A Feminist approach on the story of Cinderella

Authored by Lanz Adrian P. Olac

The Cinderella story, one of the most nostalgic fairytales written for younger audiences,
has made over 800 variations of literature dating back as far as 850 A.D, yet its most prominent
versions is derived from the 1697 collection of eighty fairytales Histoires ou contes du temps
passé, Cendrillion – which inspired Walt Disney’s 1950 animated film Cinderella – authored by
Charles Perrault (1628–1703) – French poet, prose writer, and storyteller; and a leading member
of the Académie Française, who played a prominent part in a literary controversy known as the
quarrel of the Ancients and Modern (Encyclopedia Britannica, Jan. 2023). According to
anthropological theories, it is likely based on the life of St. Germaine Cousin, the patron saint of
child abuse victims, who met a similar narrative being abused by her foster family especially her
stepmother Hortense after her father Laurent Cousin’s remarriage. However, Cinderella is far
from being an innocent fairytale about a girl achieving her dreams is actually a misogynist story
that presents women as greedy and cruel or pretty and passive, and suggests 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.

According to the Walt Disney’s version of Cinderella, the main character (Cinderella) in
the beginning was ridiculed and degraded by her foster family after especially her malevolent
stepmother (Lady Tremaine) and her daughters (Anastasia and Drizella) to the extent of to be
described of ‘slavery’, living in a tortuous household being constantly fatigued by the many
traditional tasks alike that of maidservants whilst her middle-class family lived in extreme luxury
and contentment, wearing extravagant outfits and materialistic personalities that fits the
bourgeoisie descriptions. Cinderella was submissive and fragile, gifted with exquisite beauty and
talent yet tarnished by the cinders of evil – as per the usual taste of writers for female
protagonists – forced to commit to this lifestyle until she received a magical assistance from her
fairy-godmother which will expire at 12 o’clock midnight – elevating her outward appearance to
a maximum, additionally with the shiny, pearlescent carriage and her elegant staff of transformed
‘pets’ to attend to the kingdom ball held by the King and Prince Charming to which her family
was also invited.

She was undeniably conspicuous to the wide host of esteemed guests coming from every
corner of the land and therefore catches the attention of Prince Charming who attended to her
needs, much less to the joys of her family, in order to seek marriage much driven by lust, nothing
more to say from her backgrounds or motives. However, as the clock near 12 o’ clock, she
hurried herself to her company against the possessive wishes of Prince Charming to hid the
ultimate truth of her real identity, sparing her lowly dignity from the public eye – leaving only a
glass shoe to everyone’s judgment. As a result, the kingdom of the King and Prince Charming
was determined to unveil the truth, using the glass shoe as an instrument and suspected maidens
as a medium, to identify the mystery guest going from every far reaches of their territory until
arriving the residences of Lady Tremaine and finding out that Cinderella, not Drizella or
Anastasia, was the owner of the shoe. In the end, a pompous marriage ceremony was held in the
name of love between Prince Charming and Cinderella, living happily ever after.

The story despite its positive outcome in the media business industry, has gained a pretty
depressing perspective on the matters of feminism. The different portrayals and themes in female
characterizations especially comparing Cinderella to other female peers (e.g., Lady Tremaine,
Drizella, and Anastasia) was particularly noteworthy where the high-status female actors abuse
their authority and wealth to harass and ridicule their lowly female peers. The story’s plot
formation and development only centers under one major ideology: misogyny.

Such that in Cinderella’s case where she was maltreated by her own family because of
her poor social backgrounds, having to do painful, traditional tasks and obligations for her own
kins because she is a ‘lesser of a valued woman’ and therefore must bear that forsaken identity as
when compared to Lady Tremaine and her daughters’ worth as a middle-class family being
“more of a valued woman”. These only dictate the fragility and ineffectiveness of women when
they are not given the proper authority and power in society, instead becoming “entitled
maidservants” to other powerful entities like Cinderella’s stepfamily and the Prince Charming’s
royal family to be utilized as an object of pleasure, comfort, and entertainment. These coincides
with the topic of socio-economic conflicts dealing with power struggles for the same gender
which translates to today’s women problems: same-sex discrimination, gender roles in the
workplace, and female abuse. It is wise to note that the Cinderella story at least touches and
promotes the moral aspects of positive femininity through Cinderella’s personality against her
personal trials and tribulations – kindness, sensitivity, empathy, cooperativeness, and modesty –
for younger audiences especially girls to get inspiration from to develop a more favorable
character.

Yet, the most alarming scenario taken from the story was from the courtship ritual in the
Prince Charming’s ball and the aftermath. The prince’s interaction with Cinderella was more
problematic, asserting his own wishes and commands without considering the woman’s options
in the conversation about marriage. And after her disappearance, the entire kingdom searched for
her to forcibly continue the affairs, resulting to Cinderella submitting herself to the royal family
for marriage. These only implied that in a patriarchal society, women have even less self-
autonomy and control over the accountability on their lives, unknowingly selling their principal
human rights to their male counterparts who are the dominant gender who will go by any actions
or pursuits to take advantage of women. Even so, Cinderella has to accept the marriage proposal
to escape her terrible life circumstances and conflicts because of her passivity and vulnerability
as an abused woman making her incapable to fight and defend against her violators for
independence.

The story Cinderella is regarded as one of the most remembered childhood stories to
many. Yet, it has taken a dark, negative turn on feminism because of: 1.) the immorality and
susceptibility of the female characters; 2.) the misogynistic plot formation and development, 3.)
the patriarchal agendas present in the settings.

 Submitted to: Ma’am Rosalie P. Agulto