of Real-life Superheroes, available now on amazon.co.uk. Find out more at girlsdogood.co
