Heroines We Grew Up With: How the Frog Princess, Legally Blonde, and The Little Mermaid Shaped Us and the World Around Us

Lyka Rodina is an educator and host of the channel «OkKult» about culture and history from a female perspective.

Images from films and fairy tales surround us from early childhood: parents read us stories about princesses and messy girls, while on screens, we follow the adventures of real or fantastical girls. But what if the heroines we are so used to conceal much more than meets the eye? In her book, Lyka Rodina offers a close look at how culture, history, and society have influenced female images and transformed them.

We will learn why the main goal of The Little Mermaid was not a prince but spiritual perfection, how Mormons influenced the saga «Twilight», and why Cinderella was not always submissive and merciful. We will also recall «Legally Blonde», «Mean Girls», stories about bride-werewolves, and the role of Baba Yaga in the history of fairy tale heroines.

By diving into the stories of the heroines we grew up with, we will learn to understand ourselves better, find support and strength, and be able to tell our own story.