Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Cinderella. And her story became the epitome of love and life for several little girls around the globe. While it does present itself to be a cute little story with music, magic, and mouses helping Cinderella get through life, there does seem to be some aspects which are blatantly wrong for any child to grow up believing.
Cinderella, similar to other fairy tales, implants seeds of unrealistic expectations in children’s minds. The only other time my heart got broken from not being invited to a ball to meet my charming prince, named Prince Charming, was when I didn’t receive a letter to go to Hogwarts at thirteen.
We were also a victim of this fairytale scam, so without further ado, let’s proceed to rip our childhood apart.
Character Portrayal of Cinderella
The titular character Cinderella is ironically not the heroic character. Her character itself does not progress, and neither does she portray any act of heroism. Instead, her circumstances improve. Her depiction as a victim of the circumstances begins with her name, which originates as her stepfamily forces her to sleep in the cinders. On the other hand, we have Prince Charming, whose name is basically [his royal position] [a descriptive adjective].
Even in the 21st century, women are usually described as silent, affectionate and amiable. This very thought is also portrayed in Cinderella, where she is shown to be sweet, kind and quiet despite the mistreatment she receives from her stepfamily. Are soft adjectives like “obedient” and “affectionate” worth the pain suffered? Why should one be affectionate to a family that does not value them? Why did Cinderella bare all the taunts and tortures silently? Why didn’t she stand up against her stepfamily? Why didn’t she pack her bags and attempt to run away? Why did she not talk back once?
She could have been a conqueror of her circumstances, rather than just a victim. Is her personality innate to her gender?
Gender Roles in Cinderella
As it is, our society has distinguished roles for men and women. Why should this have to exist in a fairytale too? A magical place where mice talk and pumpkins become carriages, why should gender roles be established?
Confused about what I am talking about? You are bound to be. As viewers, we barely look into the details of a story. However, young kids observe and learn the smallest of details. Female characters are the only ones cleaning and sweeping the floor, whereas men are riding horses and leading carriages. Even the tiny animals in the plot, depict the existence of such gender roles by stating “leave the sewing to the women” while repairing Cinderella’s torn dress.
Wrong perception of Life
Starting from Cinderella to women in the 21st century where feminism and women empowerment is prominent, we all believe that a knight in shining armour is coming to save us from our plight. It’s exciting for a child if their fairy tales include love, magic and sparkles, but why are you making us believe we need to wait around to be “rescued”?
I remember wondering, as a child, when my Prince Charming was going to come riding a horse and take me away every time I was overwhelmed with homework. Just a spoiler alert, that Prince Charming never came. I had to do all my homework by myself.
Anyways, back to the point, Cinderella sets this unrealistic expectation of an impeccable character going by the name ‘Prince Charming’, to arrive at the perfect time to set you free from all your woes. Sorry to pop your dream bubble, but even an angel could not save you from your problems in life. Definitely not, unless you consider yourself as an angel!
The only Fairy Godmother or Prince Charming who could possibly change your life is You! Cinderella, a fairytale, does not focus on this brutal reality, thus giving us a wrong perception of life. There is no point waiting for someone to arrive to improve your living conditions. You have to accept your circumstances, fight your battles and ultimately celebrate your success. Simply said, you have to be your own knight in shining armour!
Wrong Perception of Love
Love, an abstract topic, is known to spark a magical feeling that hits us at an unexpected time. Similar to how Prince Charming fell in love with Cinderella during a ball. While this is a dream for all, it remains to be only a fantasy for many. Some might find love unexpectedly, whereas others have to put themselves out there. Also, rarely love happens at sight. Mostly, it takes days, months or even years. This is probably the primary reason for the concept of ‘Dating’ was born.
Further, there is no ‘right’ person out there. Love sadly isn’t a jigsaw puzzle for 2 pieces to fit perfectly. Some soldering, some mending, and several compromises are required in love and relationships. Cinderella barely describes this complicated yet satisfying process of falling in love.
Ironically, in Cinderella, a shoe brings them together! The Prince does not even remember Cinderella’s face. The glass slipper further aids to symbolise the weak and feeble nature of their relationship. Not to mention, a glass slipper sounds extremely uncomfortable. If it was a way to depict the discomfort and fragile foundation of their relationship, then the morale comes out loud and clear. Hopefully, their “happily ever after” does not include their glass relationship slipping or shattering like the slipper.
While all of our focus was on Cinderella and Prince Charming’s magical love story and happily ever after, we missed out on these details that show us the reality of love. “True love” who doesn’t remember your face, can’t really be your true love. This plot would have made so much more sense if Prince Charming was depicted as a blind man. Just imagine. “Once upon a time, there lived a blind prince named Prince Charming. He falls in love with a girl, but all that he is left with is her glass slipper. So he sends his men across the entire country to find that one girl. And once he finds her, they live happily ever after.” That would have a much better story, simultaneously teaching young girls and guys to look beyond physical beauty, and not be insecure if they do have any physical shortcomings which are not in their hands to change.
Wrong perception of happily ever after
This screams out as one of the root problematic ideas fairy tales propagated, second to “there exists a prince coming to save you”. Sorry kids, there is never a ‘happily ever after’.
Instead,
“Welcome to an adult relationship”
~ Monica Geller.
Once you leave fairy tales behind and enter the real world, you begin to realise that Prince Charming and Cinderella never had a real conversation before falling in love. They have no idea about each other’s aspirations, dreams, or even their names. True “Happily Ever After” comes when you find the person with whom you can cross the hurdles which life throws at you, not the person whose face you forgot. Even then, “Happily Ever After” has a fair share of fights, struggles and compromises one has to constantly work on and live through.
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