Mirror, mirror, on the wall! Are all stepparents wicked? Impressions of stepparents’ role in the fairy tales

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to explore stepfamily representation in fairy tales and their animations on YouTube. The data was collected via document analysis in the study. The data source of the research is Grimm's fairy tales which are classical fairy tales. The results demonstrate that stepmothers identify with the stereotypical wicked women, both in the book of Grimm’s fairy tales and in the animations of these fairy tales. Also, stepchildren were imaged to neglect and abuse, and it was determined that the stepfather was hardly visible in fairy tales. In line with these results, it is recommended to increase the awareness of families and educators of wicked stepparent stereotyping in children’s fairy tales.

KEYWORDS:

• Stepmother
• stepfather
• step-sibling
• divorce
• remarriage
• fairy story

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).