Grim
Fashion
Tales
by Corinne Furniss
-Grim Fashion Tales-
Published 2012 Copyright © Corinne Furniss All rights reserved.
Table of Contents The Rose………………………………………………………………………..page 3 The Girl & The Fish………………………………………………………….page 5 Beautiful Image………………...…………………………………….……..page 10 Money Hands……………………..………………………………….………page 13 Sources and Resources……………………………………………………..page 19
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The Rose There was once a beautiful and distinguished woman that had but one daughter. The young child was in great contrast to her mother, as she was physically ugly, uninterested in fashion or beauty, and rather intelligent. The mother was saddened that her daughter was cursed with useless traits such as wisdom and a great personality, but she was forced to love her anyways as she was the only daughter she had. One day, the girl’s mother had errands to run, but she had no time or effort to complete them all. She called out to her daughter, asking if her child could help her with the chores. "Daughter, you would be such a great help to me if you could run into town and pick up the groceries. Oh and the dry cleaning, and my prescriptions as well. I, darling, need to visit my masseuse today, beauty like mine doesn't come easily," proclaimed the mother, once again reminding her daughter of her unfortunate looks. "That won't be a problem mother. I was headed to town anyways. The library finally got the
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new books that I asked for!" said the young girl, excitement in both her eyes and voice. "Books! I don't know why you waste your time with books! Its boys you need to worry about, not learning!" cried her mother, outraged at her daughter, but she sighed and watched as her daughter barely heard her and was off to town to do the errands she was asked to do. A few short hours later the young girl came home and met her mother at the door, barely able to carry all the items she had picked up. "Heavens daughter! I hope you did not walk like that all the way from town! You look ridiculous bogged down with all those items!" "Oh no mother, I actually had some help. A nice young man helped me carry all these packages home, he only just left. Mother, he was amazing! So smart and handsome and chivalrous..." sighed the young girl, stars in her eyes as she remembered the stranger. "Surely no attractive boy could ever like my daughter," thought the mother as she gazed at the ugly girl in front of her. To humour her daughter, she asked, "Oh is that so? And will I ever get to meet this young man of yours?"
"Maybe mother, he gave me a rose and told me to put it in water. He said he'd come back when the rose is in full bloom." And so even with her mother’s doubtful looks being thrown her way constantly, the young girl put the rose she possessed into a vase full of water and placed it on her bedside table. She dreamed of the boy constantly, and walked around during the day in a lust-fuelled daze. One morning, the girl’s mother was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of chores she had to do and decided again to enlist the help of her homely daughter. She went into her daughter’s room, expecting to find her nose deep within another one of her silly books. Instead, the mother found her daughter sleeping on her bed, her eyes closed, but her face showing an expression of pure delight. When the mother went to rouse the girl, she was ice cold to the touch. The old lady was panicked, but before she could run from the room she noticed the rose on the girl’s dresser, a perfect rose in full bloom. With the death of her daughter, the woman now had to fend for herself and very quickly her manicured outer appearance fell to shambles and she finished off her life alone, sad, and ugly.
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The Girl & The Fish Once upon a time, there was an average girl, who lived an average life in the city. Every day she would follow the same routine, becoming ever more bored and tired with her life. One day, while eating her usual, low-fat, lowcarb salmon sushi, the average girl picked up her next bite and was about to pop the food into her mouth when she heard a tiny little voice. "Stop!" it yelled, "no, don't eat me, stop!" The girl looked around, before finally looking towards the roll she held in her hand. In it she found not a piece of fish but instead a whole, live, tiny fish and it was speaking to her. "Don't eat me for I am not a fish but rather an enchanted prince. It would not do you well to eat me as I would not taste good at all. Please put me back in the container and let me live!� The girl considered the salmon’s proposition for a moment. On one hand she was terribly
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hungry, but a magical prince could bring her lots of money. Besides, she thought, he'd likely be way too fattening and cause her to gain weight. She decided to spare the salmons life and so she packed him back into the sushi container and threw the container into her purse. That night when the average girl met her friends for cocktails after work, she complained of being so hungry. Her friends enquired if she had eaten enough lunch, which prompted her retelling the story of the enchanted salmon.
