Are the Disney Princesses Good Role Models? Part 2: Cinderella

Cinderella is the most iconic Princess of them all. She’s usually dead center in any picture of the Princess line up. She has two castles named after her. She’s what many people think of when the word “Disney” is mentioned. She’s also subject to a lot of argument on whether she makes the cut as a feminist figure.

Why do people dislike Cinderella so much? Many oversimplify the plot, twist it and reduce it to: an attractive girl gets everything she wants because she’s attractive. Cinderella is so nice that her level of niceness is unattainable for most people. And therefore, an impossible person to emulate.

Some people dislike Cinderella because they claim she needed a prince to save her. Couldn’t she have just gotten up and left her abusive step family anytime she wanted? Did she have to marry the first man that came along?

Let’s put Cinderella into historical context like we did Snow White. Cinderella was released in 1950, shortly after WWII. After the destruction of the war, many people craved safety and security. Women could not get a job as easily as they could during the war. Women were expected to be homemakers. Cinderella was a homemaker, too.

Women did not have many financial freedoms in the time the movie was released, nor in the time the movie took place. It is likely that once the stepmother inherited the money, Cinderella could legally do nothing about it. She could not just go out and get a job. If she did not do what her stepfamily asked of her, they could kick her out on the streets. And with no other family or support, that could have meant death.

Cinderella dealt with an abusive situation. But she did leave it…once she fell in love with Prince Charming. And some have issue with Cinderella falling in love with the Prince.

So what?

So what if a girl falls in love with a boy? Being in love and being in an opposite-sex relationship does not erase one’s feminism.

Cinderella did not fall in love with the Prince solely that he would solve all her problems. And he definitely does not solve her problems. He is not the hero of the story. Cinderella is the hero of her own story. 

After her animal friends helped her escape her attic bedroom, Cinderella came running down the stairs to catch the Grand Duke. She was the one who held on to the other slipper.  She was the one who was brave enough to tell the Grand Duke the truth about her being the mysterious maiden at the ball, despite her stepmother waiting to further abuse Cinderella should anything go wrong. 

It was a simple act, showing up with the glass slipper and revealing the truth, but it is what saved Cinderella. 

So what if she ends up with the Prince? After all the years of living under such abuse, Cinderella is happy to finally be with someone who truly loves her.

Cinderella did need help. She needed help from the mice to make her dress. And when her stepsisters tore up that dress, she needed help from her fairy godmother. She needed her mice friends to help unlock her bedroom door so she could try on the glass slipper. Does the fact that Cinderella needs help sometimes make her weak? I do not think so. Everyone needs help at some point in their lives. And refusing to get help does not make you strong. It makes you stubborn. 

Cinderella does not take advantage of those who do nice things to her. Cinderella and her animal friends are a prime example of the Pay it Forward theory. Cinderella saved Gus Gus from the trap, gave him clothes and food, and introduced him to the other mice. In return, Gus Gus helps make Cinderella a dress and helps get the key to her room.

Of course, this method does not work on everyone. Cinderella is nice to Lucifer the cat, but Lucifer does all he can to stir up trouble. And that. my friends, is reality. Being nice to people might not always pay off. But one day it might.

Cinderella lived through a life of terrible abuse at the hand of her stepfamily. They squandered her father’s money, and Cinderella could not legally do anything about it. She was forced to wear rags and do piles of housework everyday. She was confined to the attic, while her stepsisters got to live in grand bedrooms. She had no family, no money, and no way out. A life like this would harden most people. But Cinderella found the strength in herself to remain kind hearted towards others. She found a way to survive. 

Sure, Cindy didn’t save a country or fight against a god or stop a battle. She did endure years of abuse. And unfortunately, I think more girls can relate to living through abuse than they can fighting in a war. 

Cinderella shows girls that just because they have been victims of cruelty in the past, they are still worthy of love. Living an unjust life can easily darken people. It is natural to want become angry and lash out. But being caring and kind towards others is what ultimately leads to a better society and a happier life. 

What do you think of Cinderella? Leave me a comment below!