Cinderella was my favorite Disney film as a child. I remember I loved her glass slippers and thought she was the most beautiful princess of all the Disney Princesses. I remember I even dressed like her for Halloween when I was five. Thinking about this film from a gender standpoint I now see how it brings up issues relating to gender as well as class. Cinderella is portrayed in the film as being a beautiful and passive princess, two traits that most women learn is appropriate and therefore expected for them to have. The characters in this fairy tale are gendered in how Cinderella herself is helpless and thinks her only way to escape her troubled fate is to find a man to save her. The whole idea of Prince Charming is actually quite offensive now that I think about it. It’s like saying Cinderella needed a man to complete her life, to save her, when she could have demonstrated that she could do these things on her own. Instead she acts as a dependent and shy woman who falls for her knight in shining armor at a Ball and her life is changed forever. The gender representations in terms of this story I think mean to say how beautiful women can be saved by handsome men and that there main purpose in life is to find their husband, or as most of us refer to today, obtain our “Mrs Degree”. I think it was lucky how her Fairy G-d Mother got to be a women and played a significant role in helping her, but there were still limitations as to what Cinderella could to. I think I remember the part where if she didn’t make her 12 PM curfew then her carriage and everything else would turn to pumpkins and other ugly things. I think the messages being received about gender by children from this story are flawed. This story makes women seem overly dependent and incapable of taking care of themselves. Children, mostly young girls, are probably led to believe that a handsome man will be the solution to all of their future problems, which is not a very good universal message for young children, who are unfortunately the target audience of these Disney films. Also the Step Mother and evil Step Sisters are portrayed as being rude, selfish, as well as ugly. One thing I would like to point out here, in terms of the implications of gender learning from this story, is how the qualities of being rude and selfish were paired with women who were ugly in their appearance, and women who were obedient and passive were portrayed as beautiful, leading young children to what may be another false conclusion which is that if a woman wants to be seen as beautiful then she must be obedient and passive and if she sticks up for herself (which in this story is exaggerated as bossing people around) she will be seen as ugly. I’m not saying I liked the evil step mother or sisters, because I didn’t, but I do see now how they were strong women in the sense that they didn’t take crap from anyone.
If I were to rewrite this fairy tale I would write something along these lines:
Once upon a time, there was a Princess named Cinderella. Cinderella lived with her Step Mother and step sisters whom she had strained relationships with, but she tried her best to tolerate them and excel in school so she could make something of herself and achieve a new life for herself. Cinderella worked hard to get good grades and got involved in clubs that made her feel good about herself and instilled confidence in herself that she had the capability to be a good leader. Cinderella was a very independent and free spirit and she had many admirers but she felt it was important that she be with someone who would respect how she lived her life and accept what she wanted to achieve without holding her back. Cinderella was not going to go for the first guy that came around, even if he was extremely handsome, she had to make sure he was a nice person. Although wealth and status were important things, as long as he made her happy, that is all that mattered. Cinderella did eventually meet a man who later became her husband, but she was glad she had allowed herself the time to feel comfortable in her own skin rather than looking for a man to provide that for her.
And They Lived Happily Ever After.
kr44 
Your take on the evil step mother and sisters is very interesting. I never thought to make the connection that because they are empowered and “rude” women they are depicted as evil. The passive pretty girl is an interesting thought and I like how you decided in your retell that Cinderella is instead awarded respect through education and hard work. This reminds me of the American Dream which is often a story to describe a successful man. I think the message to young girls that finding yourself and learning to love and accept yourself is awesome. That finding a man should not be your first priority but finding someone that can compliment you and a relationship that encourages you both to excel in what ever goals you make. As a child I never read any of these empowering stories and maybe by reading these it could help young girls feel more comfortable in her skin.