Blog Entry 10


The cartoon I have chosen centers around the theme of Rapunzel’s long hair. The scene is a ‘high school’ Rapunzel getting picked up for prom by her date. Her date is in a blue tuxedo, standing next to a car and is saying “I like you with your hair up”. Rapunzel is wearing purple floor-length dress and has her hair braided/woven up in a long stack on top of her head.

 As discussed in class, hair can be seen in fairy tales as a symbol of femininity, strength, beauty, and sexuality. In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale and Disney film ‘Tangled’ Rapunzel’s long hair seems to also serve a purpose. In both her hair is used to ensure she is unable to leave the tower in which Mother Gothel locks her in, it also ensures that there is only one way up to the tower to deter outsiders. In Disney’s ‘Tangled’ Rapunzel’s hair also has magic qualities; it can give youth and heal wounds. The symbolism of the hair is also present in both tales and due to the ease at which the male prince/thief falls in love with Rapunzel. However, in this cartoon, the length of her hair can be seen as impractical. She has it piled on top of her head which must be incredibly heavy. Not to mention how she is going to get in the car. Both the Brothers Grimm and Disney versions of Rapunzel fail to incorporate the impracticality having that length of hair. As they are in these fairy tale worlds characters in the story’s don’t question it and neither does the reader. This comic brings out the humor of the length of her hair and how it would create problems in the real world. Nonetheless the comic still keeps the symbolic nature of Rapunzel’s hair with the comment from her date. He tells Rapunzel he likes the way she has styled her hair which reinforces the idea that Rapunzel is seen as beautiful and desired (even if it is by a dorky-looking high-school boy).

Sources:

McCoy, Glenn, and Gary. “Rapunzel on Prom Night”.
https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/r/rapunzel.asp

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