• cosmos8188@leminal.space
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    8 days ago

    The key word is fairest. Of course, since the original featured a child not a teenager the mirror would be factually a pedophile - that is, if fairest means something on the line of “hottest”.

      • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        8 days ago

        the original “schönste” could be either translated to most beautiful or nicest (looking nicest [most nice?!]). but in the context of the time the modern “hottest” wouldn’t be to far fetched.

        anyway, nowadays teens mature faster. so a 14 yo at that time could easily look like a 12 yo nowadays. but the sensitivities at the time were vastly different. good that we didn’t life then.

        • cosmos8188@leminal.space
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          8 days ago

          nowadays teens mature faster.

          Thats not exactly true. The mean pubertal age has always persisted around 12-13, the only time that age has increased is during the industrial revolution causing a delayed sexual maturity.

          Also, people can look way younger or even way older than they really are - past sexual maturity, the persons looks change dramatically.

    • Manticore@lemmy.nz
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      8 days ago

      ‘Fair’ used to mean ‘pale’. Snow White is called Snow White because of how pale she is.

      Of course under White supremacy, there’s a reason being fair/pale came to mean ‘pretty-faced’. But it’s why a child can be ‘fair’.

    • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      I wouldn’t confuse “fair” with “hot.” Words like “pretty” don’t have to imply sexual attraction. I can see a five year old girl wearing an adorable dress and complement her, calling her pretty. That doesn’t mean I’m a pedophile. I call my cats beautiful, but that doesn’t mean I’m into bestiality. The sunset can be beautiful or pretty, but I don’t want to fuck the Sun.

      I would see this as simply asking the mirror who the prettiest girl or woman in the kingdom is. Remember, the Queen isn’t trying to get a date. She’s trying to seek out and eliminate potential future romantic rivals. She’s an aging woman jealous at the beauty of youth.

      She’s essentially asking, “who in the kingdom has the greatest natural beauty?” If they’re a child, that beauty would be reflected as the simple innocent cuteness of an adorable young child. If they’re an adult, that beauty would be reflected as actual sexual attractiveness. She’s trying to take Snow White out while she’s still a child, before she grows up and her natural beauty shifts from childhood prettiness to the sexual attractiveness of an adult.