Only Prince Charming Gets to Break the Rules

Gender and Rule Violation in Fairy Tales and Life

Non-Fiction - Womens
152 Pages
Reviewed on 07/03/2023
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Author Biography

Anne E. Beall is an award-winning author whose books have been featured in People Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Sun, Hers Magazine, Ms. Career Girl, and she’s been interviewed by NBC, NPR, and WGN. Her book, Cinderella Didn’t Live Happily Ever After: The Hidden Messages in Fairy Tales won a Gold award from Literary Titan. And her Heartfelt Connections book was named one of the top 100 Notable Indie books in 2016 by Shelf Unbound, and she has published nearly a dozen pieces in noted journals. She received her PhD in social psychology from Yale University and is the founder of the strategic market-research firm, Beall Research.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Emma Megan for Readers' Favorite

Only Prince Charming Gets to Break the Rules is a must-read about who follows the rules, who doesn't, and who gets rewarded or punished for their transgressions in fairytales and real life. It analyses 200 fairytales and folktales worldwide to show which gender is punished more and how severely for breaking the rules. A research psychologist, author Anne Beall discusses gender stereotypes and rule violations in fairytales and modern life. She answers questions about which gender violates the most rules, which rules are broken, and what gender stereotypes reveal about following rules. She also examines the differences in punishment, reward, and consequence of disobeying regulations based on the character's gender, wealth, social class, magical ability, and whether they were human, animal, or spirit. This book provides insight into the gender differences in emotional expressions.

Only Prince Charming Gets to Break the Rules is a noteworthy, well-researched book filled with data. It demonstrates that fairytales have clear, harsh messages about who is allowed or not to follow the rules and who should pay the most attention to them. Anne Beall explores patterns in fairytales and how their messages reflect the world. This brilliant book clearly shows why fairytales are popular, enduring, and violent and how they shape our cultures. Most importantly, it shows how expectations influence perceptions of men and women who break the rules in real life, like in fairytale land. This fascinating and illuminating work also discusses which professions ignore and reward a particular gender for bad behavior. I am grateful for this elegantly structured, outstanding read.