Ecofeminist philosophy argues the oppressions of women and environment are inherently linked, requiring theory, practice, and solutions to consider the complexities of both issues together. The attached image portrays the fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. Though many retellings exist, they share a young girl preyed upon by a (personified) male wolf. According to Hobgood-Oster, “ecofeminism claims that patriarchal structures justify their dominance through categorical or dualistic hierarchies: heaven/earth, mind/body, male/female, human/animal, spirit/matter, culture/nature, white/non-white” (2). The aforementioned fairy tale is a curious specimen under an ecofeminist lens—artistic analysis of Betidraws’ depiction offers greater depth to ecofeminist theory.
Ecofeminism considers male oppression of women and nature inherently linked. This duality of societal structure reinforces patriarchy and systems of oppression (Hobgood-Oster 2,3). From this perspective, ecofeminists believe “all dualisms and binary oppositional forms must be dismantled otherwise humanity remains ‘divided against’ itself” (Hobgood-Oster 3). Dualisms present in the image, and the Little Red Riding Hood tale, itself, come from the artist’s color palette, depth, and theme, accenting menacing, masculine dominance over a vulnerable female and nature. Warm and cool hues outline the difference between femininity and masculinity. Shades of red and yellow bring warmth to small, “weaker” figures, such as flowers and Red Riding Hood herself. Meanwhile, cooler colors (grey and dark green) define powerful figures within the painting—the silhouette of a predatory wolf, or towering trees, with razor-edged branches. The wolf looms over the young girl, like men assert power over women. Red Riding Hood’s depiction is also significant. Her dress is red like flowers in the foreground, comparing flora (dainty and beautiful) with women to accent their vulnerability in the presence of danger. Her golden-yellow hair echoes the sky’s color, implying women should be “warm” like the sun. In the upper-right-hand corner, bright, white light emanates from behind the wolf’s back. Its shape recalls a woman in a dress, with the wolf carrying her, reinforcing a theme of women’s victimization.
Artistic decisions regarding depth offer a perspective where women are small, compared to larger threats, and nature is vulnerable to men’s destruction. Both the girl’s and wolf’s shadows extend outward to the audience. Her shadow spreads over ground in the bottom center of the picture, while the wolf’s exaggerated silhouette devours a mass of central canvas area. According to Hobgood-Oster, some early ecofeminist academia “proposed that patriarchal cultural structures revolved around layers of symbol systems that justified domination” (Hobgood-Oster 4). In Betidraws’ art, the wolf’s shadow is as tall as, if not taller than, some trees, obscuring realism to portray the (male) wolf as greater, or more powerful, than a lone woman. Further, depletion of foliage—naked trees at center, despite lushness in the foreground bottom corners, suggests the looming figure’s (a.k.a. man’s) violence, harming women and nature. To note, because shadows spread to the foreground (advancing toward the viewer), the painting’s light source (in nature, the sun) must come from the center-right, to the back of the painting (behind the wolf’s shadow). A triangular patch of white appears within the curves of the wolf’s shadow. The top of this silhouette resembles a woman’s dress, as curved edges between the wolf’s silhouette outline her long hair (to the left) and her shoulder or chest (in white curves between the three claws). These edges are also similar in shape to a pine tree’s branches (as in the painting’s background). The shadow could be both tree and woman, as men’s destruction of nature (deforestation) is akin to their abuse of women.
Masculine violence against women and nature is a shared theme in the artwork, fairy-tale, and real life. Hobgood-Oster states, “feminine language used for ‘nature’ and the parallel violent approaches of control assigned against unruly nature and unruly women are obvious” (Hobgood-Oster 8). When men/patriarchy equate(s) women with nature, they devalue both, rather than recognizing the inherent value of each. Perrault’s version of the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale states, “who does not know that these gentle wolves are of all such creatures the most dangerous!” (“Little Red Riding Hood”). In the artist’s depiction, portraying the wolf with more masculine, bulky size (compared to the stick-thin shape both Red Riding Hood and nature—distant trees, flowers—share) leaves the girl and nature vulnerable to attack/destruction. Even friendlier retellings include a male hunter/lumberjack who saves the women, despite his prior violent destruction of nature. Thus, in depictions of the old fairy tale, whether male characters are hero or villain, they remain a threat to the environment, and women.
