Sadly ever after: Fairytale endings you never get to see

Disney films end with grand weddings of prince and princess; you never get to see what happens after honeymoon.

Disney films end with a grand wedding, when the prince and princess get married. What you never get to find out is whether that elated happily-ever-after feeling continues after the honeymoon.  We decided to fast-forward these tales to see what our beloved princesses actually end up going through.

1. Beauty and the Beast

Now before the wedding, Belle was a dreamer and a book lover who believes that when the magic wears off, the Beast will change inside out. Unfortunately, we all know that while it’s easy for guys to shave and suit up, changing their habits is a different ball game altogether! While the beast’s looks have changed, his attitude surely hasn’t. He emotionally abuses her, doesn’t let her pursue her passion for reading and travelling and isolates her from her friends and family. Deep down the beast is still an abusive monster who would expect her to give up all her dreams and settle in the castle.

20 years later: Belle ends up bruised and battered at a women’s shelter because of all the domestic abuse she’s suffered at the hands of the Beast. Now had she been given the memo that you can never change a man, she wouldn’t be there in the first place.

2. Cinderella

All Cinderella wanted was someone to save her, without ever taking any initiative on her own — except weeping. After Prince Charming married our damsel in distress and helped her get away from the clutches of her evil step-sisters and stepmother, Cinderella gets to see a less delightful side of her Prince. The Prince had only married a commoner like her to annoy his parents who wanted a princess for him. There are rooms in the castle filled with Cinderella-types from all over the world: Chinese, Japanese, Russian — you name it, Charming has it. Apparently, the Prince has a humanitarian streak — an addiction to saving helpless young women from all over the world. And he keeps them tucked away in his harem.

20 years later: Cinderella finally musters up the courage to take a decision on her own — after a messy break up and lots of backtracking, the divorce is finalised. The Fairy Godmother comes to her rescue yet again, and utilising the only talent Cinderalla has, helps her score a position at the nearby Holiday Inn. The Fairy Godmother also helps her make a maid’s outfit and Cinderella doesn’t bother with any fancy dresses or high strung men after that.

3. Snow White

Celebrated for her beauty and youth, Snow White reigns the land for years. Until she gets old and wrinkled — and is no longer the fairest of them all. Pretty soon, she becomes the exact duplicate  of her stepmother — fanatical about her looks, opting for plastic surgeries, getting nip/tucks, lifts and snips . As for her complexion, no one cares anymore that she’s blindingly white — since everyone’s sporting a tan.

20 years later: She looks as altered and plastic as Katie Price. The worst thing is that her voice is still annoyingly youthful.

4. The Little Mermaid

Sebastian was right all along — life under the sea is much better. Poor Ariel discovers how boring people really are. She is also torn between longing for her friends and family under the sea and her compulsion to please the Prince and give in to his demands. Having already gotten her mermaid’s tail changed to human legs, she sees nothing wrong with giving in to his other fancies. If the Prince admires a brunette, she dyes her hair, if he eyes a full bottomed gal, she schedules a cosmetic surgery.

20 years later: A raven haired, curvaceous Ariel with legs finally takes the plunge — she goes back to the sea where she truly belongs. Her last words: I can’t believe I did this for a man.

5. Jasmine

Jasmine realises the downside to marrying someone who’s not from the same social class as herself. What had been ’adventures’ before are mere  inconveniences now. It also becomes increasingly clear that Aladin’s love for gold and riches trumps his love for her.

20 years later: Once Aladdin becomes in charge of his wife’s riches and the heir to the throne, his conniving and greedy side begins to show. Since Aladin’s never had to manage money responsibly, he doesnt know what to do now that he has loads of it. Soon after, he drives the once prospering Arabia down the drain with debt and corruption.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, September 30^th, 2012.

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