Lots of us grew up with Disney stories and they’re an inseparable part of our childhood. However, some people believe that these tales have a negative impact on young women because they contain harmful gender stereotypes. A dad is going viral on TikTok and the news for updating and modernizing his daughter’s Disney books to better reflect the times we live in and to make life better for both of his girls.
The Minnesota dad, who has two daughters and goes by the tag @dcaspers on TikTok, filmed the entire process and uploaded the videos for everyone to see. He changed classic fairy tales like The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and others, giving them twists nobody could have expected.
His actions, however, have divided the internet and sparked a fiery discussion online. While some lauded the dad for reworking gender tropes into something more egalitarian and realistic, others thought that what he’s doing might amount to censoring classics for the sake of appearing progressive.
Check out the dad’s videos below and let us know what you think of his project, dear Pandas. Are you fans of his reworked stories or do you prefer the classics? Do you think we should aim to constantly update older works of literature or should we simply aim to publish new and modern stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.
This dad is updating Disney princess books to make them more modern for his two girls
Image credits: dcaspers
Check out how he removes gender stereotypes from the tales in his TikTok videos
@dcaspersChanging tomorrow starts today. #madatdisney #girldad #dadhacks♬ Mad at Disney - salem ilese
#1 Bakes Cakes And Cokies And Feeds Her Prince. Sorry Prince, Make Your Own Damn Nachos
Image credits: dcaspers
Some of the changes that the Minnesota dad made include Cinderella marrying Belle from the classic tale Beauty and the Beast. What’s more, The Little Mermaid chooses pizza over Prince Eric, and Rapunzel graduates top of her class at Harvard. Meanwhile, Princess Tiana makes some nachos that she keeps for herself instead of baking sweet treats and sharing them with Prince Naveen.
The dad’s hacks made him very popular on TikTok. To date, he’s received 2.4 million likes on all of his videos on his channel and he’s got a following of 48.4k people.
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
#2 The Beast Is Sad, Belle Makes Brownies. Belle Worked All Day And Picked Something Up
Image credits: dcaspers
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
#3 Merida Is Baking Cookies And Asks For Help. The Boys Say No. She Gives Them Cookies Anyways. Sorry Boys, If You Want A Cookie, Clean Up The Kitchen First
Image credits: dcaspers
Naturally, quite a lot of people were pleasantly surprised by the ‘fairy godfather’s’ project and literary makeovers, calling him the ‘best dad ever’ and praising his fight against gender stereotypes for the sake of his two daughters.
However, others were more skeptical and some believed the dad may have gone too far in his quest for gender equality. Some internet users were concerned that the dad was setting a potentially dangerous precedent about editing out everything we don’t like in books. Meanwhile, others pointed out that the dad’s updates may not be consistent with how the characters in these stories would behave.
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
#4 Rapunzel Enters A Contest, Bakes A Pie And Wins... Her Boyfriend Approves. Rapunzel Dreams Big And Wins Top Of Her Class... Now He Bakes Her A Pie
Image credits: dcaspers
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
#5 Ariel Changes Her Body, Leaves Her Friends And Family And Now She's Baking All For Him. Instead Of Baking, Ariel Orders A Pizza. While The Prince Eats His Pizza... With A Fork, She Finds Her New Love... In Tiktok
Image credits: dcaspers
I previously spoke at length about gender stereotypes and the need for equality at home with Elizabeth Arif-Fear, the founder and director of ‘Voice of Salam.’
“A woman should not be expected to be responsible for the home just because she is a woman. A couple needs to discuss chores based on working hours outside of the home and any other caring responsibilities that affect schedules and workloads,” she told Bored Panda during an interview.
“If both partners are working full-time then they should be sharing the housework equally. Sadly, research shows that women still do more housework than men even when working. On a practical level, if a couple is committed to an equal level of partnership, drawing up a chore timetable can be useful, as can designating roles by working out who does what based on their likes and strengths,” she said.
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
#6 In What Universe Is Just Holding A Dustpan Considered Caring? Doc Is Wise And Cleans The Whole House Himself
Image credits: dcaspers
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
#7 Cinderella Is Forced To Clean, Cook And Is Bullied... And Thinks A Guy Is Her Only Savior. Cinderella Stands Up For Herself Against The Bullies And Now Controls Her Own Destiny
Image credits: dcaspers
According to Elizabeth, attitudes toward gender go beyond chores. “They are a symptom of sexism. In such a relationship, both partners are not equal. No woman should be expected to work two full-time jobs—one paid and one at home—while her able-bodied husband sits back and does nothing at home. In today’s world, looking after the home and/or children is a full-time job in itself and such work needs to be shared. Families often have to rely on two incomes and women have the right to pursue professional goals—something which their spouse should encourage as part of an equal partnership,” she told Bored Panda.
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
#8 Cinderella Heads To The Ball And Finds Her Prince Charming. Now Adding Diversity To Disney. Cinderella Goes To The Ball And Finds Her True Love!
Image credits: dcaspers
“Being financially dependent on a man is not a healthy or safe option. Spouses must be equal in opportunities and shared duties. As working patterns have shifted with the economy in the past decades, outdated sexist attitudes also need to shift. A women’s role is where she wants to be—just like a man’s. It’s not her job to pick up or look after male relatives/spouses. If she chooses to stay at home as the family is financially able to manage on one wage, that must be the couple’s joint decision. Even then, there must be mutual respect, sharing of responsibility, and a fair equitable division of chores.”
Some people thought the dad reworking the classic Disney stories was inspiring:
However, not everyone agreed with his modern approach to popular children's books:
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