IN DEFENSE OF CINDERELLA - Why I Love Cinderella (A Video Essay) | Aidan Elizabeth

[@aidanelizabeth]

WOW! I can't thank you all enough for the love and support this video has gotten! That being said, I'd love it if you helped me decide on my next VIDEO ESSAY! My current 2 options are EVER AFTER HIGH (Why It's Good and Why It Works) and SELF WORTH AND MY ADDICTION TO THE GOOD (Finding self worth as an artist) Feel free to respond to this comment with your preference (as well as any other video essay ideas you might have). Once I decide on what video to do, I'll delete this comment, so as long as it's posted, I'm still taking suggestions! THANKS AGAIN!

[@mattlibra3139]

First off the passion you have for defending Cinderella’s character is amazing and your explanation is so eloquent and well thought out! And second I’d love to see an Ever After High video!

[@CarringtonMorgan3342]

Ever After High. It was such a good show that ended abruptly.

[@waterdragon3367]

I would love to see either and I hope you will do both eventually.

[@dixiesanto6170]

Ever After High please!!

[@aidanelizabeth]

@@waterdragon3367 That’s the plan! Just trying to decide which to start with

[@millie209]

. She wasn't planning on leaving forever, she just wanted a night out. She went to the ball and danced with a man that she didn't even realize was the prince. After meeting, he fell in love with her and, since the ball was there as a means to find the prince a partner, he likely assumed she was an option and is surprised when she comments about not having met the prince. . She was the woman he chose at the ball, and therefore went to find her. He didn't see her as some damsel in distress that he needed to rescue, but she did more work regarding her rescue than the princess did. Without her bravery, she wouldnt have defied lady tremaine and gone to the ball. She set her rescue in motion, not the prince.

[@anacardoso9822]

Honestly, and what if she didn't? The idea that people can or should be expected to "save themselves" is something only the feminists came up with. It's completely unreal and shouldn't be how we measure the "worth" of a character or story.

[@mattlibra3139]

@@anacardoso9822 I wouldn’t call the people hating on Cinderella true feminists, more so feminazis who believe that there is no strength in femininity, when truly, femininity is just as strong as masculinity

[@mariajoseisaisgutierrez5127]

@@anacardoso9822 I agree mostly, though I wouldn't say those who hate on Cinderella feminists. And you remind me of something else. Anyone ever seen Howl's moving castle? Sophie doesn't really have any aspirations, nor does she have much confidence in herself. She sews, cleans and cooks, and is pretty much stereotypically feminine. Yet we root for her, and we hope for her to get her happy ending. I completely forgot why I was writing this... maybe I'll edit more later...

[@anacardoso9822]

@@mattlibra3139 I find the feminist vs feminazi distinction is only a way feminists will use the no true scotsman fallacy whenever we criticize them.

[@anacardoso9822]

@@mariajoseisaisgutierrez5127 I watched that. =)

[@chrissi975]

Dunno why she has to be defended. Cinderella is obviously a survivor of abuse, that manages to keep her kind heart and remain strong no matter the toxic environment she was raised in. The sequels flesh out her character too.

[@sonder7503]

Exactly! She may not be physically tough but she was emotionally strong whilst keeping a kind and loving heart throughout the story.

[@polin1710]

that makes me wonder how she would be if she didn't have so much optimism, if i put myself in her shoes i have no doubt i would have murdered them all

[@lucapeyrefitte6899]

I love that she's emotionally strong because we really need that now, hell I need it I'm an emotional mess

[@tamedfoxes2682]

Because society loves to blame the victim when it comes to women and minorities. The sad thing is that when I was younger I thought that Cinderella was a terrible roll model and that she should just “save herself”

[@Wawagirl17]

I think critics tend to forget that Cinderella had been stuck with these people (her stepmother and stepsisters) since she was a very little girl. Viewers act as though Cinderella, as a fully grown adult, just kinda moved in with them and let herself be pushed around like an idiot. But her father, the only caring parent in her life, tragically died when she was a small child, and she gradually became brainwashed while grief-stricken. Brainwashed to believe that this was her new duty and role in life, to serve her only living family. And if during her entire upbringing she was never allowed to leave the home, why wouldn't she develop a fear to do so as an adult? That's only natural. But people skip over that backstory in the opening and trauma and context and just think, "Damn, she's so dumb and passive." That level of isolation, not even factoring in the time period, makes Cinderella's situation extremely believable, and the only surprising part really is her kindness and positive attitude through it all.

[@fcv4616]

The fact that Cinderella doesn't even realise she was dancing with the prince shows how humble and pure she is. All the other ladies attended the ball in hopes of wedding a handsome, rich, powerful man. Cinderella on the other hand wouldn't have cared if the prince had been a peasant instead. Which shows that she's only looking for happiness. There's wisdom in it.

[@MahouShoujo-Studios]

Say it louder for the people in the back!

[@housecat5958]

The fact that Cinderella has such high self esteem despite being told her whole life why she shouldn’t, is kind of remarkable.

[@sophiamikell7490]

It is REALLY remarkable. Abuse is hard and damages you, but she said "I am better than they think I am and I deserve more than this life, once the chance for escape comes, I will escape. For now, I live off of dreams." That is really amazing and inspirational.

[@emmad.176]

Yeah the way she carries herself shows she values herself. She's very graceful and with a beautiful posture, plus she's kind and does stand up for herself, just in a calm way. The girl is made of iron.

[@alexp.d3689]

In Perraeult's version she actually starts by having low self esteem but as the story progresses she becomes more confident ... The whole thing with Cinderella being a dreamer is something that Walt Disney added to the story ,he added a lot of original elements to his adaptations of fairytales that are exclusive to his interpretations of those stories ... The Perraeult's version with Disney's are two different variations of the same story . Walt Disney made his own adaptations of the stories he turned into films similar to what Perraeult and the Grimm's did ,he didn't just adapt them ... He made his own unique variations who became synonymous with those stories to such an extend that they practically replaced their source materials (In the public's consciousness that is,as well as Pop culture)

[@housecat5958]

@@alexp.d3689 Thanks for the history lesson on fairy tales but I, and pretty much everyone, I'm sure, is aware that Disney did not invent the story of Cinderella. What is discussed in this video is the public consciousness version of Cinderella that most people are familiar with, and what her characterization has become (mostly in part thanks to Disney, as you said, Rogers and Hammerstein and other more modern versions of the tale) My comment was about the popular characterization of her that was the subject of this video. I don't think that digging up Perreault's version of the story from the 1700s is particularly relevant to the discussion at hand.

