‘Sensitivity readers’ turn their attention to fairy tale classics like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty
6 March 2023, 08:29 | Updated: 6 March 2023, 08:48
'Sensitivity readers' have been deployed to examine the back catalogue of Ladybird books, that includes classic tales like Cinderella and Snow White.
The publisher has enlisted their use to identify passages in works in its back catalogue that contain offensive content that readers could find offensive.
Themes like handsome princes falling for beautiful princesses in classic tales like Snow White and Cinderella could prove problematic, according to the Sunday Telegraph, as they promote physical attractiveness and heteronormative romance.
Characters presuming other people’s pronouns and discussing social class could also be problematic, as could lack of diversity among protagonists.
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Ladybird has not announced whether passages will be altered if they are deemed offensive or outdated and has not commented on the work to review texts.
Sensitivity readers told the Telegraph that there is a greater duty to avoid harmful tropes in fairy tales as they can have a negative effect on children by teaching them to privilege certain values or appearances.
Virginia Mendez, an author and sensitivity expert not involved with the review of Ladybird books, told the Telegraph: “There are many things that we see less and less in newly published books, simply because they are no longer the norm. In some cases, things are just easily avoided.”
