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Disney Princesses Face Real-Life Problems Like Drugs And Rape In Powerful Photo Series By Shannon Dermody
We've become used to seeing Disney princesses as symbols of purity, beauty, and feel-good emotions. But what if they ever got into the real world with all of its violence, drugs, sex trafficking, and all the other horrible real-life problems that we see on the daily news?
That's what a Philadelphia-based photographer Shannon Dermody set up to explore in her latest photo series featuring Disney characters dealing with drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, rape, sex trafficking and all the darkest aspects of our real life.
The photographer is seeking to raise awareness about the real-world problems by taking us out of our comfort zone with her powerful photos and talking about dramatic living conditions many people around the world face every day. Just be warned that some of the stunning pictures are quite graphic.
More info: Shannon Dermody | Facebook (h/t: demilked, ufunk)
This post may include affiliate links.
Domestic Violence
Honestly, "Beauty and the Beast" is pretty much a story of mental and physical abuse, and stockholm syndrome
Pollution
Alcoholism
Rape
This is ridiculous.It's nothing about "raising awareness".Not everything has to be clouded and debased.The whole idea of things like "Disney Princesses" (of which I am no great fan)is that there is some small escape from the horrors of life.Of late ,there has been a real push to put an adult slant on them.To sexualize and sensationalize them.Which is exactly what this photo shoot is doing.FFS leave something for children,not everything has to be appropriated into something dark and nasty.Let kids be kids and let their safe,friendly,innocent "princesses" stay just that.
Actually, in the first known version of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, she isn't waken up by a kiss. A king finds her, rapes her in her sleep, impregnates her, and she gives birth to two children, whilst still asleep. One of them sucks on her finger and so the spike that had kept her asleep falls out. As per the photo, I'm fairly sure that it's not meant to sexualise Aurora, I suppose it's trying to contrast the ideal world of a fairy tale and the real dangers facing a young woman. I don't see how that's not good for raising awareness but each to their own I guess :)
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You do realize the real stories of the disney princesses are stories in which terrible things happened right? Sleeping beauty was actually raped in the original story. Snow White forces her step mother to wear iron hot metal shoes and dance until she dies at her wedding. Ariel dies after painfully dancing for Prince Erics enjoyment and he falls in love with someone else. Disney took each story and made it a more child friendly story.
Wait what? I am a kid...this site or app isn't off limits...
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This is necessary. At least until rape isn't a "Previous Condition" for crooked insurance corporations and until men no longer think of rape as an option no matter what thrice-damned sport you excel at. Very necessary indeed.
The negative comments here really annoy me. It's just an artistic expression of real life problems. Get over your selves, this stuff is real
Peta Hurley-Hill has a valid point and just as much right to make that point as all of you who slammed her for it. Why can't you just offer your opinion without it being about putting down someone else's? I like the photographs. I find them original and gritty, if a little less artistic than they could have been. I applaud Miss Dermody for being unafraid to do something different. At the same time, I sort of agree that this isn't an entirely appropriate area to make dark and twisty. And to Miss Hurley-Hill, I apologise for those who have nothing better to do than to go about all day telling other people their feelings are wrong. Thank you for your post. :)
No joke in the original story Aurora (makes Talia in the story) was raped. This is actually accurate to the actual story of Sleeping Beauty (Named the moon, sun, and Talia or something like that)
Peta if we look deeply at Disney films, we'll see sexualisation, abuse, horrors of life in the,
This is about showing problems of the world with something that is relate-able to the modern world. If you want children to stay out of it keep them out of this.
Fairytales are interpreted from very very dark stories...but I love this photograph, it's amazing.(and at the same time touching *wipes of tears*)
Fairy tales to begin with was mostly for grown-ups, it only changed later to fit children. And no one can deny that there are grown women who for all the right reasons wish the fairy tale for themselves, only to be raped by "prince not-so-charming" and the darker fairy tales are for them. They didn't ask for it, no matter what they wore or if they drank or not, they just wanted to be loved and adored and treated nicely, and someone took advantage of them. Dark fairy tales exist too. It's very naive to think otherwise.
