The Red Shoes at Tales of Faerie

Kristin at Tales of Faerie posted yesterday about The Red Shoes: The Red Shoes: Encouraging judging or discouraging materialism? This fairy tale isn't discussed as often but remains a favorite and touch point for many women. Kristin addresses some of those issues with a personal essay.

Here's the first few paragraphs:

"The Red Shoes" by Hans Christian Andersen is a fairly standard tale in which a girl is punished for vainly wearing red shoes. After going from poverty to a more comfortable situation, Karen wears her new red shoes to inappropriate situations; one day, she goes dancing and the shoes won't stop dancing. Her feet must be cut off before she can regain control, and after that she becomes a penitant Christian, sworn to simplicity.

Andersen obviously felt quite strongly about red shoes. And while most would agree that vanity can go too far, the punishment far outweighs the crime. While red shoes themselves aren't quite as taboo anymore, the concept of judging people by what they choose to wear is still very prevalent (hello, popular TLC show "What not to Wear"). Read the rest...