This is what happens when Disney princesses meet reality.

Happily. Ever. After.

They’re the three words we’re fed from birth. With every fairytale trilogy, every Disney movie, heck, every second love song on the radio, we’re convinced the elusive ‘happy ending’ is within reach.

But at some point, whether we like it or not, reality slaps most of us in the face. We get a wake-up call that reminds us that life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies.

Never has that message hit home so hard as when viewing this photo series from the blog Unhappily Ever After.

And while the images are incredibly distressing, there’s also something kind of beautiful about their message that life isn’t a fairytale.

Why? Because it gives us reason to change our own destiny, rather than wait around and hope things to work out.

Sure, the images remind us of childhoods engrossed in Disney cartoons. But they also remind us that now that we’re adults, it’s time to face up to reality.

It’s time to realise that animal abuse, racism, rape, environmental pollution and addiction are real-world issues.

And sure, they aren’t exactly the stuff fairytales are made of. But the way we as a society tackle them will affect not only our own ‘happily ever after’ but also those of future generations to come as well.