Happily Never After, 2016, Rebecca Fassone and Frances McNair

 

Traditional gender stereotypes still hold much of their sway. Little girls still love to imagine themselves princesses. The contemporary princess has much more autonomy than her sisters of years past: she’s smart, she’s fierce, she can take care of herself. But she still has to be beautiful. Proving her value by attracting a man isn’t actually her goal, but it still belongs on the CV.  At some point, most of us imagine we are the star in our own personal reality show. The ease with which we can curate and display aspects of our lives, particularly through social media, feeds that belief.

The Postmodern Princess illustrates the absurdity of believing that life will or should mirror art…or Disney films, or Pinterest boards and Instagram feeds.