Cinderella (PRE 1960)
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Cinderella is a story of a girl who is continuously slaving around for her two step sisters and step mother singing and cleaning.
Until an invitation for a ball arrives and Cinderella sneaks to the ball to find herself dancing with the Prince who she immediatly falls in love with. This is again showing a naive relationship between the two characters and portrays females as simply immature to dance with a man without previous knowledge of him. Also showing that the female is completely dependant on the Prince as her life has now transformed from rags to riches in seconds of meeting him.
Cinderella never gets a break from her housework chores. She is a domestic, elegant, beautiful princess… of course it was made in 1950s. Cinderella teaches children that the only way to advance in life and become happy is to marry your way out of misery by being helpful and keeping a strong grin. Oh and of course, by being beautiful. As soon as she meets her ‘True love’ at first sight, her life has miraculously changed. She has broken free from her domestic, lonely life to now become happy, just because of a man she’s never met before. However, this story is not as feminist as other pre 1960s movies. It shows woman have control in the household (The evil step mother) also, everybody else has accomplished her dream for her (mice make the dress, godmother makes the carriage). Although, she is still a dreamer singing to birds and escaping reality within your sleep.
From a recent essay I have done- “Expectations on Woman’s roles are powerful within Disney Films where woman are expected to clean up, sing and wear pretty dresses for example in Cinderella the character is made to stay at home and clean up as she is helpless within her household of evil step family. She then finds the Prince Charming and her life has completely turned around, she is no longer cleaning and helpless, as she has her stereotypical male in her life. “
Gender representations 