Tangled Reflections: The Mirror in the Tower
What happens when the tower is beauty, and we build it ourselves
**Today’s repost comes from a series I finished titled Fairytales for the Damaged. Starting in March
and I will be co-publishing the series in digital and print. Her art, my fairy-tales. Be on the lookout. 👀*They called it a fairytale. But that’s not the end of the story.*
A New Kind of Happily Ever After
Once upon a time, there was a girl in a tower.
Brushed daily. Praised for her shine.
Not her voice. Not her thoughts. Just her hair.
They told her she was special.
They meant: useful.
They meant: beautiful, but quiet.
They meant: don’t change.
So she didn’t.
Until one day, someone climbed the tower.
Not to save her. To see her.
And she mistook that for love.
They called it a fairy tale.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Because when you sculpt yourself to be someone else’s dream—
you disappear from your own.
The Story We Think We Know
They told us Rapunzel was a love story.
Girl locked away. Boy climbs up.
Freedom follows.
But they skip the part where the tower followed her.
She spent years shrinking.
Smiling. Starving. Staying soft.
Not because she wanted to—
but because she was told she was prettier that way.
The witch didn’t need chains.
She used compliments.
She used fear.
She called it love.
The Twist – What Happens After the Rescue
Rapunzel gets out. But the world doesn’t feel free.
She keeps the hair.
Keeps the figure.
Keeps the silence.
Because that’s what made her matter, right?
She becomes a brand.
A product in high resolution.
A girl edited until only the outline remains.
But no matter how perfect she gets—
she still feels replaceable.
And when the prince’s gaze drifts—
she blames herself.
She was the dream.
Now the dream is cracking.
The Power Paradox
We cheer for women “taking control” of their image.
We call it empowerment.
But often, it’s just a prettier prison.
One we decorate ourselves—
with bronzer, bikini wax, and fear.
We confuse control with freedom.
But if you can’t eat what you want,
say what you mean,
or age without shame—
who are you really free for?
Government by Glamour
We don’t lock girls in towers anymore.
We hand them mirrors.
And say, “Fix it.”
We don’t silence their voices.
We drown them in rules.
Shave.
Shrink.
Smile.
Call it choice.
Punish the ones who choose wrong.
It’s not a tower.
It’s an algorithm—
and it knows your insecurities
better than you do.
The Cost of Becoming the Fantasy
Rapunzel didn’t escape.
She just relocated.
From one watcher to millions.
She smiles on cue.
Curates. Filters.
Fades.
Every wrinkle she erases,
every truth she hides—
another piece of her goes missing.
Until one day,
there’s nothing left but hair
and hollow eyes.
The Broken Mirror
Maybe one night,
she sees herself in the mirror—
not posed. Not ready.
Just… real.
And doesn’t recognize it.
Or maybe—she does.
It’s the girl from before.
Before the tower.
Before the prince.
Before beauty became currency.
She wasn’t flawless.
But she was alive.
And maybe—
she picks up the scissors.
Not to start over.
But to stop pretending.
Closing Line
Be careful what you cut away to be lovable.
Because sometimes, to be loved by the world, you have to vanish from yourself.
Help is Not a Fairy Tale
If this story hit too close—if you’ve ever disappeared piece by piece trying to be what someone else wanted—there’s a way back.
These orgs offer real tools, not magic ones. Support without strings. And mirrors that don’t lie.
The Body Positive - https://thebodypositive.org
Helping people build a relationship with their body rooted in compassion, not control.NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) - https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Free helpline, resources, and support for anyone struggling with food, weight, or image.
Beauty Redefined - https://www.morethanabody.org/
Sisters with a PhD dismantling objectification culture. Learn to live as more than a body.
Project HEAL - https://www.theprojectheal.org/
Fighting for eating disorder care access—regardless of race, size, income, or insurance.
I Weigh - https://iweighcommunity.com
A radical, raw, and inclusive space for unlearning beauty myths and speaking the messy truth.
God, this hit like a quiet mirror shattering. That line “We don’t lock girls in towers anymore. We hand them mirrors.” that one’s going to echo for a long time. The way you reframed Rapunzel not as a fairytale but as a lifelong performance, a slow erasure, feels painfully true. So many of us have been taught to survive by being palatable by staying small, soft, and quiet enough to be “loved.”
I love how you didn’t just rewrite the story, you reclaimed it. You turned what used to be a symbol of beauty into a symbol of awakening. The moment she picks up the scissors? That’s the rebirth right there. The kind that isn’t pretty, but honest.✨
That was a great read. Really does leave you with things to ponder.