"Did you ask for anything in return from him? He owes your for not eating him," her one friend remarked. This got the girl thinking. Surely the salmon did owe her. She had saved his life and he was magical, he must do her a favour. So she pulled out the sushi container from her designer bag and unwrapped the little fish. "Little fish! Little fish! I want what I cannot have, so I need you to help me!" The sushi was starting to smell a little funny, as it had been sitting in the warm interior of the average girl’s purse all afternoon. Even still, it only took the fish a moment to reply. "What is that you ever so desire girl?" "I want to be thin, thinner than I am now, but I want to be able to eat whatever I want and still lose weight!" "Put me back, you already have what you desire." And so throughout the next few days the average girl scarfed down doughnuts and chocolates and cakes, and yet still she was looking thinner and trimmer than ever before. Compliments poured in at first, and then began to ween off over time. This made the girl feel less special and she decided the salmon still owed her. Again, she pulled out the little fish in his sushi home,
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this time opening the package to find the food smelled even worse than before. "Little fish! Little fish! I want what I cannot have, so I need you to help me!" "What is it that you ever so desire girl?" "I want to be thinner, and prettier! I want to be a model and have everyone think I'm gorgeous!" "Put me back, you already have what you desire," sighed the fish. Again, the girl became even thinner and prettier than she was before. Heads would turn wherever she went and it was not long before an agent approached her and invited her to join his modelling agency. She happily accepted, but as the days wore on and she saw other models, she began to doubt her looks and decided that once again, the salmon still owed her. Opening the ever increasingly smelly sushi package, the girl looked in towards the salmon. "Little fish! Little fish! I want what I cannot have, so I need you to help me!" cried the girl.
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Reluctantly the fish asked, "What is it you ever so desire girl?" "I want to be the prettiest and thinnest girl in the whole world! No one shall be prettier or thinner than I am!" "Put me back, you already have what you desire." Now, wherever the girl went she compared herself to the other girls around her, and she was in fact the thinnest and prettiest. She felt amazing, but no longer was she receiving compliments. She wondered why no one was bothering to adore her. She had to do something about this. Why bother being the prettiest and thinnest if no one noticed? "Little fish! Little fish! I want what I cannot have, so I need you to help me!" "What could you ever so possibly desire now?" questioned the fish, who was nestled well into the smelly sushi package. The package itself seemed to be growing new forms of life, the odours and colours becoming overwhelming. "I want to be worshipped for my beauty and thinness! I want everyone to bow down and comment on my looks." "Put me back, you already have what you desire."
So the girl continued about her days, and whenever she passed people they would fall to her feet and murmur about her appearance. This lasted for days and the girl’s ego inflated heavily until she thought she may actually be satisfied. Alas, she finally came down from her mental high and began to really hear what the common folk were saying. "Too skinny, probably the skinniest in the world!" "She looks like she may snap in two." "Such a pretty girl, such a shame." Enraged, the girl pulled out the fish one final time. "Little fish! Little fish! I want what I cannot have, so I need you to help me!" "What could you possibly want now?" exclaimed they fish. "I want to be loved, and appreciated, and admired!" "How could I make others feel that about you when you don't even feel that way about yourself?" shot back the fish as he jumped from the disgusting sushi package and into the sea that the girl was standing near. He began to swim away, finally free. The girl was outraged, and in disbelief. She tried to swim after him and catch him, but she was so thin and light that
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she was quickly swept out to the middle of the sea, where she died a horrendous drowning. She was never heard from again and no one noticed she was gone.
