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cover of episode 558. The Snow White Disney Doesn’t Want You To Know

558. The Snow White Disney Doesn’t Want You To Know

2025/6/30
logo of podcast The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

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Jordan Peterson analyzes the Grimm brothers' Snow White, focusing on the Evil Queen's motives. He connects the queen's actions to the concept of fertility suppression observed in primates, where dominant females actively reduce the reproductive success of subordinates. This behavior is explained through an evolutionary lens, aiming to maximize the dominant female's own reproductive success. The story's narrative mirrors this dynamic, showcasing the queen's envy and attempts to eliminate Snow White's beauty and fertility as threats to her dominance.
  • Fertility suppression in primates and humans
  • Evolutionary perspective on the Evil Queen's actions
  • The queen's envy and attempts to eliminate Snow White's beauty and fertility

Shownotes Transcript

Dr. Jordan Peterson offers a psychological and cultural analysis of the Grimm Brothers' Snow White, using it as a lens to explore evolutionary biology, female status hierarchies, fertility suppression, and the pathology of the “evil queen” archetype. Drawing on research in primatology and cultural commentary, Peterson connects ancient folklore to modern dynamics—critiquing contemporary feminist ideologies, careerism, and generational envy, while upholding the redemptive power of masculine responsibility in narrative tradition (and real life). Part myth, part science, part cultural autopsy—this is the synthesis of one of Peterson’s most impactful tenants: stories matter, and fundamental stories reiterate across time.

This episode was filmed on June 24th, 2025.