If you a weed nug up your butt, will you get high? I heared it's called "boofing"
You should go into the school system and show kids these pictures.
Did you know that in the original sleeping beauty story, she get's raped by a king/prince that's supposed to save her and wakes up 9 months later giving birth to twins.
Assuming this is sleeping beauty, I don't see how this applies to the story.
This would be more powerful if Bill Cosby was sitting next to her.
Suicide
Sex Trafficking
Tobacco
Heroin
Uhh, you're doing it wrong. Ignoring the actual injecting... how are drugs in any way related to this character?! Most of these photos touch on themes within the stories. This one does not.
Police Brutality
This is a little extreme. Most police are amazing people trying to make the work a better place.
I like the idea behind the photoshoot, but I think it could be done much better. I like the "Pollution", but for example "Heroin" doesn't really show the effects of the drug - why the angry expression? "Tobacco" looks too overdone in photoshop which takes away the beauty of photography. I like the "Police brutality", very good idea to implement gun pointing and searching for a pulse at the same time - model does a great job too, I'd say she nailed it with the facial expression. But it's easy to see the girls don't have much experience in modelling, which doesn't do any favors to the photographs.
I agree. but i think its mainly the models the looks on their faces aren't convincing. they look like they are almost smiling (happy). . the only ones i buy are the first one (Belle) the frog prince princess and the Rapunsel photo.
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My only compliant is that girls (sometimes boys and adults) turn to princesses for the fantasy, not the reality. We see reality all over our lives. I have no interest in fantasy characters in real life tragedies. I also think there has been a real move toward making these characters their own hero; here they are represented being victimized. (okay, two complaints)
Boredpanda these days almost solely consists of creating controversial items to lure people to click. Internet 101: Create a post with a sensitive/controversial topic and enjoy high click numbers even for sub-standard art. I have found myself visiting the site less and less.
Load More Replies... Yeah take everything that is beautiful in life, even if it is a made up fantasy, and stick rape and murder on it to "raise awareness". Great stuff!
In the original sleeping beauty she was raped. She woke up cause her baby was sucking on her finger and accidentally removed the spike, not because of some kiss.
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What the actual ****?! When did turning children's princesses into raped and beaten women become normal?!? Leave Disney characters for kids
"seeking to raise awareness about the real-world problems " among whom? Pre-teen girls? Because... Disney princesses. :(
Is it your contention that only pre-teen girls know who Disney princesses are?
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Hardly recognizable as Disney princesses - looks like a bunch of girls in prom dresses.
This is ridiculous.It's nothing about "raising awareness".Not everything has to be clouded and debased.The whole idea of things like "Disney Princesses" (of which I am no great fan)is that there is some small escape from the horrors of life.Of late ,there has been a real push to put an adult slant on them.To sexualize and sensationalize them.Which is exactly what this photo shoot is doing.FFS leave something for children,not everything has to be appropriated into something dark and nasty.Let kids be kids and let their safe,friendly,innocent "princesses" stay just that.
The Disney princesses do remain that for young children, unless a parent is so monumentally stupid as to show these images to small children. Did you think they were meant for the consumption of 10-year-olds?
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WTF is wrong with people? How in god's name is it ok to perpetuate the Disney princess myth, and teach girls that a prince will swoop them off their feet and take care of them forever? That kind of thinking is the basis for secrecy and denial later in life. No prince beats the s**t out of a princess in the fantasy, so many young women are convinced that they have done something wrong and deserve the abuse. Real life is not a cute little forever after story. Stop lying to your daughters and teach them their own worth and that it is never ok for anyone to hurt them!