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Beautiful Image Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived alone with her mother. The girl was kind and smart, but was neither beautiful nor skinny so she had no friends. Her peers made fun of her because she couldn't fit into designer clothes like they all could, and her mother was ashamed that they shared the same genes. One day, while wandering down the shopping streets in town, the young girl sighed in her despair at all the pretty clothing she saw but could not enjoy. At a rather busy corner, the girl saw an old lady trying to cross the road. The lady was laden down with heavy bundles and was having a difficult time making it across the road. Most of society ignored the elderly, as they were wrinkly and ugly and generally not up to date with the newest fashions. The young girl though, was kind hearted and much less judgemental and she quickly rushed over to the woman, relieving her of her packages and helping her across the busy street.
The old lady was so grateful for the help. She looked towards the girl and could tell that she was lacking in self-confidence and outer beauty, although she was clearly well rounded on the inside. The elderly woman called the young girl near and placed on of her packages into the hands of the young girl. The girl began to refuse, but the old lady was persistent. With thanks from both members of the party, the two women split and went their separate ways. When the young girl got home, she could no longer keep her curiosity at bay. She quickly unwrapped the parcel and held in her hands a simple makeup mirror, about the same size as a tea saucer. The outside of the mirror was inlaid with gold and what appeared to be a few gemstones. The young girl couldn't help but think how this gift must be precious and valuable. Upon opening the mirror and gazing at the glass, the girl found out just how right she was, for the longer one was to look into the glass, the prettier, skinnier, and all around more beautiful a person became. The young girl recognised the amazingness of the gift, but also its dangers. She knew she should not look upon that mirror for more than a few moments a day or she could risk becoming obsessed with herself. Over the next few weeks, the girl’s peers and neighbours watched her transform from an ugly
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and yet she was still kind and intelligent. One day, when snooping through her daughter’s room, the girl's mother found the magical mirror. She gazed upon it, not knowing what it was and saw herself becoming even more beautiful and skinny than she already was. She saw herself wearing the most exclusive designer outfits and she could sense the envy she would cause when she went out in public. The image was intoxicating and as the minutes melted into hours the mother could not stop staring at herself. Slowly though, she began to feel a
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duckling into something more beautiful than a swan,
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tightening in her chest and her throat seemed to be stretching painfully in odd directions. While still looking into the mirror, the mother happened to catch a glimpse of herself in the normal full length mirror on her daughter’s wall. The site was appalling as she was so skinny she could clearly count all her bones and see the protrusion of her organs. Her face looked overly botoxed and stretched so tightly it appeared she had undergone many cosmetic surgeries. She began to scream in horror as she literally was wasting swaying before her own eyes, yet she still could not stop staring at the beautiful image of herself in the hand mirror. Her screams brought the neighbours running, but her daughter was too far away, playing and reading deep within the woods that surrounded the small town.
girl strolled into her house. She was greeted by mass amounts of bodies, all lying on top of each other as if they had been racing for the same spot. As she waded into the horror, the young girl found her mirror, still clutched in the bony grasp of her dead mother. The girl sighed, packed her few things, and went to live in the forest, away from the horror, and once again alone and friendless.