[@tasmeenbaker9912]

She's so confident yet humble

[@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices]

The prince DOES get too much credit. HE WASN'T EVEN THERE FOR THE SLIPPER FITTING

[@stephaniemasson1224]

They did give the prince more agency in the live action though, he went there himself to find the woman he loved! I think that was one of the reasons why I love the remake so much, the prince feels like a real, complex character, and his personality goes beyond being a prince and Cinderella's romantic interest.

[@harharharharharharharharha240]

well we get to see more of him in cinderella a twist in time

[@stephaniemasson1224]

@@harharharharharharharharha240 Oh yeah, I really like that sequel too! He's such a kind hearted person, and his character is really funny too

[@harharharharharharharharha240]

@@stephaniemasson1224 yah he got a personality

[@kieranstark7213]

Modern Disney (and I mean the bright side of it): *realizes the criticism The Prince in Cinderella before the late 2000s had for being a one-dimensional teenage man although he did get married to Cinderella of all women in the original and truly shows they know how to fix it in A Twist in Time and yes... even the Cinderella remake! Love it or hate it, what makes it one of the live-action Disney remakes I can at least tolerate would have to be how they handled Prince Charming... aka Kit. Outside of that, and Strong being catchy, it’s just a soulless remake)*

[@mattrobledo4871]

I always assumed that Lady Tramaine poisoned and killed Cinderella's father

[@anacardoso9822]

I never thought about it but that's a good take.

[@roisinnigcrainn7722]

woah **questions entire existence**

[@super-weirdo5219]

Me too!

[@insomniac1184]

I bet she did. Especially to inherit the money. If she really loved him, she would also love his daughter.

[@alize0623]

I also always interpreted Lady Tremaine as a black widow. Cinderella 2 and 3 also support this indirectly

[@rachealc.2811]

Let's not forget Cinderella wasn't fully passive either. She argues back to her stepmother to make the deal to go to the ball, and other times she displays she has some snark to her when she talks about her in laws to the mice. When she's trapped in her room, she tries to fight back and is ultimately saved by the mice and other animals she befriended. Her kindness to those around her came back to her in the form of help. I hate the argument that the prince saved her, I'd argue it was her friends the mice in the end.

[@shockingheaven]

It was her kindness and gratefulness coming full circle

[@emmad.176]

Her animal friends, the fairy godmother and prince all helped her in ways but she did try to help herself like you say and especially in abusive situations, you need support in order to be ok and to leave. She also was helpful to others and very grateful for the help she was given.

[@davidpollack1251]

@@emmad.176 The part about Cinderella being grateful for the help she receives from the birds mice and others helps you become an ally of Cinderella. When you see Lady Tremaine or the stepsisters or any girl with an in your face attitude like Laura from Family Matters, DJ or Stephanie from Full House have their bad take charge attitudes over Steve Urkel, Danny, Jessie or Joey in full house or Just any woman of any race, color or nationality you just want to look at them and say screw you mouthy bitch control freak your on your own I'm outta here.

[@yamato6114]

And she also disciplines Lucifer whenever he acts out. Like when he ruined the floor she just cleaned, or when he’s terrorizing the mice.

[@orvillefischer7503]

While the live action Cinderella just gives up when she's locked in her room she doesn't even try to escape she just gives up and dance around her room only to be saved by pure luck

[@alisonwalker9078]

I have always liked Cinderella. She is one of my favorite princesses.

[@kieranstark7213]

In Cinderella (1950) and A Twist in Tome, yes. But in Dreams Come True and Cinderella (2015)... Cinderella in C: DCT: This dress, ew! NOT SO MUCH. In other words, I too would consider Cinderella to be one of my favourite princesses. Not always, but definitely most of the time!

[@astoldbynickgerr]

Me too! Cinderella will always be my other favorite!

[@zeylasacli1641]

Samee

[@dontlookatmyplaylists]

Same yo, I have a soft spot for Cinderella.

[@ValentinaMartinez-zd7vy]

she’s my favorite princess

[@shrinkingviolet1953]

Thank you! I feel like too many people who hate on Cinderella haven't even watched the film. The prince was completely absent from her final escape of the movie. Instead, it was the friendships she'd made through kindness that saved her in the end. Now that's a powerful message I can get behind.

[@inspectorspinda]

it's the "it's a wonderful life" ending

[@kieranstark7213]

They seem to take her horrible “This dress, ew!” representation (in Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True) as how she was in the original film. But that was only one point where she was incredibly flanderized, outside of that, I always swore she in the original Cinderella in Cinderella III: A Twist in Time deserves to be taken as a positive representation of women (hell, PhantomStrider even pointed out in ATiT that she had ninja skills! And it really does help that she kinda does look like Samus Aran in Modern Metroid)!

[@Interestingenough4]

Yup. And a lot of times, that's how abuse victims are saved: through their social networks. After years of kindness and compassion from Cinderella, the birds, mice, Old Major, and Bruno showed undying loyalty and rescued her in her greatest moment of need. As an added bonus, Bruno fulfilled his dream of chasing Lucifer and avenging the abuse he suffered all those years. A prominent law official (the king's second-in-command) and Cinderella's own ingenuity did the rest.

[@Parcha64]

Physical strength is a responsibility. It is possible to use physical strength to harm others and I find modern Disney ignores that aspect in its main characters. Emotional strength is a virtue. We know the emotionally weak are the abusers in most cases. If you have a strong grasp of your feelings, you will be able to take on the responsibility of other kinds of power. Real empowerment comes from heroism and virtue, not muscles, fighting ability, or even wit. Both men and women need stories about good character rather than good abilities.

