You know the Cinderella story. We all do.
She is a princess. She falls in love with Prince Charming in a blue dress and glittery headband. She escapes her wicked stepmother and stepsisters through marriage and lives happily ever after.
We most likely know the Cinderella story from Disney’s 1950 animated adaptation of “Cendrillon.” “Cendrillon” is a 17th-century French tale with striking similarities to the movie adaptation, from the glass slippers to the pumpkin carriage, and the fairy godmother. The Cinderella story we know, then, is about 400 years old.
A story of a heroine [1] successfully marrying off to a prince has its charm. That’s why the story survived for centuries. But there is plenty of room to rethink the plot … and your version of Cinderella might come out better! Here are some points we can start from:
Cinderella’s reaction to tyranny
How does Cinderella react to oppression? Her stepmother gives her all the hard work. She is forced to sleep in the attic and wear rags; the dirt and cinders on her are what give her the name cinder-ella. Rather than rebelling against the unfair treatments, Cinderella diligently does her work with a hopeful and upbeat attitude. She accepts the situation and tries to keep positive.
Cinderella’s reaction to tyranny is one way of dealing with difficult situations. You cannot control some things in your life. And it is better to focus on the things that you can change, rather than to resent the things that you cannot. Cinderella is excellent at this: she sings with animal friends and remains kind.
However, one cannot help but wonder how the story would end were Cinderella a bit more active. If I were Cinderella, I might write a letter to my father or try to (physically) fight my stepmother. But this was perhaps impossible 400 years ago when the original story was written. Back in the day, women didn’t have much control over their lives, though we now think that women and men should equally have agency [2] over their lives and individuality.
Love at first sight
Cinderella and Prince Charming meet each other at a ball and instantly fall in love. Following his heart, Charming proposes to her on their second interaction! Romantic, isn’t it?
Well, this marriage might not be the best idea. Mind you– they barely know each other and their only interaction before marriage happens at a ball. At a ball! This is where people show up all dressed up to put their best foot forward. How wise is it, after all, to decide that you will live the next 70 years with a person after one spectacular evening? Not every day of life is ball night.
Fairy godmother
Cinderella has a fairy godmother who turns a pumpkin into a carriage and her shabby outfit into a dress. This fairy is a savior who turns up at the very last minute to empower the heroine. Though not as dramatic, if you look around, there might be people in your life that had your back through hardship. Think about those people and how they’ve supported you.
Based on this, in an alternate universe, how could the fairy godmother help Cinderella without using the power of magic? Also, why do you think the fairy in the story appears as a maternal figure? A fairy godfather would be equivalently powerful.
It’s time to think about what you would change from the original fairy tale. There is no one correct way to go about this. On a different note, if life gets difficult, cast a spell, “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!”