Is Happily Ever After a Double Standard?

Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash

I grew up on Disney princess movies. I bought into the fairytale. But when I started spending time with boys in elementary school, it became clear that happily ever after was the furthest thing from their minds.

The boys wanted to talk about trucks and fight scenes and dragons. And like, dragons are cool, but if my end goal is happily ever after, what was their end goal? To race the fastest? Be the strongest? Get attention from the prettiest girl? Then what?

I have a Bachelor's in Political Science. That means I like talking about social systems and how they interact in our lives. For example, I was eight years old, begging my mom for tickets to see a political candidate. And as a society, we like to tell our daughters to reach for the stars — now.

But before my generation, it wasn't always ladylike to talk about politics. And once I started high school, what was once considered quirky started to annoy the adults around me.

Why did I have so many opinions that weren't what my small religious town considered socially acceptable? Why did I question religion and women's place in society and what I would do after four years of hard work and $15,000 of student loans when I finished my college degree?

Weren't Men also Asking Questions About Their Futures?