Introduction:

Cinderella, far from being an innocent fairy tale about a girl achieving her dreams is actually a
misogynist story that presents women as greedy and cruel or pretty and passive, and suggest that the best
way for a woman to get ahead in the world is to let herself be abused and wait for help from someone
else.
Summary:

Critical Evaluation:
In the beginning, Cinderella is oppressed by her father and his wife. She is forced to perform
traditional female tasks such as cooking and cleaning. The story allows for no solidarity among women.
The stepmother is presented as a monster and so does her stepsisters. After leaving the royal ball in a
hurry, Cinderella loses her glass slippers which was the key for her to be found by the Prince. A damsel in
distress story waiting to happen characterizing women to be passive, weak and dependent on men such as
the prince.
Getting a dress and looking pretty is the only way Cinderella is able to be happy, to be noticed
and to gain social power. In other words, keeping her ugly kept her from power. Beauty is seen as the
only way a woman can be powerful. Even during the dance, the prince “falls in love” with her because
she is the most beautiful. He only cares about her appearance. The prince also had a hard time looking for
Cinderella because he does not recognize her thus relying only on the glass slipper.
The story also portrayed the difference between genders in terms of being the head of the
household. After the death of Cinderella's father, the family fortune and stability were disrupted. Lady
Tremaine, Cinderella’s stepmother, as described as an abusive, cruel and greedy woman, brings the
family wealth down the drain and shows the incompetency and degradation of a women to lead anything.
Following this idea, the king is also shown to have no queen besides her explaining that a women is not
fit to rule a kingdom or head a household.
As depicted in the story, Cinderella loses track of time as the clock strikes at midnight. Leaving
the royal ball in a hurry, she loses her glass slippers which was the only way for her to be found by the
Prince. Scenarios like this illustrates how women are damsels in distress wanting to be saved,
characterizing women to be passive, emotionally feeble, unable to control their behavior, and dependent
on men such as the prince.
 Cinderella explores the misogynist story against women representing a balance between pretty
but weak and submissive versus strong but evil and ugly characters, women attaining power only with the
use of physical appearance and waiting to be rescued by others to gain social status. In addition, Men are
described to be higher in terms of social status thus having control of everything including who to marry
without any objection from the opposition.
In the beginning, Cinderella is oppressed by her father and his wife. She is forced to perform
traditional female tasks such as cooking and cleaning. The story allows for no solidarity among women.
The stepmother is presented as a monster.
Getting a dress and looking pretty is the only way Cinderella is able to be happy, to be noticed
and to gain social power. In other words, keeping her ugly kept her from power. Beauty is seen as the
only way a woman can be powerful. Even during the dance, the prince “falls in love” with her because
she is the most beautiful. He only cares about her appearance.
Love at first sight is only possible when you’re a man thus the prince’s courtship ritual inside the
royal ball. Besides the physical characteristics, the objectification of women in the story is looking for
someone to marry that can bear a child and not an equal partner to share a life with which applies to the
king’s position as the ruler of the kingdom without a queen. When asked for her hand in marriage,
Cinderella having a lower social status than the prince means she does not have any choice but to accept
presenting a patriarchal system where women have no equal rights and power as men.
As depicted in the story, Cinderella loses track of time as the clock strikes at midnight. Leaving
the royal ball in a hurry, she loses her glass slippers which was the only way for her to be found by the
Prince. Scenarios like this illustrates how women are damsels in distress waiting to be saved,
characterizing women to be physically appealing but passive, emotionally feeble, unable to control their
behavior, and dependent on men such as the prince.
The story of Cinderella signifies the discrimination against women and highlights the control men
has on women and how the society is greatly in favor of them. In addition, inequality from men to women
is greatly emphasized with the prince and king’s role in contrast to female characters such as Cinderella
and the stepmother justified as either pretty and passive or greedy and cruel, both depended of men. In
amidst the sexism of the story, Cinderella inspires readers to stay kind and optimistic despite limits and
hindrances.