Stereotypes In Cinderella

Cinderella is often viewed as a timeless children’s classic that inspires many young adolescent’s (particularly girls) to have elaborate dreams of meeting a young handsome prince, becoming a princess, and living happily ever after. However, while the story seems completely harmless and lovable, it actually portrays some very outdated expectations of society, which can severely alter a child’s way of thinking or viewpoint. The social and gender stereotypes assigned to certain characters create some very inaccurate expectations of the real world for juveniles.

Cinderella, the main female character in Cinderella, experiences some very harsh stereotypes that degrade and demoralize women in general. Her role in the household was to cook, clean, and care for her step-sisters Anastasia and Drizella as well as her

stepmother, lady Tremaine.

This portrays women as only being useful for menial household labor and dirty work rather than jobs of greater importance. It implies that women do not need any special skills or a job outside of their homely duties. This implication can lead young women to believe that their only purpose is to cater to others and care for the house. Furthermore, throughout the movie Cinderella, the main goal of the women is to make themselves as beautiful as possible so that they will be chosen by one of the young men (especially the prince) at the ball. For example, when Cinderella transforms into a glamorous princess, she is able to capture the attention of Prince Charming. If she had not been as attractive, then the Prince may not have even paid attention to her. Since so much emphasis is placed on the beauty of women and not their individual personalities, it

portrays only physically attractive women as desirable to others. Cinderella is also riddled with countless displays of the subservience of women. The film depicts them as being “lost” without a man, making them almost insignificant. The gender roles assigned to females in this movie create a very strict view of how women should act and dress. This enforces the already strong belief that women are obedient, weak, and passive. Due to this representation of women in Cinderella, gender roles and stereotypes continue to remain as a constant part of today’s society.
However, female gender roles are not the only stereotypes that exist within the movie Cinderella. The men, including Prince Charming and The King, are both wealthy and focused on their outward physical appearance which is shown through the elegant outfits they wear. Almost all the men illustrated through the movie are shown as having a higher social status than women. Additionally, all the “handsome” men are rich, have no facial hair, and prefer only the most beautiful women. This creates a narrow view of what is considered "attractive" for men and can therefore influence children’s own perspective. Prince Charming falls in love with Cinderella at first sight without even considering her personality or inner beauty. This shows the primary focus for men when choosing a wife in the movie Cinderella. Characterizing men in this fashion causes children to believe that men are one dimensional and care only for a women’s looks. Since men are constantly portrayed in the same light throughout the movie, it can affect the expectations of a minor causing them to believe that “handsome” men are only rich and that those who are poor are less attractive. Another expectation that children may gain from this movie is that wealth and beauty is what makes women happy, not other factors. These characteristics were most likely given to the men because when the original Cinderella story was written, the men of power were considered the most desirable so that is portrayed throughout the movie.