Am I the only one that is creeped out by the R name/label?

[jane_marie]

You know the name. It's the name of that fairy tale princess that was locked in a tower and had to let some dude climb her hair so she could get out....

I've noticed an increasing number of threads featuring the name.

There are several reasons that I dislike this... term the main one being that I associate it with sexualized images and other content featuring women with longer than average hair. The other reason is mostly due to things like outdated gender norms, the act of placing women on a metaphoric pedestal based on a physical attribute and the slightly dehumanizing effect of label someone with a nickname from a fantasy world.

All this together makes that R name cringey to me... and my hair isn't even long enough to be considered a long hair.

How do others feel about the label? Does anyone else find it as offensive as I do?

[elise.autumn]

I understand where you're coming from, if it's *exualized. I haven't come across these images, but I also haven't looked in places where I might find them.

Personally, I don't mind the R name. I am most complimented when someone says that my hair looks ethereal, elflike, or from a fairytale. This is my desired personal aesthetic. Now, if a man said it in a *uggestive way, that would be complete different. But that has thankfully not happened to me before.

[Jane99]

As much as I’ve grown to pick apart and even ruin some of the old favorite stories/movies (The Princess Bride! I loved that movie until I started analyzing it) I hadn’t given much thought to Rapunzel in particular but with a shred of feminist perspective, yes, I am creeped out. Fairy tales are particularly interesting to me though... in psychology Carl Jung offers a perspective of considering a collective unconscious to reveal themes throughout cultures and times and subconscious archetypes of individual roles themselves. Oppression for sure, but it is the woman’s hair that serves to her greater freedom even more than the prince, as a different frame?

[SleepyTangles]

No, but if you feel uncomfortable with it I can understand.
Personally the fairytale has not been spoiled in my mind by feti*h imageries .

I personally have more problems with "Wuthering Heights-style" narratives, like romanticizing toxic relationships in pop culture. But well, that's another topic completely...

ETA: i just want to specify that I have nothing against feti*hes, provided that it's kept between consenting adults (like any other se*ual activity). But sometimes is stressful to live in hyperse*ualized contexts.

Sorry for the asterisks, trying to give no keywords that can bring the topic to the wrong eyes

[Lady Stardust]

I don’t like it, unless it’s used by kids. (Modern stories for kids are far more balanced in every way, and I choose to read those to my daughter, but fairy tales seep into mainstream culture so I know she’s going to end up knowing them anyway. She already knows names of some of the Disney princesses and I certainly haven’t introduced them to her! She’s 4, for reference. A lot of fairy tales are too violent for her age!)

I loved fairy tales when I was a child, and I wanted to be a princess. My Dad told me straight away that I would hate the lack of privacy that came with it so I went off the idea rapidly

I do feel a bit uncomfortable when any adult talks about wanting to be like a fairy tale character or princess. And yes, if a man described me as Rapunzel (assuming my hair was much longer!) my first thoughts about it would be negative.

[Male Ponytail]

You know the name. It's the name of that fairy tale princess that was locked in a tower and had to let some dude climb her hair so she could get out....

I've noticed an increasing number of threads featuring the name.

There are several reasons that I dislike this... term the main one being that I associate it with sexualized images and other content featuring women with longer than average hair. The other reason is mostly due to things like outdated gender norms, the act of placing women on a metaphoric pedestal based on a physical attribute and the slightly dehumanizing effect of label someone with a nickname from a fantasy world.

All this together makes that R name cringey to me... and my hair isn't even long enough to be considered a long hair.

How do others feel about the label? Does anyone else find it as offensive as I do?

Tell me where in the story of Rapunzel it deals with sexualized images? I know there's a part where a carpenter and wife have a baby and Rapunzel marries the prince and they kiss but other than that I cannot see the point you're making. Enligten me if you would.

Are gender norms really outdated? From how the world works from my experience I don't think this is at all the case. Gender norms just are and there's nothing we can do about it as most people wish to not let go of such constructs. Sure we can negotiate to play the role of the opposite sex in certain instances and beyond but generally people don't gravitate towards this way of doing things. For me, I have no issues deviating from gender norms in many ways but I am not typical.

[MusicalSpoons]

I read this title and thought of the other r-word and thought, well it's offensive but I've never found it *creepy*

I don't know. I certainly understand why people might be, especially if they've had experiences with being objectified - and yeah, the whole damsel in distress and particularly a subsection of "admirers" overly liking the idea that having long hair is such a hardship and we have to suffer for its beauty (not that that's necessarily overtly related to the fairytale, but goes along with the damsel in distress idea).

However, I think a generation of children know it from Tangled, which from what I've seen of certain parts analysed is a much more modern and empowering retelling - it shows her escaping from an abusive parent and the relationship with the prince is much more on her own terms. I haven't watched it for a very long time but that's the overall feel I got from it even then, so if a generation of kids grow up with that version of Rapunzel as their frame of reference for calling someone the same name, that's very different from the traditional fairytale.

[blackgothicdoll]

I don't, and I don't know anywhere that Rapunzel was more than a fantasy character/fairy tale. There are other tellings of stories that I may be unaware of, though. Although I disagree, I don't invalidate your opinion. I also see you're not the only one of this forum who has had objections to having comparisons drawn to her just by having long hair.

[lilbee]

Being creeped out by a fantasy tale for children ?... If so, what about Little Red Riding Hood ? Lol. This sounds bloody more offensive if you read between the lines, especially considering that it's supposed to be a children story.

If you start "reading" all things with a s** orientated mind, you'll spend your life beeing creeped out, methinks. When people gives a longhair the R name, it usually just means R (= the-long-haired-lovely-lady-from-the-children-story). And if not, let those creeps fantasize their pitiful life and go on enjoying yours the way you like : longhairs don't care, do they !

This said, being "gender outdated" or "having a traditional view of genders in socitey" is also a right in democracy...

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I rather like it. To me, it just means someone with very long beautiful hair. I don't worry about other things the fairy tale might imply. Though it ends well and injustice is set right. The prisoner is freed.