[@aidanelizabeth]

Beautifully said

[@roriemarie2968]

@Pink Girl it is. I'm almost 50. Kindness and forgiveness is a strength...but not to your detriment ...knowing when it is or is not is the tricky part

[@thesamuraihobbit]

PS: Let's not forget one teensy weensy little detail: Cinderella takes place in France (just listen to the names the herald announces at the ball, it's definitely France) IN THE 1600s. Renaissance-era France wasn't exactly known for its great warriors, it was known for art, culture, and its complete wall of separation between the nobility and everybody else. If we're to assume that Charles Perrault's Cinderella (he's the one given credit in the opening of the 1950s movie) takes place in the mid to late seventeenth century, then we're only a little over a century before the Revolution. Let's be honest, women were in a shitty situation back then, no matter which echelon of society they belonged to. Really, the best young woman of high society could hope for back then was a husband who wasn't an asshole, or at least not too much of one. In fact, that was one luxury, no pun intended, that the poor were allotted. They could marry whoever they wanted in their station. Even if Cinderella would've wanted to fight back, how could she have done so?

[@starmelodyelizabethb7380]

That actually makes so much sense.

[@arthurfine4284]

And if you discount that little detail of time period, the reason why abuse victims stay in an abusive relationship is because abusers hold so much power over the victim. Abusers control who the victim can see, what necessities the victim can obtain, and what type of environment the victim can live in. So even if the victim tries to leave, they would inevitably have to come crawling back to the abuser because the victim has nowhere to go after escaping.

[@oculus6923]

I mean at least in Cinderella 3, we see the prince being a lot more than just some picture perfect man who's of high status. It paints their romance a lot more clearly with the efforts both parties had made to get back to each other.

[@gauthierloustaunau5396]

As a French myself, I have to admit I disagree with you. France, during this era, was the most powerful military power of Europe, arguably of the world. During renaissance, we have fought against the Holy Roman Empire and Italy on earth, and against the Spanish and the British Empire on sea, and just after the Revolution we've fought alone against the whole Europe reunited, and beat them for 15 years (#Napoléon). And if you're speaking about the place of women during this period, then you're also quite false. Yes, they were great injustice between Nobility and the People, but just look at the history of Jeanne d'Arc : A young girl of 16 years old, a peasant without fortune or great name, without military experience, that have never rely on her father/brother/husband or any man in her life, which have commanded the whole french army, make the king and all the knights bend to her, and become the most famous and important icon of our history. And it was centuries before Cinderella. So yes, there were dozens of women of power in this period. But that's not the point. Also, I don't really know the English culture of this time, but in France we had a huge culture about the chivalrous love (just look of the Arthurian legend, the song of Roland, Tristant et Iseult, ....), so love was said to be the most important thing in the world, way more that fight. So the fact that Cinderella decide to believe in her dream, and not decide to fall into the trap of vengeance, seem pretty logic and positive for me. Knights (chevaliers) always fought for the others (in theory of course, because in reality most of them were as corrupt as anyone) and that's why Cinderella don't fight for her own profit. That's the other that's fight for her, because she deserves it, because she has help them during the movie without asking anything in return. And that's why she is a princess, and not just a Marie Sue. The feminist ideal of : "I don't need anyone, I will do everything by myself", is completely opposed to this old chivalrous ideal, and that's why most modern feminist see her as weak. But she's stronger that they will never be.

[@thesamuraihobbit]

@@gauthierloustaunau5396 I thought Jeanne D'Arc was back in the Hundred-Years War. But hey, you're actually French, you'd know your own country's history better than an American.

[@Nightman221k]

No matter how often I'd hear people calling Cinderella a bad character, I never could even come close to hating her. The Disney version made me love how kind she was (she makes personalized outfits for her mice and I like that she's spunky and doesn't give up on hope) and set the stage for her bad situation so much that it felt like such a bad-faith argument to say she wasn't doing enough to help herself. The ONLY family she's had since she was a very little girl worked her to exhaustion, she has no one outside of the house to help her because she probably wasn't allowed an education after her father died and her father would have left the money in the care of the woman he believed would use it to provide Cinderella a good life. Also, up until they ripped her dress, I don't think Cinderella knew they HATED her. I think she knew they didn't respect her or value her contributions, but I think until then she didn't know they actually wanted her to suffer. These were people she grew up with for most of her life, it probably became the status quo for so long that it was her normal. When all she wanted was to have a nice time at a party and they couldn't let her have that I think it made her realize she couldn't go on living with them.

[@crystalkirlia4553]

FINALLY! Someone who appreciates my goal of being a mother and a homemaker! You have no idea how many arguments I've had with feminists who tell me my dreams are "wrong" or "regressive"! Thank you!

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

People who bring you down are not feminists, Truly they are not. They are something else. Feminists support women, support women’s choice on what they want to do for themselves. It’s disappointing to see, we should be raising each other up not bringing each other down just because one does not fit the narrative.

[@aidanelizabeth]

Yes I completely agree. Feminism is about giving women the right to choose the life they want to live. Women who choose to live more traditional lifestyles are not "less than" women who break down gender roles, and should not be treated as such. Feminists should support and build up ALL women, and anyone who tears down women for their choice to do what makes them happy is not a read feminist.

[@luthientinuviel3883]

Yeah, my mother is very big on uplifting women but she spends all her time taking care of me and my siblings, and she's the strongest woman I know!

[@Musingsofawitch]

You’re dream is beautiful and worthy. I’m sorry that there are people whom want to bring you down or invalidate your dreams. Unfortunately, modern “feminist” have a rather narrow view of what woman should be in this day in age. This video creator made a beautiful and thoughtful video essay. However, she is the minority of her views that traditional female roles are valid if the woman desires to pursue them. Best of luck to you in reaching your dreams.

[@sorcerersapprentice]

@@adrianghandtchi1562 Totally agree. I consider myself a feminist, and I don't think that's regressive at all. Feminism is all about choice. There's nothing wrong with that aspiration.

[@thomaszloi9444]

The fact that modern kids can't take metaphors anymore. Why some fairy tale HAS to be realistic. Wasn't the whole point of Fairy godmother being metaphor of Cinderella's inner strength and ability to dream and never give up.

[@tototats16]

People just take everything at face value these days instead of using their brains

[@setablaze1802]

And even if it's literal, who doesn't like the story of a young woman in an abusive family being extended a helping hand after her and her friends' efforts fall through?