Works Cited
Betidraws. “Little Red Riding Hood Wolf.” Pixabay. 29 December 2024. Web. pixabay.com/illustrations/little-red-riding-hood-wolf-forest-9296256/. Accessed 28 January 2025.
Hobgood-Oster, Laura. “Ecofeminism: Historic and International Evolution.” The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature edited by Bron Taylor; Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas; University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, myCourses, WGS 307-7101: Ecofeminism: Philosophy & Practice – On-Line (2025 Spring CE1). 2006, 2010. Web. systemicalternatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ecofeminism.pdf. Accessed 28 January 2025.
McHenry, Kristen Abatsis, Dr. “Week 2 Learning Module: What is Ecofeminism?” University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, myCourses, WGS 307-7101: Ecofeminism: Philosophy & Practice – On-Line (2025 Spring CE1). n.d. umassd.umassonline.net/ultra/courses/_36339_1/cl/outline. Accessed 28 January 2025.
n.a., “Little Red Riding Hood.” Wikipedia. 27 January 2025. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Riding_Hood#Plot. Accessed 28 January 2025.
n.a., “Charles Perrault.” Wikipedia. 11 November 2024. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault. Accessed 28 January 2025.
Hi, Piper I enjoyed your piece, Ecofeminists argue that decolonialism is essential for challenging dominant Western perspectives and promoting more inclusive and sustainable ways of living.
By highlighting these connections, ecofeminism offers a powerful framework for understanding the intersections between social justice, environmentalism, and feminism.
Hi Piper! Wow, what a great and insightful post. You included analysis of the imagery of Little Red Riding Hood that I didn’t consider previously, particularly your comments on the colors used in the fairytale imagery. I wonder if the original illustrator picked up on such connections? Or perhaps it was inherent, internal bias that drove him or her to color the drawings in such ways. I think this really goes to show how deeply these good/bad, dark/light, man/woman hierarchies extend into our culture.
Hi Piper,
Great analysis and employment of Ecofeminism into mainstream literature, it’s always interesting to unpack the stories we are told as children for what they are/influence them. The fairy tale originates in 17the century England, I wonder if the themes in the fairy tale are similar to what we read in Hogbood-Oster’s writings.
Wow, Piper, I’m impressed by the depth of your analysis. After reading your piece, I can see exactly how Little Red Riding Hood is a story of male domination of women and nature. Although I’ve of course heard the fairy tale before, I never recognized these perspectives. Perhaps that is the power of feminist theory, and in this case ecofeminist theory.
I love your explanation of the implications of sizes, colors, and life within the different parts of the story’s artwork. It’s also incredibly well pointed out that in the context of the story there may be a male hero, but from the “deep ecology” mindset that hero is still causing harm to nature.
In many (most?) cases, stories that incorporate a male hero also perpetuate stereotypes around female character being helpless and needing a man to rescue them. I certainly didn’t take in many stories of self-sufficient women or female heroes in my childhood, and I can absolutely point out the consequences of that style of storytelling.
Even in the past several years as we’ve started to see more portrayals of female heroes, those women continue to be sexualized. A good example are female superheroes in movies, comic books, etc. Columnist Grace Johnson does a fantastic job explaining this topic in an article that can be found here: https://observer.case.edu/johnson-the-problem-with-female-superheroes/.
Thanks again for your great perspective.
I think your analysis of Little Red Riding hood does an excellent job thinking about the dualism and hierarchies mentioned in Hobgood-Oster’s article. When we think about the violence against women and logics of domination the fairy tale demonstrates ecofeminist principles quite nicely.