Usually when a book or film gets banned, it tends to have at least a bit of an edge to it. Lady Chatterley's Lover was once a no-go because it's saucy AF, while more recently The Human Centipede was banned because it's fucking rank.

Now, though, one mum has found issue with childhood favourite Sleeping Beauty.

Sarah Hall, from Northumberland Park in north Tyneside, has asked for her son's school to remove the fairytale from the curriculum because it promotes an 'inappropriate' sexual message.

Tell you what, while we are still seeing narratives like this in school, we are never going to change ingrained attitudes to sexual behaviour #MeToo #consent #mysonissix pic.twitter.com/3g4gyjifi9

- Sarah Hall (@Hallmeister) November 19, 2017

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The 40-year-old mother left a message in her son's record book, before contacting the school directly to ask if books featuring the story could be removed for the younger classes.

"I think it's a specific issue in the Sleeping Beauty story about sexual behaviour and consent," Sarah says. "It's about saying, 'is this still relevant, is it appropriate?'"

We all know the classic tale: a princess gets put under a spell by some pissed-off witch - or fairy, whatever - falls asleep for a few zillion years, before being awoken by true love's kiss - or a peck on the cheek by some random bloke. While she's asleep... Oh ok, we're starting to get it now.

Sarah Hall

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Sarah Hall believes the story sends an inappropriate message about consent. Credit: NCJ Media



"In today's society, it isn't appropriate," Sarah explains. "My son is only six, he absorbs everything he sees, and it isn't as if I can turn it into a constructive conversation.

"I don't think taking Sleeping Beauty books out of circulation completely would be right. I actually think it would be a great resource for older children, you could have a conversation around it, you could talk about consent, and how the princess might feel.

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"But I'm really concerned about it for younger children, would really welcome a conversation about whether this is suitable material."

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Sarah says although she may not have normally given the story a second thought, it was the #MeToo campaign on social media - which was a result of many recent high profile sexual abuse and consent scandals - that brought the issue to light.

"These are indicative of how ingrained that kind of behaviour is in society," she continues. "All these small things build up, and they make a difference."

Food for thought.

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However, one Twitter user noted that Sarah was missing the real issue:

Missed a point here. Why is he holding a candle when there's clearly a light switch on the wall https://t.co/eqTK7IqORN

- Kyle Everitt (@Kyleeveritt) November 23, 2017

Good point, well made.

Without wanting to get bogged down in whataboutery, it's also worth remembering that Grimm's fairytales generally contained an element of, well, grim-ness. I mean, the witch in Hansel and Gretel was trying to EAT two kids. That truly is fucked up.

