Controversial Photo Series

Yesterday I posted on the Fallen Princesses photo series by Dina Goldstein on my blog. Today there’s a post on this series on the Bitch Blog. The comments vary widely with some commenters loving the series and others hating it.
Here are the two images from the series that I posted:
Here and here.
When I first saw the photos, I interpreted them as commentary on the inability of princesses to cope with real life situations, and the fact that princesses are not immune to the kinds of hardships (like cancer and war) that befall others. So, for example, I viewed the image of Snow White as a statement that motherhood is sure to result from the heteronormative model that the life of a princess is supposed to conform to, but princesses have no practical skills, and being a mother isn’t always the most glamorous experience. Similarly, the image of Belle indicates that living up to the beuaty standard that’s required of princesses is actually quite painful and potentially damaging.
However, others are viewing this as a statement that being a mother or a cancer victim or overweight (the Little Red Riding Hood pic) are all “fallen states.” Further, most people are interpreting Jasmin’s picture as depicting her as a terrorist, which would be very problematic, although I didn’t interpret it that way at all. And of course, the implicit sort of fat shaming involved in the Little Red Riding Hood image is unacceptable, although it might be viewed as another exploration of the issues we face in our commercialized and over-processed world.
So I’m curious to see what reaction these images get here. Do you think they’re offensive, and if so, why? Do you have a different interpretation than those already stated?

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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