Most little girls grow up with a thought of what it might be like to be a princess. The recent hysteria over the royal wedding shows how excited the world is about this fantasy. A friend brought my attention to this photography collection by Dina Goldstein, ‘Fallen Princesses.’ What’s interesting about these photographs is that she takes the disney princesses, and shows where they might be today in an environment that articulates each character’s conflict. The photographer actually grew up without Disney, and so when she discovered it in adult life, saw the difference between the disney narrative and the original brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales. This being that the disney versions were missing that dark and gruesome element, but were more of story of damsel in distress being saved by a prince and brought to a happy ending. The photographs suggest what the modern day character’s life might be like with the issues that affect women such as illness, addiction and self-image.
My two favourite disney characters were Ariel from The Little Mermaid, as I love the ocean and Jasmine from Aladdin, who got to see the world from a flying carpet. Here are Goldstein’s interpretations of where they might be today.
To view the whole collection, please visit www.fallenprincesses.com