[@taylorsanders57]

We don't understand nuance and it pains me bc for so long we were lied to about it. Things that were just straight racist and misogynistic were told to have deeper meaning and it wasn't so. We now distrust EVERYTHING to a fault 😭 I like that we question everything but I hate that we only look through one lense

[@ktownshutdown21]

FAIRY GODMOTHERS AREN'T REAL, CINEMA SINS DING!

[@CrazyMama75]

What drives me nuts about the cultural criticisms of Cinderella is how often people say she was waiting for a man to save her. That's bs. The Prince didn't save her, she saved herself and it gets ignored so often. She works hard and she wanted to go to a party, she spoke up for herself about the desire to go to the ball and even after being attacked still had the bravery to go to the ball. She didn't even realise he was the Prince until the next morning, instead when she found out the prince, a man with legal authority who made her feel nice, wanted to marry her she realised she had a safe out from her abusive household. It's often much harder to leave abuse when you don't know if leaving will be worse than staying. She says it herself with Bruno (paraphasing) "at least we have a roof and food" but when the opportunity was available she not only helped herself but also encouraged Bruno, cos the opportunity was available and she didn't wanna waste the chance she had for freedom for her and her animal friends. A prince is of higher authority than her stepmother, so has the ability to counter any reinforcements lady T attempts. The Prince isn't even there for her rescue, the only man who helps her is the chap who insisted on letting her speak up for herself/try on the shoe -he validated her existence and rights (in this case to try on a shoe which I think is a metaphor for "having a voice" or perhaps freedom considering how fragile it is) even when lady T attempts to invalidate her. The Prince was no where near her when she saved herself with the help for the friends she made by helping them. She helped her mice friends, keeping them safe from cat and fed, and when she needed them they helped her. She saved herself with kindness essentially. It drives me nuts the most of this movie is how the king abused the aid, horrid man.

[@jetnight88]

No one is immune to criticism

[@nurnadhirahsaing6169]

This is true. She never even mention anything about the prince, she only wanted to go to the ball and enjoy the night like normal people would do. She has so much good traits that people overlook just because she's not a action fighting type of princess.

[@miamama9886]

At the begining, Cinderella tells the dog (Bruno) try to learn to like cat so he can stay in the house At the end, Cinderella tells the dog to attack the cat so she can escape the house, I mean... it's obiviously Cinderella rescued herself.

[@whatismyadjectiveiconfused]

Yep. Cinderella wasn't weak bcs of not fighting in the beginning. She just waited for the right moment to strike

[@EmpressMermaid]

Something often overlooked is that she was financially abused, too. Her father was a well-off man and his property should have been her birthright. Instead, she was robbed not only of her property, but her social status and prospects for the future. A woman of the time who lacked those things had no chance in life.

[@anonymousartist80]

That takes the "Why didn't she just leave?" argument and throws it out the window

[@theresahall3912]

Plus in that time period how many options did she have?

[@EmpressMermaid]

@@theresahall3912 A woman's only options were to marry well or become a lady of the evening. If Cinderella had not had her birthright taken she may have been, as her father's sole heir, one of the rare women with independent wealth who could have a bit of control.

[@theresahall3912]

@@EmpressMermaid exactly my point people get mad at her for falling for the prince and getting saved from a horrible life but she didn't exactly have a lot of options available to her. I doubt many men were going to marry a woman with nothing but her skills and the clothes on her back to offer. The king didn't care who his daughter in law was as long as he got one. He believed that the ball would find miss right and his son would fall in love at first sight but anything else didn't matter.

[@leahn9876]

I remember, as a kid, admiring how Cinderella was always so kind and compassionate to everyone. She was even kind to her awful family, which blew my mind. She might not have been my favorite Disney princess, but I remember seeing her as a role model for compassion and grace.

[@applefarm6126]

It was beautiful

[@Lana_Lang]

"Teaching girls to find beauty in the world around them and treat people with kindness is an insanely valuable lesson. People tend to use the physical strength of the newer disney princesses to invalidate the emotional strength of Cinderella." Spot on, princess. I would argue that teaching boys the same thing, is equally as valuable. Because the fact is: If we were all thinking and acting like Cinderella, we'd live in a world without evil. (A.k.a. Heaven)

[@themadgamer1217]

“There’s one thing they can’t order me to do: stop dreaming.” Cinderella is a spitefully hopeful princess figure, smiling in the face of all the darkness around her. She’s a good princess to look to in times like this, I think. Nah, you don’t need to calm down. Media like this needs to be discussed, especially in regards to what it’s teaching our children.

[@LaurenKills1918]

I always liked how Cinderella just needed some help because asking for help doesn’t make you weak

[@luthientinuviel3883]

Yes, and she didn't get help from strangers, but her friends the animals. She looked out for them, so when she needed help they helped her

[@marshmallowvampire8503]

We need more role models that live by example, have integrity and humility, like Cinderella. But sadly we are losing sight of these virtues without people like her. Women don't need to be swinging swords, guns, and fists to be a good role model.

[@applefarm6126]

Or half naked either, as long as we continue to instill traditional morals and values into children (and explain why, if necessary) the light of the future might grow brighter, I refuse to let society ruin the lives of others who won’t conform to their twisted and devious mindsets.

[@delireent.3960]

And not only women. Men with humility are important too!!

[@buttercupghost]

It really bugs me how victim blame-y a lot of Cinderella criticism comes across. She was in an abusive situation and everyone is upset that she didn’t get out of it, which is something that really bugs me as it mirrors the rhetoric about how it’s a victims fault because they don’t leave the abuse. It really, really bugs me.

[@Kelaiah01]

Actually, I read a theory somewhere regarding the fact that the prince seemingly didn't recognize Cinderella's face: he actually *did* remember what she looked like. Remember that it was the *Duke* who was using the shoe to try on all the women in the kingdom (after all, the Duke never saw Cinderella up close at the ball - or even if he did, it was only for a flash, not enough time to memorize her face). The theory is that the Prince was out searching through one half of the kingdom himself, trying to locate the mystery woman by her face, while the Duke was using the shoe because he had no other form of identification. Of course, there's still the issue that the Prince could have simply described the mystery woman to the Duke, but then the story wouldn't be nearly as exciting. XD

[@jadehull5777]

That makes sense, and it’s supported in Cinderella 3 when the prince sees Anastasia and says “there must be some mistake,” he KNOWS this is not the woman he fell in love with.

