According to fantasy writer and fellow fairytale nerd Sarah Viehmann, on the little foundling (little mermaid as a human):
Andersen’s Themes
When she finds her prince on land, he treats her as something more like a pet, [...] dressing her in boys’ clothes. The prince is betrothed to a human princess, whom he believes is the one who rescued him, [...]
Pardon me, Miss Viehmann, but I may ask: what has treating a person like a pet have to do with crossdressing? Where does the connection lie?
