Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Grimm Brothers

1. Qualities important to women:

• Beauty - most fairest in the land
• Ability to cook and clean - only work in the house
• Marriage
• Submissive 

2. Traits/Qualities that are undesirable for women:

• Old/ Country women - seen as unattractive 
• Single
• Messy
• Ugly
• Vein 
• Kill joys 

3. Traits important for men:

• Marriage
• Handsome
• Unable to look after yourself
• Confident
• Show dominance 
• Strong
• Work while the women clean the home
• Free to speak their mind - always right 

4. What is the story trying to teach the audience?

• Women & men roles in society during the time period. 
• Beauty is everything - if you're not beautiful or the most beautiful in the land you are worthless. The Queen attempted to kill Snow White 4 times so she could be the most beautiful in the looking glasses eye. 
• Marriage - You need to have a counterpart to survive in the world and be viewed in the social class.
• Women belong in the kitchen or are evil witches - seen and not heard. 
• Men work for a living - the bread winners & women stay at home and maintain the household. 

5. Snow White's relationships: 

• The wicked Queen - bearable until she is older and more beautiful than the Queen. Once she is older it turns nasty and the Queen attempts to kill her several times.
• The Dwarfs - They all get along quite well, this is evident as they allow her to live with them, tries to revive her every time and when she passes away they place her in a coffin to lay peacefully. 
• The prince - A confusing relationship to the audience- based purely off looks and social class. They have never spoken before and all of a sudden they are planning to marry and go through with it.

6. Does it provide a realistic view of men & women?

No. Today, men & women provide for a family and a household as they both work - the story depicts men as being 'the breadwinner' but this is not the case. It creates unrealistic expectations for young girls as they will grow up believing that they are required to be beautiful in the eyes of others or they will not achieve the main goal in life - marriage with a handsome prince which is not a priority in today's society. 

7. Any modern stories that promote similar messages?

• Romantic Comedies