[@TanukiPunk]

To add to this, there's a deleted scene where the Prince meets Cinderella at the castle after the Duke brings her and recognizes her immediately. This scene was restored in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.

[@Kelaiah01]

@@TanukiPunk I *loved* that moment! I wish they kept it in. Oh well...

[@dzravt]

Really cool analysis. The prince was only in the movie for about 3mins max and Cinderella didn't even think of marriage until the prince proposed. All she did was accept, she didn't have to but she was finally emotionally strong enough to take the chance. Technically she did that earlier by going to the ball. It was the first step. Also it was extremely rare for women back then to own things let alone make a living by themselves without support (yes, usually a husband). Cinderella wasn't a rebel/revolutionary, she worked within the conventions of her time and that's ok.

[@asmiaryal3942]

ikr

[@paschameleon]

Technically Cinderella did save herself. When she was locked in her room she told the mice to get the key and then she told the birds to get Bruno in order to get rid of the cat. The came up with the plan.

[@sophiamikell7490]

Exactly, I want to see the fem nazis make it with their advice in abusive relationships.

[@thomasdevine867]

Why not look at the many other versions of the story of Cinderella? In the Irish Cinderella, she wins her alliance with her "Fairy Godmother" through acts of courage and compassion. The English Cinderella does it all by herself with no magic. The Appalachian Cinderella tricks an evil step-parents into providing the dresses and a magical suitcase for transport and storage. You could fill a book with Cinderellas.

[@applefarm6126]

Yea never heard of that

[@katherinec2759]

@@applefarm6126 It's not well known at all. But just about every culture has some folk tale about someone rising above her horrible family/circumstances and doing very well for themselves. (Most are girls, but one or two "Cinderellas" are men.) There was a whole series of picture books when I was a kid of "The [Nationality] Cinderella." I have no idea what publisher they came from, though. I remember the covers were mostly white, but that doesn't help a ton.

[@tototats16]

I love how people praise Elsa for being a "strong and independent" woman with a "rELaTabLe mental illness" while they bash the classic princesses that go through similar situations.

[@jovanym2931]

The best sister - bond relationship isn’t from frozen is from lilo and stitch

[@HG-qo9cx]

I would go one step further and say that being able to act with kindness in an abusive situation takes a lot of self-control. This takes more strength than risking one’s own life like Mulan or Belle regardless of whether the reason is positive or not.

[@sophiamikell7490]

Though I agree I am going to argue a bit on the Belle part. She had the kindness to be kind when she needed to be (for the most part) and tough to a man that liked to abuse. She fell for him WHEN he started to change and he did his part in the relationship. She is a lot like Cinderella in that way.

[@chloegrant5204]

Putting Cinderella in the context of abuse puts a sour taste in my mouth when considering the remake. There's one scene where someone asks Cinderella "why don't you just leave?" and Cinderella is like, "well I promised my mother I would take care of the house" (or something along those lines). Knowing that Cinderella is abused and how so many abuse victims are asked the EXACT same question is just...victim blaming 101 and ignorant of her struggles. Then hearing Cinderella say that she promised her mother to stay makes it even worse because it completely undermines many of the motivations why abuse victims can't (or find it extremely difficult to) leave. And thus is another reason why I think the remakes are thoughtless and I hate them (don't get me STARTED on the Mulan remake)

[@sophiamikell7490]

I never thought of that. She is still strong in the remake like she stopped a hunting party from hunting. She held on to her mother's words of "have the courage and be kind." She asked the prince would you marry me for what I am and she loved her mice and animals. But yeah if they were going down that route how about, "My father doomed me by marrying a spiteful woman and he died leaving me almost no will and no source of income. Then I am a woman, if I tried to find work my stepmother would make sure I got turned down and then I would be in the streets homeless or a brothel. Then since my virginity is gone, probably have an std and no dowry. All I have is courage and kindness and shelter that is mine but I am treated like a slave." But yeah the remakes went downhill quickly. Mulan's remake is a burning pile of crap and Beauty and the Beast is butchered beyond belief.

[@jandm4ever716]

I personally think the Cinderella remake is best of the remakes. She can still be a victim of abuse and want to keep her home safe from her step family.

[@Birruaze]

About domestic abused and the Ball, I'd like to add something too. You said it clearly, Cinderella didn't know anyone outside of her home. This is a behavior very common in abusing environments. We know she couldn't leave the house and we saw how they locked her up so she couldn't meet the Prince guards when they came looking for the glass shoe. I believe that the reasons Cinderella was so keen on going to the Ball is more about her looking for a way out that just wanting a normal and cute day. Victims of abuse need a healthy support system to overcome their situation. It is extremely hard to get out of this abusing cycle on our own, that's why we seek the help of friends and family. Cinderella having no friends (and her family being the abuser) had no other way to find this external support than going to a social event where she could meet other people. I'd even say that her rushing back home was more about self doubt and fear of their abusers than the magic wearing off. See, this is very complicated stuff but it's very common for victims to feel guilty. Guilt for trying to get out, for leaving/betraying their "loved ones" (in this case, her family but it might as well be a partner). And with the guilt, fear of the repercussions if this doesn't work out. And all of this provides a stronger perspective on the climatic scene, where she tries everything to reach out for this people she met. These people that can help her getting out. If you watch it from this perspective it's really painful and sad how much she wanted to get out despite everything. But it's also so rewarding to see how she did it with the help of her friends and her own cleverness. Cinderella is such a beautiful character honestly. And I'm pretty sure than, from this point onward, she'd have all the means necessaries to keep herself out of any abusing environment (if she ever needs to).

[@Duncadinca]

Top tier video, homie. Honestly, at this point in time, I'm more tired of the 'feisty, independent' Princess trope than I am of the traditionally feminine kind. I'll watch every upcoming Disney movie like the blind consumer I am, but if the next Princess is a copy of Elsa or Moana personality wise, I won't be as interested as I could be. Keep your efforts goin! Also, if you make another video essay, I'd recommend adding background music, just to keep the viewer slightly more engaged. Also also, that Kazoo playin was the hottest showcase of musical talent since the last time I publicly played the air triangle.