I've already seen the same idea executed so much batter. Ariel with pollution, which is the best here, was there and with much better photo; Jasmine was a guerilla fighter in the war-torn Middle East and not ruddy tobacco smoker (seriously? tobacco? that totally deserves to be mentioned in one breath with rape, right?), Snow White was a single mother with seven kids. In this series, I first had to stare for a while to even realise which princess is this supposed to be and then even longer to figure out what's the connection. I still don't get the sex trafficking and police brutality. Important issues are important, but you can rely on that alone. Not when you make it conceptual.
ST aka Cinderella-was forced to hard labor and wasn't allowed to go outside by her step-mother. PB aka Tatiana-because she is black. That's it I think :-( But I agree that these are somewhat poorly executed...
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Ok, I'm not into anything "Disney" anymore, hating how the entire image of the company has deteriorated into grossness and greed. But WHY does anyone feel the need to destroy the images of the "princesses" with all this garbage??? Why ruin images that, for little girls, at least, offer some kind of hope in an otherwise ugly world that mankind is doing its level best to destroy? There was absolutely no need for this hideous conglomeration of ugliness, none whatsoever!
I love it, no matter how dark it is, it is beautiful. In this plastic world we try to live in, all these artificial women are perfect, unattainable. But to step back, look at reality, to see the truth, the imperfect truth. What better way to show that than with these perfect girls, the imperfections in the world?
I mean I like it don't get me wrong I just think it could of been done better. I grew up in many of these situations around me and in my home yet I had to look after my siblings all their life. They only time we could forget was when we watching these movies and pixar movies, I understand why make them yet a lot of these movies are an escape for abused kids who look at them as a sign of hope that everything will be okay.
This was strong, definitely some points to improve and refine, but it's got real potential. Good shoot!
I think the pollution one is incredibly interesting to look at. However, all the other ones are just too tragic and I don't understand why people just cannot leave fairy tales alone. Awareness and wiping away all lightness from a story is not the same thing. Please leave my princesses alone, FFS!!!!
If you don't like it, don't look at it. just say's
Load More Replies... This is probably the dumbest thing I have seen online. If you want to dramatize these things. What are you dong about these issues besides making pointless art? Exactly.
Maybe you should go into the school system and show them these pictures.
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Just shows the lack of originality on the part of the photographer.Don't have much regard for those who feel they must debase the work of others to gain attention.
Why did I look at this? None of it was/is beneficial to the message the artist is trying to portray. Now we have to demonize even Disney characters? Why? I particularly was sickened by the heroin and sexual abuse ones. WTF? YUCK!
I like the idea behind the photoshoot, but I think it could be done much better. I like the "Pollution", but for example "Heroin" doesn't really show the effects of the drug - why the angry expression? "Tobacco" looks too overdone in photoshop which takes away the beauty of photography. I like the "Police brutality", very good idea to implement gun pointing and searching for a pulse at the same time - model does a great job too, I'd say she nailed it with the facial expression. But it's easy to see the girls don't have much experience in modelling, which doesn't do any favors to the photographs.
I agree. but i think its mainly the models the looks on their faces aren't convincing. they look like they are almost smiling (happy). . the only ones i buy are the first one (Belle) the frog prince princess and the Rapunsel photo.
Load More Replies... My only compliant is that girls (sometimes boys and adults) turn to princesses for the fantasy, not the reality. We see reality all over our lives. I have no interest in fantasy characters in real life tragedies. I also think there has been a real move toward making these characters their own hero; here they are represented being victimized. (okay, two complaints)
Boredpanda these days almost solely consists of creating controversial items to lure people to click. Internet 101: Create a post with a sensitive/controversial topic and enjoy high click numbers even for sub-standard art. I have found myself visiting the site less and less.
Load More Replies... Yeah take everything that is beautiful in life, even if it is a made up fantasy, and stick rape and murder on it to "raise awareness". Great stuff!
In the original sleeping beauty she was raped. She woke up cause her baby was sucking on her finger and accidentally removed the spike, not because of some kiss.
Load More Replies... What the actual ****?! When did turning children's princesses into raped and beaten women become normal?!? Leave Disney characters for kids
"seeking to raise awareness about the real-world problems " among whom? Pre-teen girls? Because... Disney princesses. :(
Is it your contention that only pre-teen girls know who Disney princesses are?