As the neighbours poured into the room where the mother was standing, they looked in horror at her almost lifeless body, sunken on the floor. Unfortunately they also saw themselves in the hand mirror she was holding and slowly the whole town began to scream and shriek as they died while looking at themselves in the enchanted mirror. No one seemed to have the strength to look away from the enchanted visions of themselves that was shown in the mirror. When the sun hang so low in the sky that one could barely see one foot in front of themselves, the young
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Money Hands There was once a young man, beautiful and rather handsome, but incredibly bored. He could not afford his lifestyle of lavish clothing, meals out on the town regularly, and excessive drinking and other indulgences any longer without steady work, yet it was incredibly hard for him to find work that he was good at, as he wasn't very good at anything really. It was not long before the young man’s situation became dire. As he sat down in a cold, dark, alley, with rain pouring all around him, he began to think that this was how he would die, alone, wet and hungry in a decrepit back alley where no one would find him. Just then he heard a rustling noise and when he looked around him he saw a rather crooked creature emerging from behind a dirty trashcan. The creature unfurled itself and appeared to actually be a human, but an odd and dirty looking human at that. It then spoke to the
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young man, a low and gravelly voice barely above a hiss. "I know what you need, foolish boy. Money, and excesses, and food, and I assure you, I can give you all you need and more but first you must prove to me your worthiness, for you must be brave and bold to deserve what I offer." "I assure you," answered the boy, "I am both brave and bold, as well as good looking and deceiving!" But the odd man wanted to test that the boy would really do anything for the riches he promised. It was at that moment that a homeless junkie rounded the corner of the alley that the two men were occupying. Seeing an opportunity for new clothes and possibly wealth, the junkie lunge towards the young boy, producing a knife with the hopes of injuring the boy
and taking whatever possessions he had. The young boy knew this was a test and quickly turned the junkie’s knife around and was able to overcome the weaker man. It was not long before the junkie lay on the filthy ground of the alley, his life quickly pooling onto the ground around him. "Ah, I see, young boy, that you are in fact full of bravado and boldness, but there is one more condition you must meet to satisfy my conditions. For the next 5 years you must not wash or groom yourself, and you must dress in the attire of the homeless addict you have just slain. If in that time you die, your soul is mine for eternity. But if for some chance you survive, you shall be rich beyond your greatest desires," exclaimed the odd older man, smiling like a Cheshire cat. Now the young boy knew he was making a deal with the Devil, for that is what the old man really was, the devil in disguise. As he thought it over, the young boy realised he faced death by not accepting the proposal and being foolish as he was, he readily agreed to the Devil's terms and promptly shook his hand, solidifying the deal. The man then slipped off the dead junkies clothing and placed on the boy’s body. He also added his own coat over top and told the boy that if he ever needed
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money, all he had to do was place his hand into the pocket of the jacket and bills shall appear. From now on, the young boy was known as Money Hands, as his hands were able to always pull money from his pockets. The man also warned the boy that he was never to take off these clothes and never to wash them. He must sleep in them for the rest of the five years and only then could he change and wash and groom. The boy readily agreed and went about his way in the world. Now that Money Hands found he had unlimited riches, he quickly fell back into his previous lifestyle. His friends initially thought his new style was a trend, but upon realising it was just poor hygiene, they quickly ditched him in favour of the latest hot fad. After the first few months restaurants, hotels, and clubs refused him service. Sad, the boy wandered the streets, looking more and more decrepit as the years passed. As he had money he was always able to get food, but his loneliness was overwhelming. One night, as Money Hands curled up underneath an overhang in a back alley, not unlike the one he first met the devil in, he
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heard crying. Money Hands was trying to stay warm and get some sleep, but the crying was too loud for him to sleep well so finally, the boy crawled out from his hiding spot and looked for the source of the commotion. A little further down the alley, towards a back door that no doubt led to a club or other loose moral establishment, squatted a short bald man, crying and howling into the night. As Money Hands approached the bald man looking rather monstrous as he was into his third year of not bathing or grooming, the crier quickly back peddled and put his arms out, as if he intended to fight the monstrous creature. Finally the soothing voice of Money Hands reached the ears of the bald crier and he soon calmed down enough to allow for a conversation. The bald man explained his dire situation to the young boy, after his persistent questioning. "I have spent all my money, and all my family's money on booze and pretty women and drugs! There is nothing left and as my daughters sit and starve at home, they’re much too pretty to work, I am here making even more poorly judged decisions and putting us even more in debt!" cried out the older man, sniffling back tears and managing to become red in the face. Money Hands began to ponder. He could easily give the man enough money to repay his debt, but what
