Honours | Practically Rapunzel

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Honours Project November 2018 - Practically Rapunzel

The Theory

The theoretical research behind the Practically Rapunzel series explores the various problematic female gender norms present in the 1857 written version of Rapunzel that are applicable to the female protagonist and that have been carried over to its film adaptation titled Tangled (2010).

Problematic female gender norms include beauty ideals, female domestic roles, passivity and silence among women and the ‘wifely’ and ‘motherly’ constructs that society expects women to conform to.

The main aim of this research is to discover how gender constructs were portrayed in the female protagonist in Rapunzel, and how or whether these were adapted in the animated film Tangled (2010) when the descriptive literature and the visuals of the two are compared. Through a comparison between the two tales I show that the female gender norms that have carried over from Rapunzel to Tangled (2010), and have not been sufficiently adapted to suit contemporary society and its values and beliefs, both visually and through descriptive literature.

The Practical Component

Comparing female gender norms applied to the female protagonist in both Rapunzel and the animated film Tangled (2010) has led me to a unique solution as to how female gender norms can be adapted sufficiently to suit contemporary society and its values and beliefs. I have updated the female gender norms of the 1857 version of Rapunzel by rewriting the story into three different versions that together form a series titled Practically Rapunzel.

Each rewritten version includes its own set of unique illustrations that depict the characters as a set of alien-like creatures that do not specifically represent any cultural ideal relating to gender or race. The first version investigates silence and passivity among women, the second focuses on female independence and shows that women need not get married to prove their worth and finally, the third version showcases an alternative scenario in which women are not obligated to perform certain domestic roles and can follow any career of their choice.

By taking this approach, these stories and their accompanying illustrations appeal to a wide audience of young children of both genders and teach them values and beliefs that are more appropriate to a contemporary society.

To start, here are a few of my favourite spreads from the first reinterpretation of Rapunzel:

Mock-up of cover

This specific spread reinterprets original illustrations of Rapunzel where the typical scene of Rapunzel letting down her hair is shown.

Here these old illustrations are visually referenced in that Rapunzel is using her tail to let herself down from her crashed spaceship.

Mock-ups of my favourite spreads in the book.

Next are a few of my favourite spreads from the second reinterpretation of Rapunzel:

Mock-up of cover

This illustration also captures the essence of the original Rapunzel illustrations as Rapunzel in this interpretation is shown to be seated on a high platform/tree branch with her "hair" hanging to the floor to showcase its exceptional length.

Mock-ups of my favourite spreads in the book.

Lastly, these are a few of my favourite spreads from the third reinterpretation of Rapunzel:

Mock-up of cover

As with the previous two books, this book also makes a visual reference to original illustrations of Rapunzel. Here Rapunzel is physically letting her "hair" down, but instead of it being an aid to her rescue, it is an aid to rescue her friend.

Mock-ups of my favourite spreads in the book.

Mock-up of all books together.

As part of the project, these books can be put together as a box set in which the consumer gets to experience all three interpretations of Rapunzel instead of committing to only one of the stories.

Mock-up of Box Set

An additional part to this project includes posters that showcase advertising material for possible future interpretations of Rapunzel that can be added to the Practically Rapunzel Box Set to expand on the collection.