On Princes and the Patriarchy

By Irena Ioannou — GAZE

Life often proves more imaginative than fairytales, and after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they were stepping down as senior royals, this couldn’t be more true.

In an Instagram post earlier this month, the couple made public their intention “to make a transition”, and Markle trashed every social expectation of marrying into royalty in the book. The planet ran amok. British newspapers forgot all about Brexit, and instead, dedicated their front pages to the couple’s decision, which they unsurprisingly-termed, “Megxit”.

Upon hearing the news, my first impulse was to run into my daughters’ bedroom and burn all their Cinderella stories. Their patriarchal vibe was getting too much for me. Instead, I took a moment to collect myself, decided against setting a fire in the house, and started long discussions first and foremost with myself. Fairytales and social narratives can have a pervasive effect, and sometimes we are not even aware of our own biases.

Among others, fairytales have led us to believe that a woman’s nature is only realized through marriage, her husband will be her savior from the hardships of life, and the higher the rung he occupies on the social ladder the more happily she will live ever after. In other words, marrying a prince, will solve all her problems. And then…