The concept of beauty throughout fairy tales is everywhere. Not only in woman but also in the prince and the house to which they live. In all four of these fairy tales (Rapunzel, Snow White, Sleeping beauty and Cinderella) beauty is the main theme. Rapunzel demonstrates that she herself was given away at birth because her parents were forced to, and she was locked in a tower, however despite her hardship she still managed to grow up to be so beautiful and contain assets such as her beautifully long golden hair and lovely singing voice that attracts the young and handsome kings son to her tower. Likewise in Cinderella despite her mother dying, her father remarrying and her step mother and step sisters treating her so badly, Cinderella still managed to become the one and only woman that the handsome kings son wanted to marry. Similarly in Snow White her mother died and her father remarried an evil and powerful queen Snow White became more beautiful than she and was banished to the forest (everyone knows the story). Only to, in the end, be saved by the handsome prince who was so taken by Snow White's beauty as she lay dead in her glass coffin, only to insist that he must own such a beauty. Similar to Snow White, Sleeping beauty is focused around an evil person, (or in this case fairy) casting a spell and causing the beautiful princess into years of sleep. To only be woken by their one and only prince.

Marina Warner states that "women rarely feature as named individuals but only as the anonymous, 'beautiful' accompaniments to great men" (Seller 2001:98). At first glance of this statement I believed it to be true, however after looking at it more in depth I find it to be incorrect. Yes the women in majority of fairy tales are made to be beautiful however their names are still mentioned along side their description, "Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun (Rackham:1933:73), "But Snow White was growing up, and growing more and more beautiful. . ."(Heiner 2006). and "But Cinderella, however shabbily clad, was handsomer than they were, with all their fine clothes" (Rackham 1933:223) After reading over my stories however, I found Warners statement to be true for Sleeping beauty, throughout the fairy tale sleeping beauty is constantly referred to as the pretty child or the princess, the story never mentions her name.

Naomi Wolf however takes the view that "such traditions have conspire to teach women to value themselves only in terms of the way they are perceived" (Seller 2001:98). Speaking as a women I believe this statement to have some truth behind it. Women even today are judged by men on their appearance, even women judge one another on looks whether it be their clothes, whether they are ugly of pretty or fat or thin. The stereotype of beautiful women in fairy tales is that they are thin, have long beautiful hair and are attractive. Comparing to what is expected of today's women that is very similar, we are expected to be thin and attractive in order to be loved by both , other men or women.