[@aidanelizabeth]

Thank you! I wouldn't say that I'm "tired" of the new style of princesses. After all, my 2 favorites are Mulan and Tiana. What bothers me the most is how strength is being presented. The problem is less with the individual movies, and more with the fact that this is the only type of media we're getting now. The exact opposite of the problem we had before. That's a good suggestion! I definitely considered adding music, but I was worried it would be distracting. I'll keep that in mind next time.

[@leeshdee9269]

I agree. In my humble opinion, tbh, Moana (the character), is totally overrated. She is nowhere near top tier, in the Disney Princess range.

[@wysteriasparkle6189]

Oh my gosh THANK YOU! As a girl, I'm getting tired of the "see how independent she is, look how feminist she is" princess too. Not that I hate the traits themselves; it's because of the WHY. Let's be honest - Disney gives the public what they want. Most of the time, they do it so that their princesses don't come off as "problematic" and not "smart and independent" enough. There is strength in feminity and masculinity; I wish women (and men) would realize that and embrace feminity. People are being sexist and they do not even realize it, unfortunately. If I am being honest, I want another Snow White. Another Cinderella. Heck, even another Aurora. I just want people to see that you can be strong as you are without having to change anything about your identity.

[@kieranstark7213]

I would love to see more women in the industry be portrayed as BOTH “feisty and independent” AND “traditionally femininely kind” rather than just “feisty, (in)dependent and traditionally femininely, masculinely or generally unkind” like Mikalea Banes from Bayformers and Sam Puckett in Sam & Cat.

[@AnywayJenniferSim]

I was actually a little disappointed when I saw the trailer for Raya. Don’t get me wrong, it looks like it could be a great movie. I’m just tired of action-hero female leads.

[@lisaleyendekker8305]

in an answer to "why didn't she leave?" there is an explanation for that. In the beginning narration, we are told "Cinderella was abused, humiliated, and finally forced to become a servant in her own house", which shows that she has been abused by her family to the point where she has no outside resources, friends, or contacts. During the whole movie, up until the night of the ball, we never see her leave the house or property and she is constantly working, meaning the family has conditioned her to be subservient and distracted with work so she can't even think of leaving. Also, if she leaves, where is she going to go? She has no human friends or people who know her. She would need references and connections to get work and Women aren't typically hired for jobs. Her stepfamily owns the house and controls the money, so they have made Cinderella dependent upon them for any food or lodging since she does not receive payment for her work. this is typicall for abusers to cut thier victims off from the outside world and to make them dependent on them for survival. Finally, she didn't "wait for a prince to save her" she wanted a night off where she didn't have to be the Servant for a night. The prince was really just a perk that came with the night off and a reward for staying strong and kind in the midst of so much abuse. And when the time came for the GRAND DUKE to come with the slipper, she was locked in her room, screaming for someone to open the door, giving instructions to her animal friends to free her, having quick thinking to get rid of Lucifer, and rushing down the stairs shouting for the Duke to wait because that slipper was her ticket out of there, not the prince. She was proactive in her escape from the house because she was finally given a lifeline. The Prince was a human she could escape to and the slipper was the identifier that she was the one he needed to look for. It's much like a concerned friend (Prince) calling the Police (Grand Duke)to help someone being abused in a domestic situation and providing evidence (slipper) that this person needs to be taken out of there and the victim (cinderella) is the only one who can confirm that if the abusers (stepfamily) didn't already give that away(by locking her in the tower, lying and saying she wasn't there, trying to convince the duke she isn't worth notice, and breaking the slipper).

[@FabBrigade]

Lady Tremaine (if I remember correctly) kind of incites her daughters to rip up Cinderella's dress.

[@GenAqua]

Yes. Cause she mentioned certain elements of Cinderella's dress, which caused her daughters go after Cinderella for "stealing" items that belong to them, despite the fact that they had previously discarded said items.

[@juliaenter5305]

I'm really happy more people perceive Cinderella this way! I have always loved her and her story (tho I do agree the movie is not perfect) to the point that I had all the gadgets with her image and I dressed up as her at every kindergarten costume party lol. Only when I got older I saw people criticise her for being passive, weak etc and it really surprised me because I've always considered her strong and hard-working. I agree with everything you said about her maintaining positivity despite years of abuse. Also when she finally got a chance to change her fate and do something for herself, she did it - she fought to go to the ball, and when Lady Tremaine locked her, she fought to get out. Indeed people tend to oversee and simplify her story because we're so used to it and it's "just a cartoon". For instance, the scene when her stepsisters literally rip her clothes off her is terrifying and I'm sure (or at least I hope) if it actually happened in real life no one would doubt that. Cinderella is strong because no matter what happens she's kind, positive, caring and never loses hope. And I think it's important to teach children that strength and can come in different forms - it can be earing your own business like Tiana, finally learning to love and believe in yourself like Elsa, or coping with hard times and remaining benevolent like Cindy. :D Also, the idea that you have to be rebellious and excell at "manly tasks" to be strong and independent is detrimental. It presents feminity as a weakness and it's just as toxic as the idea of women "belonging in the kitchen". Those "typically female" characteristics like kindness, sympathy or protectivness are equally important and should be celebrated. Not meaning to diminish princesses like Mulan, Pocahontas or Tiana here - they're awsome! But in the end everyone is different and, like I said, there're many definitions of "strong". What's more, I associate this idea of "feminine strength", which applies to Cinderella or Belle, with Barbie movies as well. I've seen negative comments about them promoting the traditional standards for woman, which is being kind and all of that. But once again Barbie is strong, not because she rejects feminity, but because it empowers her. She's not strong despite those features, because there is no need for "despite" - they don't exclude each other. She is kind and girly, as well as asertive and shapes her own story. I just thought of that now, because I've been seeing a lot of criticism about her. Also, speaking of Mulan I think there is another misinterpretation/stereotype about her. People say she was (physically) strong, boyish and badass since the beginning, which is not true actually. We see she's actually frightened to go to war (which is understandable of course). What made her strong was not not being afraid, but acting despite her fear. Also she felt misunderstood in her community with the roles society imposed on her, but she also felt unconfortable among those soldiers - not only did she feel like she didn't belong with these men, but also couldn't cope with the physical tasks at first. She gradually improved and became a great soldier. Imo that's what made Mulan, as a character, relatable and likeable. (Well in the only movie I too care about XD) Maybe that's also an interesting topic for another video. :) Well sorry for the long comment, looks like I got too much into it as well. XD Great video and I'm looking forward to the next ones!

