Cinderella is one of the most well known fairytales in the world. A Frenchman named Charles Perrault recorded one well-known version (his version is the one adapted by Walt Disney for the creation of his well-known film) the second well-known version is the bloodier version recorded by the brothers Grimm from Germany. A study of the historical and cultural traditions of countries of France and Germany reveal a disconcerting subtext to the story.
Feminine Beauty and Foot Fetishes
Heidi Anne Heiner of SurLaLune points out that Cinderella “would have to be physically light and dainty to be able to wear the shoes without shattering them.” Women in modern culture often bemoan the media’s focus on appearance and weight, claiming that they are trapped by cultural expectations. And yet, as Maria Tatar points out, fairy tales always place a premium on surface appearances too. In a fairy tale, the appearance of the character almost always reveals the heart of the character. Ugly equals evil and beautiful equals good.
Maria Tatar reminds us that for many people feet and the footwear placed on them are a central concern of femininity and sexual attractiveness. Even today, the sandal a girl wears reflects her goal when interacting with men. A girl wearing Birkenstocks gives the impression of being down-to-earth and sensible while the girl wearing a strappy sandal with a stiletto heel seems bent on sexual conquest. Perhaps, Cinderella’s change in footgear represents a similar change in her own perspective and objectives.
Working Girl
The brothers Grimm tell us that when Cinderella’s new family moved in, “The sisters took away the girl’s beautiful clothes…and gave her some wooden shoes.” It is interesting to note that the German brothers focused on Cinderella’s feet before her transformation, while the Frenchman, Perrault, does not. In France, wooden shoes were associated with the working class. Demoting Cinderella to the role of a menial laborer was obviously the intent of her stepmother and stepsisters.
Pretty Woman
The transformation from drudge to belle of the ball occurs quite differently in the two stories. In Perrault’s version, Cinderella is gifted with glass slippers from her fairy godmother. The process of transforming Cinderella from rags to riches involves the enslavement of the beasts in the garden and of Cinderella herself; it is not a blessing without bondage.
The beasts are transformed into the servants that are necessary for Cinderella to attend the ball and Cinderella is warned that she must leave ball at midnight or everyone will see her true identity as a drudge whose servants are really mice, rats, and lizards. Cinderella is given one night and one opportunity to make her conquest.
In Grimm’s version of the story Cinderella has three opportunities to make her conquest. On the first night of the ball, Cinderella asks the hazel tree that she had nurtured for gold and silver. At her first request, she is gifted with a gold and silver dress and slippers embroidered in gold and silver. The second time she receives an even more fabulous dress and the third time she receives the most stunning dress of all as well as a pair of golden shoes. The golden shoes recall the original source of the story, which is from China where the heroine, Yeh-hsien, receives golden shoes.
It is important to note that both the glass slippers and the golden shoes must fit the wearer perfectly in order to be worn, which creates the suspense of the sisters trying to fit the slipper on their feet.
Masochistic Stepsisters
The story as presented by the brothers Grimm highlights a need for physical transformation that is distressingly similar to that of today’s society where women subject themselves to plastic surgery in order to transform their outward appearance to that which suits societies ideal. Cinderella’s stepsisters are so desperate for the hand of the prince that they are willing to cut and slice their bodies in order to meet the physical criteria of the prince. The first cuts off her toe in order to fit her foot into the shoe that guarantees a marriage to the prince and the second slices off her heel.
The prize that both the sisters attempt to win is that of subjugation
Cinderella Belongs to Prince Charming EverAfter
Ironically, the slippers that allow Cinderella to attend the ball and which later solidify her claim on the prince are a source of bondage for her. According to ancient German marriage customs, the father of the bride presents the groom with one of his daughter’s shoes. During the wedding ceremony, the groom kneels and places the shoe on his lady’s foot. Once the shoe is in place, the bride is subject to her husband’s authority.
Because Cinderella’s father wasn’t actively involved in his daughter’s life, the Prince obtained the shoe through a trick. He placed pitch on the stairs in order to secure one of Cinderella’s shoes as she fled the palace. The placing of the shoe on Cinderella’s foot was an act of bondage.
A Rags-To-Riches Precursor to Today’s Problems
Traditionally, the story of Cinderella has been viewed as a charming, if overly idealistic account of one girl’s escape from poverty and hard work through the deliverance of Prince Charming. However, a closer look at the cultural setting of the story reveals a surprising precursor to the same issues we face in modern society.
Sources
Tatar, Maria. The Annotated Brothers Grimm: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Edited with a Preface and Notes by Maria Tatar. W.W. Norton & Company Ltd., 2004.
Tatar, Maria. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales Edited with Introduction and Notes by Maria Tatar. W.W. Norton & Company Ltd., 2002.
