“A fine coat is not always an indication of an attractive mind.”
A Princess and a Pop Star were chatting amicably after a gala for their country’s national holiday, when the subject turned to the latest fashions. The Pop Star was very proud of her closet full of the newest runway looks, though many would agree they were much too ostentatious for everyday wear. The Princess, however, wore a much more demure and understated style, even going so far as to be seen wearing the same outfits at several events.
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| (The Princess and her Prince arrive at the gala) |
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| (The Pop Star arrives at the gala) |
Laughing internally, the Princess excused herself to find her husband, the Prince. As she recounted the event to him, the Prince chuckled and said, “Her gaudy clothing is just a distraction from her lack of talent and poise, while you let your personality and grace shine, and your clothes complement that, not compete with it.”
The End.
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Author’s Note:
This story was based on the fable The Fox and the Leopard from Aesop for Children, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). In the fable, the Fox and the Leopard start disputing their good looks. After the Fox realizes that his understated coat is no match for the flashy style of the Leopard, he uses his wit to drive the Leopard to the point of anger. He walks off after remarking that if the Leopard was as smart as his coat is, he would be actually beautiful. I took inspiration from one of my favorite style icons, Kate Middleton, for the Princess, as I think she embodies intelligence, grace, and poise, while still being relatable to the everyday woman. The Pop Star was based loosely on Victoria Beckham (formerly known to many of us as Posh Spice), for whom my 6 year old self had a lot of admiration, but who has since become more focused on fashion than music. She kind of gives off the bad girl vibe, don't you think?
I chose this story because I love foxes and leopards. I liked that it uses the fox's cunning as a way to outsmart the boastful leopard. It seemed like it would be a pretty easy one to start with, so I wasn't super worried about figuring out how to rewrite it!
Image information:
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Olympic Gala. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons
Victoria Beckham 2010. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons
I think the interpretation of this fable was very creative! It was a great way to take the fable and translate it into something that can be understood by people today. I also think that choosing Kate Middleton and Victoria Beckham as images for your princess and pop star were great choices. They both fit the characters that you laid out so well.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your story. I thought that using Duchess Kate as the fox was a great choice. Her style is very elegant but not gaudy. I like Victoria as the leopard as well. Even when she was a member of the Spice Girls, her outfits were always kind of flashy. Your story kind of reminded me of a Disney channel movie that I saw about how a flashy pop star and plain Jane high school girl meet and compare their lives.
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ReplyDeleteI have to admit the picture of Princess Kate stuck me right off the bat! What a fun way to interpret the fable, The Fox and The Leopard. I can definitely relate more when Kate and Victoria are involved. These too powerhouse British woman are fun to read about! The moral of this story is such a great one too and your storytelling really enhanced that. It's not about having the newest trendy dress or designer lasted on your clothes but more about the presence your clothes present. Your storytelling was super captive too! I loved the vocabulary you used like words such as ostentatious and flippant! Gave it a very British feel! I love short and sweet stories with a good message and this was just that. I felt you did a great job of expressing the emotion and feeling of the princess and the pop star! Great job Lillian!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great interpretation of a fable! I love the images used to illustrate the fox and the leopard, as well as the overall concept of making them a princess and a pop star. That makes these characters easily understood by your audience because of our familiarity with these modern characters. Your word choice in this story was impeccable--the use of words such as chatting amicably, ostentatious, and demure really brought the story to life. One thing that would have helped me in this story was using a little more time to develop the setting in the beginning. Where was this taking place? How busy was it? Were there lots of lights, or was it relatively calm? Things like that could really take the story and add lots of life and color to it. Another suggestion that occurred to me was using direct speech (dialogue) between the characters. By hearing the characters speak, it can help the audience understand more about the characters and help develop them further. But overall, this was such a great story! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a clever rendition of The Fox and the Leopard. I think it is very creative to not only bring the story into modern times, but to the world of fashion. I am interested in how you thought up this name, because I feel like I've heard this title before. Either way it works for your story. Good Job.
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