Sexy Snow

What comes to mind when you think of the image of Snow White?  It is true that the tale of the sleeping princess has been adapted and readapted more times than anyone can count.  But for most of us, when we hear the words Snow White, the image and version that pops into our mind is most likely that 1937 Walt Disney version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  No one can deny that Disney’s Snow White is a cultural icon.  With Halloween coming up, millions of her signature blue, red and yellow costume will be sold not just in the United States, but all over the world.  With that being said, it is hard to imagine that the princess we all know so well could look any different.  But this was almost the case.

It may be hard to believe but many of the early versions of Snow  White  involved many sexual references. For example, in an Italian version by  Giambattista Basile , people undressed the princess while she was still asleep in her casket  It wasn't until the Grimm brothers revised the tale in 1812, that those references were removed.  

In the beginning of 1937 when Walt Disney was beginning to get ideas for the characterizations of Snow White, he originally hired the artists who were behind the cartoon Betty Boop. The first illustration of Snow White definitely showed a resemblance between the two characters.  Snow White had big doe eyes and pouty lips.  Her dress was short enough to reveal her ankles.  Disney was not pleased with the illustration and thought this image was far too sexy for younger audiences.  He thought that the princess needed to be wholesome and pure.  With that in mind, the artists went back to the drawing board and made Snow White’s eyes smaller, her dress longer, and her lips far less pouty. This became the princess that millions of people have come to know and love today.