#which isn't to say i don't like the whole apple-dislodging thing! i just also really like the kiss its very fairytale to me

[dearmahiru-archive]

Aaah your snow white post made me so happy, especially since most people just shit on the princesses without actually thinking about like, their circumstances, or actually going through their stories ;w; I think one of the main reasons most people dislike snow white is because she was woken up with a kiss in the movie, which is definitely not how it went in the original. The prince wanted to care for the coffin snow white was in and care for her, so the dwarves let him have her coffin. Then he asked his servants to come take the coffin, and while carrying it, one of the servants tripped and fell, dislodging the poisoned piece from snow white's throat. So it really was because of the prince's love, rather than his kiss, which really endears the original story to me. Ahhh sorry for rambling (⁠・⁠–⁠・⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ

no no it's okay!! im always delighted to see snow white love she's my favorite ever!!

and i can see why modern audiences are disgusted with the non-consensual kiss but there's so much more narrative going on with the kiss than the prince kissing a corpse!

snow white is the direct manifestation of her mother's wish. hair black as ebony, lips red as blood, skin white as snow. after the death of her parents, it's these kinds of wishes and dreams that keep snow white happy when forced into a scullery maid.

snow white had everything taken from her and all she wants is a nice true love! not a handsome or charming or dashing one, just a nice person to sweep her off her feet. and not one moment after does a nice prince serenade her with a song!

and yes modern audiences can grind and groan about how anti-feminist it is for your lead heroine's main desire to be finding a prince but he hardly shows up in the story. it's snow white's tale, not his, and he's appropriately given little fanfare outside of his six minutes. you can replace him with a sexy lamp and, apart from the kiss, very little about the story would need to be rewritten.

speaking of the kiss—it's so important! as i mentioned in my previous post, the entire story is about love saving snow white, so ofcourse the queen scoffs at the idea of true love's kiss. knowing how hopelessly naive snow white is, the disguised queen offers the apple to snow white and tells her to "make a wish and take a bite."

and for all snow white knows the wishing apple does work because, once again, she wishes for her prince and who comes to rescue her? and how do you just not crack a smile at love's first kiss playing in the background?

and away to his castle you'll go to be happy forever we know

and i do think there's ways to cut the kiss out entirely without sacrificing any story but i can really see the vision the artists were going for. it feels so much more cinematic for the main heroine to be woken up from sleeping death by a kiss from her beloved than the apple simply falling out of her mouth. there's just something so lovely about the entire forest celebrating snow white's revival and her getting whisked off to her happily ever after, y'know?