25 November 2024

By Laura Günter, Katrin Serf and Ken Fischer

One of the most famous fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Little Red Riding Hood, contains many themes that relate to concepts of feminism. The story of a young child (further described Red) who does not listen to her mother, is eaten by the wolf, but is saved in the end by a brave wood worker, shows a lot about gender roles and power dynamics.

There are many different approaches to feminism in this ancient story: liberal, radical and poststructuralist feminism. Liberal feminism is concerned with equal opportunities, strives for equality for women within the existing framework and is in favour of equal opportunities. Red represents different parts of liberal feminism. She is a passive character, without autonomy and with limited independence, because she is only supposed to do what her mother tells her. She is dependent on a male hero to protect her. So she doesn't have the same male opportunities to escape the wolf on her own.

Essential differences between the sexes, emphasising and celebrating female characteristics are central concerns of radical feminism. However, there are no female values to celebrate in this story. Red and her grandmother need a man to escape the wolf. There is no encouragement for women to free themselves from men or patriarchal society. Post-structuralist feminism sees gender as a social and cultural construct without fixed gender roles. In this case, the female and male characters exhibit many stereotypical characteristics of women and men. Red and her grandmother are innocent, naive, passive characters. They are not encouraged to be anything more than sweet or innocent. This reinforces the traditional view of women as vulnerable and in need of protection. The male characters, however, are the active figures who drive the plot of the story. The dominant, aggressive, strong wolf and the heroic, brave woodcutter. Culturally constructed masculinity is the basis of their actions.

Little Red Riding Hood is therefore a good example of the patriarchal system in which men dominate women and determine women's fate.