could he get in return? It then dawned on the boy that the man had mentioned daughters, and pretty daughters at that. He decided to make his own proposition to the man. "I can help you with your debts and give you enough money to have all the indulgences in the world, but in return you must give me one of your daughters to marry me and keep me company,” offered the young boy. The older man thought only for a second before agreeing to the boy’s terms. The boy in turn reached into his pocket and produced many stacks of bills, enough to pay off the old man’s debt and still have plenty left over. The man was delighted and quickly took Money Hands home to meet his daughters. When the man’s oldest daughter first set her sights on the monster-like boy, she quickly said, "I can do much better," turned up her nose, and stalked away. When the second oldest came she as well agreed that Money Hands was too ugly to be seen with her. Finally the youngest of the daughters came to see the commotion. Not only was she the youngest and prettiest, she was also the smartest, for she saw the potential of the monstrous boy in front of her and thought to herself that the boy had enough money to keep her in a lavish lifestyle for all of her life, so that she would never have
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a want or need that would go unmet. Also, she knew there was merit to being the prettier half of a couple and foresaw a future where she always got her way. Upon that reasoning, the youngest daughter decided she would be happy to marry the boy. When the boy heard this marvellous news, he quickly snatched up the girl and took her to the nearest tattoo parlour. It was there that both Money Hands and the girl had matching money signs etched into their inner right wrist, as a permanent bond between them. "Look, I have to wander the world and bide my two more years and after that, I will come to collect you and we shall be married. But if I do not return, you must move on with your life for it shall mean I have died," explained the boy to the girl, with lust and infatuation weighing heavily on his tongue. "Ya, cool, whatever," remarked the girl, her words highly laced with nonchalance. The days passed on and on for the next two years and the youngest daughter tried to forget her impending marriage to the beastly man, hoping day after day that he had died and would no longer bother her. The boy was
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traveling the world all this while, spending his money selfishly and lavishly. At the end of his five year period, Money Hands once again found himself in the presence of the devil, back in the very alleyway they first met in. The devil seemed not happy that the boy was still alive, but was forced to stick to his word. "You have all you need now boy, hand me back my coat and I'll be on my way." "Not so fast," remarked the boy, "first you must wash me and make me even better looking than I was before." And so the devil washed and groomed and polished the boy until he was even more handsome than he was five years previous. Once the devil had left, the boy went out and bought the fastest and flashiest car he could find and continued back to the house of the girl he had asked to marry him. When he arrived not one of the three darters or their father recognised him and invited him graciously into their home, assuming him to be someone famous or important.
reveal the tattoo on his wrist when the realisation of who he was sunk into all of the woman's consciousness’s. The boy crossed the room to his future bride and went to kiss her, as they could finally be together as a gorgeous and enviable couple. The two sisters at this moment realised their loss and quickly drowned their sorrows in both liquor and pills and it wasn't long before both were lifeless on the floor. That night, as the bride and groom-to-be planned their many vacation homes and massive wardrobes, the devil came to the boy one last time. "You think you have outsmarted me, but instead of your one soul, I got three!" cried the devil mischievously, a smile spreading across his face in pure delight, holding up a finger for each of the sisters and the junkie that all had died. And so Money Hands and his bride lived happily for a few short years before undergoing a horrific and vicious divorce.
Money Hands let it slip that he was in town to look for a wife. At these words the two oldest daughters jumped up and quickly began fussing about him, begging for his attention. It only took him a moment to
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Sources and Resources Grimm, Wilhelm, and Jacob Grimm. Grimm Fairy Tales. Abington, PA: Zenescope Entertainment, 2005. E-Book. "Grimm's Fairy Tales." SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, Carnegie Mellon. Web. 3 May 2012. <http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp/>. Stories reference original Grimm’s Fairy Tales including The Rose, The Fisherman and His Wife, Sweet Porridge, and Bearskin (in order of usage).
Photo Accreditations Photographer: Janine Bartels Clothing: Corinne Furniss Model: Andrea Crofts……………………………………………………………………….…page 3 Photographer: Corinne Furniss Clothing: Model’s Own Model: Kayla Vieth………………………………....pages Cover, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17
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