Sexual predators have been a prominent issue in countries around the world and can be traced back as far as Jack the Ripper’s time period. Many individuals, especially young ones, suffer horrendous acts made by strangers and are left traumatized because of it. That is why many writers have come up with several ways to parade the message of averting the confrontation of unfamiliar people by having a wolf represent a man’s hidden sexual desires. The song, “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” demonstrates to the younger generation on how they should avoid making conversation with strange people through the figure of a wolf.
In the opening scene of the song, the audience is shown a wolf accompanying little red riding hood in order to gain her trust so he can accomplish what he truly yearns. Once he has her trust, Bimbo, the character following the wolf, quickly pounces at the wolf and takes his skin knowing that the wolf has already gained the girls trust so he is able to take advantage of little red riding hood instead. Like Bimbo, many sexual predators plan on keeping their “sheep suit on until” they are sure they “can be trusted” so they are able to easily take advantage of their person of interest (Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs). In the context of the song, the sheep suit represents the way sexual predators pretend to be friendly and harmless towards young individuals. Once the sexual predator has gained the trust of their prey, they show their true colors and make their move on the younger person. The song also demonstrates that the younger generation should not only avoid anyone who may look like a threat but even those who look normal because “even bad wolves can be good” (Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs). Similar to what occurs in Charles Perrault’s version of “Lil Red Riding Hood”, the wolf gains the trust of the girl and because of this she does not hesitate to listen when the wolf asks her to take off her clothes so she can join him in bed. That is why not being able to depict whether a suspicious-looking person is virtuous or if a trustworthy person is immoral is a pressing issue that facilitates the concept of evading strangers completely.
The story of “Little Red Cap” has been altered many times since the original author, Wilhelm Grimm, has written the story. Authors like Charles Perrault altered the title of the story to “Little Red Riding Hood” and maintained the plot of the story, but added additional information to expand on the idea of refraining from speaking to strangers. This ideology is expressed in the song, “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” by the way the songwriter utilizes the wolf and Bimbo to represent two different forms of sexual predators and how they succeed at seducing helpless adolescent individuals.
References
"SAM THE SHAM & THE PHAROAHS - 1966 - "Lil' Red Riding Hood" - 2012 Video
Edit." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <[1]>.
Andrew Lang, The Blue Fairy Book, 5th edition (London: Longmans, Green, and Company,
1891), pp. 51-53. Lang's source: Charles Perrault, Histoires ou contes du temps passé,
avec des moralités: Contes de ma mère l'Oye (Paris, 1697). [2]
Additional Hyper Links
Lyrics to "Lil' Red Riding Hood" [3]
Origins of the story "Little Red Riding Hood" [4
The Grimms' Fairy Tales [4]