Cathy Feng

Rapunzel

In this reinterpretation, the tower is no longer a prison, but a powerful metaphor for the structural barriers girls face—social expectations, stereotypes, and systemic limitations. Rapunzel, with her impossibly long braid, doesn't wait to be rescued. She begins to climb, determined, bold, and hopeful. But she’s not alone. Girls from diverse backgrounds join her, weaving their ribbons and braids into the growing rope, transforming it into a shared symbol of strength. This retelling reframes Rapunzel not as a passive princess, but as a changemaker. It empowers young readers, especially girls, to see that liberation doesn’t come from magical rescue, but from courage, unity, and the refusal to be confined. It teaches that real strength is not solitary, but shared and that every woman’s climb helps build the path for others to rise.