[@roisinnigcrainn7722]

you're so right about cinderella being dependent on lady tremaine. i actually think cinderella's development may have been stunted due to her abuse, so while she can cook and clean, she wouldn't know how to/be able to live independently. i say this as someone who knows someone who went through a real-life abuse situation. it was only when her "prince charming" came into their life that she seemed to pluck up the courage to leave, but actually, she just reached maturity later than most our age because of her situation. her maturity gave her the ability to leave and the ability to enter a stable relationship. they're still together to this day ♡

[@farahnursingserious585]

aww so sweet. Im going through tht rn and struggling!

[@aidanelizabeth]

Table of Contents Background - 2:40 Physical Abuse - 3:47 Positivity - 6:26 How We View Strength - 8:53 Why Didn't She Leave? - 12:36 We Give The Prince Too Much Credit - 17:58 Intention vs. Interpretation - 20:26

[@madi7178]

Meaning: Cinderella did in fact take the first opportunity to leave when she got it.

[@PrincessTreasure]

People give the early princesses so much shit but not everyone is always in control of their situation.

[@quinnfletcher3906]

These complaints are made by women who are so used to society rolling over backwards for them that they cannot understand what it is like to be in a situation like Cinderella.

[@nurnadhirahsaing6169]

True. Like, not everyone can save themselves alone, sometimes we need help from others. Also, reality is cruel and unapologetic. Just because we want something, doesn't mean we will get it.

[@souhiyori8032]

Putting oneself to another's shoes is such an uncommon thing now, huh. She was literally treated like a slave.

[@silvergust]

This is very true. Aurora was literally cursed at birth and didn't even have much knowledge on the event when she got older... she couldn't rlly control much at ALL nor had the resources to. Snow White was just a child who decided to make the best of her situation, and despite her being a bit compliant, she works hard to get what she wants in the meantime and builds a familial relationship with the dwarves. And of course, Cinderella represents optimism and kindness even in the worst scenarios.

[@toothlesshat7581]

So like, this is pretty personal but I was in a similar abusive household. I actually had the chance to leave but my abuser, one of my parents no less, had convinced me that it was unnecessary or too rash so I never did. It took a huge event (much like Cinderella getting her opportunity to go to the ball, I think) for me to finally find the strength to leave. All this to say that it’s incredibly hard and scary to escape those situations, even when you DO have another place to go. I really adore her and, just as a fellow abuse survivor, I feel like her story is really well done.

[@Emily-rv4ue]

i dont think the idea of having a ball to find a wife for the prince is problematic, royals were all about grand gestures and celebrations back then. plus, if i'm remembering correctly, there is a line somewhere in the movie where the King says something about the prince not dedicating much of his time tocourting women, like he's too busy with all his other duties and stuff, so the ball is like a very extravagant way to speed date and find a woman

[@valerielaurence]

Nowadays, we find it weird that the prince doesn't recognize her face (and with good reason) But the thing is, there were no electricity back then. Even with chandeliers, it was probably very dark and hard to see (like I know people used to wear golden or silver clothes to reflect the little light they had). That would also explain why her step-mother and step-sisters don't really know it's her. When I see adaptations that take place in the 2000's, I find it stupid and hard to believe that he can't recognize her. But I give him the benefit of the doubt when the story takes place in the 1700's/1800's

[@naly202]

I simply HATE that people apply modern standards to old stories and movies and refuse to research the historical context. The movie was made in the 50s- Cinderella is made to represent the female model of the era: beautiful, elegant, fashionable, hardworking housewife, THAT TYPE of women who rebuilt Britain, Germany, and all those countries destroyed by WWII. And she does this beautifully: she is strong, hardworking and cheerful in spite of adversity. She is also the embodiment of the modern US woman (of the 50s). The fairytale, on the other hand was written in the 18th- 19th centuries. Anyone who ever read Jane Austen or the Bronte Sisters knows that a girl COULDN'T just run away from home and live on her own. If she did so, most likely she'd end up in the streets begging or selling her body. Fantine from Les Miz is a good example. The only way of leaving her house respectably was through marriage, if anyone would have her, and very early. At 20 she'd be considered old. In those times women had much tougher lives, and they were more equipped for dealing with problems than today. They didn't moan about trying to find themselves, they knew exactly what they were, and what needs to be done, and were quite proud of their achievements.

[@sophiamikell7490]

Exactly! Historical context is everything.

[@tototats16]

Same thing with Beauty and the Beast and then the remake stomped all over it

[@naly202]

@@tototats16 yes indeed. I read somewhere that the story was written in an era when poor young girls were married off to older men who could provide for them. The story was encouraging them to dig deeper and try to love their husbands for their hidden virtues, regardless of age or deformities. It was a very sad situation but, alas, very common- literature is full of examples of older men with young wives (who were sometimes miserable and sometimes unfaithful) Come to think of it, the beginning of Othello is very similar to the Beauty and the Beast: Desdemona falls in love with the much older man, in spite of his hulky appearance (enhanced by the racial prejudices of the time). She loves his courage, loyalty and gentleness. One could say Othello is a sort of reversed Beauty and the Beast. The beast starts by being menacing and ill tempered, but becomes gentle, Othello starts gentle but is turned into a beast by his consuming jealousy. Btw, Othello has always been one my favourite Shakespearian plays. So damn well written.

[@candyc3314]

Cinderella is one of if not the strongest disney princess due to what she went through. To be able to suffer abuse on a daily basis for years upon years and still come out of it kind and compassionate for others is amazing.

