Remember the furor over the royal wedding? Kate became a princess and William
became Prince Charming. We watched the vows with tears in our eyes and couldn't
wait for that first kiss. Cinderella might be an ages-old fairytale but the
storyline encourages dreams from the little girls who watch Disney-princess
movies to the women who faithfully follow the Bachelor and the Bachelorette.
Subliminally, our curiosity in relationships and interest in public romances is
all about the happily-ever-after storyline. Can two people fall in love and
commit to each other for a lifetime?
My husband and I recently celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary. I
wouldn't be able to write romances from my heart unless I believed in them.
When I was a little girl, I remember pretending a lace curtain was a bridal
veil. My girlfriends and I reenacted the marriage ceremony. Recently by BFF's
daughter asked if she could play dress-up with her mom's wedding gown. Are the
dreams of little girls now any different than ten or twenty or forty years ago?
Loving and being loved drive our collective consciousness. Have you ever been
in the midst of a crowd at a wedding and watched everyone grow misty-eyed? The
emotion that takes over—other than the love we have for the couple saying the
vows—is hope. The Cinderella fairytale can give a woman hope that she
can find love, look beautiful in a bridal gown and believe in the vows she
recites on her wedding day.
Little girls aspire to be princesses. Many women long to believe they will find
their one true love who is kind, gentle, charming and the man they can spend the
rest of their lives with. Prince Charming doesn't have to be a "prince" on a
white steed. He just has to convince the woman he loves that she's his
Cinderella. Are fairy-tale endings possible? I believe women long to believe
they are. That's why the romance genre lives on and why our hearts melt when a
couple says, "I do."
Karen Rose Smith is the
best-selling, award-winning author of 75 published romances. Readers can visit
her website, follow her on Twitter
@ karenrosesmith and on Facebook (Karen Rose Smith author), and access her
e-zine In Touch @ karenrosesmith-ezine.blogspot.com for new releases and
contests.
Yes, the princess mode is pretty strong for girls unless they're into tomboy stuff. I made a princess cake for my girls that had blue frosting, turrets make from sugar cones and chocolate kisses for decoration. Their lips and tongue turned blue and six months later, we were still cleaning up the confetti from a sweeping game with feather dusters. (Alyson Widen 4:47pm September 22, 2011)
Alyson--That sounds like a great cake! My BFF's daughter would love it. We had pink and purple here for her birthday. Don't you just wish you could delve into their make-believe worlds? (Karen Rose Smith 5:13pm September 22, 2011)
I think along with fairy tales, Disney, the Hallmark Channel..any female, of all ages is succeptible to the belief of HEA, of being princesses- heck, I named my daughter after one. BTW, Happy Anniversary. (Carla Carlson 5:48pm September 22, 2011)
I believe that there are men out there who think of themselves of Prince Charming. I don't mean that they're vain or anything. They found their Princess, and want to take care of them for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, men like that aren't easy to find. There are a lot of users out there, and some with other plans, especially when things get tough. I'm not talking about personal experience, but from talking with other women. Congratulations on celebrating your 40th anniversary, and on your upcoming book. I'm looking forward to reading it. I know fairy tales can come true, after being married for 28 years myself. (Peggy Roberson 8:37pm September 22, 2011)
I too believe in fairy tale ends. Unfortunately, you may have to kiss a few frogs before your Prince Charming comes along. One thing that does, though, is make you appreciate PC more. (Lisa Richards 11:52pm September 23, 2011)
I like to believe that Cinderella IS still relevant, even though everything around me tries to tell me she's not. There is just so much hope in her story that it HAS to be relevant!!
I have no doubt that some young girls still dream of Cinderella-like lives. It mostly depends on the kind of life their parents and the families of own their friends have. If they watch a lot of TV, I think they must get a quite different picture. I regret the departure of the nuclear family. It hasn't really done us much good. Too many children no longer know what family is--outside of their gangs. (Sigrun Schulz 12:48pm September 24, 2011)
By the way, happy anniversary to you!! (Sigrun Schulz 12:50pm September 24, 2011)
As old as I am (and it's pretty old), I still sometimes indulge in the fantasy...a Prince Charming to be the responsible adult in charge for a change!! :) (Penny Mettert 3:14am September 26, 2011)
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