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100 WOMEN TO INSPIRE ALL THE CHILDREN
Meet the authors who have genderswitched in fairytales and have told the story of some rebel girls
Have you watched the If Cinderella Were A Guy video that recently went viral? In this three-minute retelling of the much-loved fairytale, it’s the boy who sweeps the floor and then gets to meet the princess, and it’s the princess who sets out to find him after their dance. The creators of this video, who are also the authors of the book Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls, are California-based writers Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo — and they have been dismantling longheld beliefs about what boys and girls, men and women, should be like.
“Princesses typically need a prince, a brother, or a hunter to be saved,” says Favilli. “They’re never in charge of their own destiny. So they send out a very demeaning message to young girls.” Cavallo adds, “Seems the [Cinderfella] video resonated with a lot of people and made them think about gender roles in fairytales.”
While fairytales rarely have a strong female character, the real world has plenty of women who have made a huge impact on society. Rebel Girls tells their stories. From pharaoh Cleopatra to boxer Mary Kom, 100 powerful women populate this book. Their beautiful portraits are made by 60 female artists.
Cavallo says, “We wanted to feature women from as many countries as possible, because children’s media productions lack diversity not just in terms of gender, but also in terms of race and religion. Our stories show examples of real women who achieved extraordinary results in every field imaginable. They are a tremendous source of inspiration because they encourage young girls to explore, learn and dream without limits.”