Load More Replies... Hardly recognizable as Disney princesses - looks like a bunch of girls in prom dresses.
This is ridiculous.It's nothing about "raising awareness".Not everything has to be clouded and debased.The whole idea of things like "Disney Princesses" (of which I am no great fan)is that there is some small escape from the horrors of life.Of late ,there has been a real push to put an adult slant on them.To sexualize and sensationalize them.Which is exactly what this photo shoot is doing.FFS leave something for children,not everything has to be appropriated into something dark and nasty.Let kids be kids and let their safe,friendly,innocent "princesses" stay just that.
The Disney princesses do remain that for young children, unless a parent is so monumentally stupid as to show these images to small children. Did you think they were meant for the consumption of 10-year-olds?
Load More Replies... WTF is wrong with people? How in god's name is it ok to perpetuate the Disney princess myth, and teach girls that a prince will swoop them off their feet and take care of them forever? That kind of thinking is the basis for secrecy and denial later in life. No prince beats the s**t out of a princess in the fantasy, so many young women are convinced that they have done something wrong and deserve the abuse. Real life is not a cute little forever after story. Stop lying to your daughters and teach them their own worth and that it is never ok for anyone to hurt them!
I've already seen the same idea executed so much batter. Ariel with pollution, which is the best here, was there and with much better photo; Jasmine was a guerilla fighter in the war-torn Middle East and not ruddy tobacco smoker (seriously? tobacco? that totally deserves to be mentioned in one breath with rape, right?), Snow White was a single mother with seven kids. In this series, I first had to stare for a while to even realise which princess is this supposed to be and then even longer to figure out what's the connection. I still don't get the sex trafficking and police brutality. Important issues are important, but you can rely on that alone. Not when you make it conceptual.
ST aka Cinderella-was forced to hard labor and wasn't allowed to go outside by her step-mother. PB aka Tatiana-because she is black. That's it I think :-( But I agree that these are somewhat poorly executed...
Load More Replies... Ok, I'm not into anything "Disney" anymore, hating how the entire image of the company has deteriorated into grossness and greed. But WHY does anyone feel the need to destroy the images of the "princesses" with all this garbage??? Why ruin images that, for little girls, at least, offer some kind of hope in an otherwise ugly world that mankind is doing its level best to destroy? There was absolutely no need for this hideous conglomeration of ugliness, none whatsoever!
I love it, no matter how dark it is, it is beautiful. In this plastic world we try to live in, all these artificial women are perfect, unattainable. But to step back, look at reality, to see the truth, the imperfect truth. What better way to show that than with these perfect girls, the imperfections in the world?
I mean I like it don't get me wrong I just think it could of been done better. I grew up in many of these situations around me and in my home yet I had to look after my siblings all their life. They only time we could forget was when we watching these movies and pixar movies, I understand why make them yet a lot of these movies are an escape for abused kids who look at them as a sign of hope that everything will be okay.
This was strong, definitely some points to improve and refine, but it's got real potential. Good shoot!
I think the pollution one is incredibly interesting to look at. However, all the other ones are just too tragic and I don't understand why people just cannot leave fairy tales alone. Awareness and wiping away all lightness from a story is not the same thing. Please leave my princesses alone, FFS!!!!
If you don't like it, don't look at it. just say's
Load More Replies... This is probably the dumbest thing I have seen online. If you want to dramatize these things. What are you dong about these issues besides making pointless art? Exactly.
Maybe you should go into the school system and show them these pictures.
Load More Replies... Just shows the lack of originality on the part of the photographer.Don't have much regard for those who feel they must debase the work of others to gain attention.
Why did I look at this? None of it was/is beneficial to the message the artist is trying to portray. Now we have to demonize even Disney characters? Why? I particularly was sickened by the heroin and sexual abuse ones. WTF? YUCK!