[@Kayla-13]

I recently re-watched the movie and I forgot how much I loved her as a character. Her unconditional kindness to the only friends she had made, the animals, lead to them being there for her when she needed help. When she was too busy doing the chores and did not know that the mice and birds had made her dress, she held her head up high and stated she wasn't going to the ball anymore. She knew what her step family was trying to do. They wanted to see her break down, and she wasn't about to let them see her like that. She isn't unaware of the fact that what is happening to her is wrong. The only time she actually cries is when they rip up her dress. She thought that for once she could finally be happy even if it was just for a few hours and that dream was torn to shreds. It's crazy how throughout the whole movie, she brings up wanting to be happy and everyone twists her words to mean she wanted the prince. I don't think she cared if the man she danced with was a commoner or royalty. She just wanted a different life where she could find the happiness she dreamed of... She gets locked in her room by her step mother and her mice help get her out. She had almost given up but seeing her friends fight to free her made her want to continue fighting. Had she not told the birds to get Bruno when the cat was trying to eat Gus, she would have never been freed. She DID fight for herself. Just because she didn't use magic or cool fight moves doesn't mean she isn't a strong, determined, and self-assured woman. She knew that if she didn't get to try on that slipper and prove she was the woman who had danced with the prince, she would NEVER be free. I doubt her step mother would allow her to ever go outside again. It was her only chance to escape and she took it. She got away from her abusive family and could finally be happy. Her dream came true: happiness. That dream just happened to include a prince.

[@elizabethjane7015]

I have always loved and looked up to Cinderella and the classic Disney princesses! Positivity and kindness are huge strengths. The idea that strength has to be displayed as physical is so alienating and disempowering to those of us with disabilities! Thank you!

[@marielsea2292]

Thank you!!! I'm Physically disabled myself and there are actually very few things I can do without help. I fell in love with Disney Princesses because their strengths weren't physical.

[@Zazabazaa]

DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS WATCH THE LIVE ACTION ONE. Everything that they did right in the animated version is everything got wrong in the live action version. And yet they call it the more progressive movie! She was a fleshed out character with emotional turmoil - make her smile all the time! Part of her abuse was isolation, so that it would be more difficult for her to leave - they show her going for rides and talking to HUMAN friends about how she won't leave (which could have been handled well if they focused more on how this aspect of a victim of abuse and the way they can be manipulated into believing that isn't viable but nah, she just leaves the house she swore not to leave once a nice dude wants her) She just wants a night out of dancing so she can feel happy for a brief moment in her life - she goes to the ball because she met a man in the woods and thought he was nice. When she is locked away from her happily ever after she panics and does everything she can to escape, getting the mice friends she has made to help her - she spins and sings while the mice open a window so the guards can hear her up there.

[@eval.3582]

It's so unfair to ask/demand a victim of abuse to "fight back" or "talk back" to their abusers.

[@AppleStrawberryLove]

Thank you! As a victim of abuse, I've come love Cinderella more after getting out than as a kid. People overlook how strong she had to be to get to that point to go to the ball without caving in to the abuse and giving up. But it's part of what I didn't like about the live action remake. We clearly are shown she has a support system that is actively giving her opportunities to leave, she's not restricted by her stepmother, and we see that the things her stepfamily does don't affect her as much which means I struggle much more to buy into her situation. Especially when her reason is "memory" and she has equally powerful memories with the people reaching out. But that is a different story/issue

[@ThiefRikku-dc2cj]

I always loved Cinderella due to how strong of heart she is. Cinderella has had EVERYTHING taken from her. Her room, her belongings and was made a made a maid in her own her. Her step family tried to break her through their abusive behavior towards her but she refuses to go down because if she does, they win. She won't break even when they nearly broke her, her fairy godmother appeared telling her she still has strength of heart. All Cinderella wanted was to have a night off not to get a man like people believe. Her night at the ball she was just in awe in being there and not throwing herself at the prince. The prince shows interest in Cinderella because she is not there for him and her immediately goes to talk with this girl. Cinderella and the prince talk all night and he finds her intriguing but when midnight comes she has to leave and she realizes time has went by and she hasn't given her regards to the prince and it's that moment he sees she didn't even know he was the prince and maybe an chaperone for a female family member. I think if I go on I may seem to be rambling but your video explains alot was Cinderella is best.

[@jillforbesforbes2873]

Why does everybody hate on the fact of true love's first kiss or being saved by a prince what is wrong with that and it is not true but the old Disney princess movies if people say that oh they got saved by Prince then they are not a true Disney fan or they just don't look deep into the Disney princesses because there was a lot more to those girls than getting saved by a prince they just had an amazing love life which the newer Disney princesses don't have so sucks to be them 😅

[@DDRWakaLaka]

i get furious when people badmouth cindy she's a lesson in kindness persevering over hate, not "waiting for a man to save her"

[@shojodraws3399]

THANK YOU! I find it SO WEIRD that a group called Feminists tends to look down on inherently feminine traits and call them weak. PS: Telling someone to leave an abusive relationship isn't easy, especially if it's family. They might not treat her well, but that's the only family Cinderella has left, she has no one else to go to. Leaving a toxic relationship is hard, leaving a toxic household is so much harder and no one should have to do it alone. Cinderella didn't go to the ball hoping to meet the prince, she just wanted the night out and through her good works, positivity, and charity, luck paid her out by bringing her true love and a way out.

[@jayjaythejetplane2815]

Lovely video and well done! I couldn’t agree more over your defense of this character.. I KNEW 3-year-old me wasn’t wrong to love her and dress up as her for Halloween! It’s honestly therapeutic to see these points being addressed by another person. I have thought about the character in a very similar way for a good while and was never vocal about it because of the criticisms I was surrounded with, even going as far as to briefly jump on the hate train because I just assumed I was wrong! So yes thank you for making this! Would love to see more commentary content from you in the future.

[@aidanelizabeth]

I'm glad you enjoyed! This video was a ton of fun to make and hopefully I'll make some more analysis videos in the future! I could definitely rant about quite a few pieces of media, the trick is getting those rants to sound as eloquent as possible hahaha

[@donnguyen1107]

Even beyond the Disney version, some of the original Cinderella characters from around the world are a lot stronger than given credit for. Charles Perrault's Cinderella which is where Disney's version comes from, remains kind and generous even at the ball when she shares food with her stepsisters when she could've easily treated them the way they did her, and she forgives them after fitting the slipper and sets them up with lordly husbands. The Grimm Brothers' Aschenputtel has her kindness and humility come from a promise made to her late mother to keep that part of herself and she finds her mother's spirit watching over her through the birds in a hazel tree. The Chinese Yeh Shen's kindness towards her fish friend is rewarded with the dress and shoes by the magic in his bones after her stepfamily kills and eats him, trying to take away her one joy in her only friend, and she's not even dancing with a prince let alone looking for one and only leaves the party when her stepsister gets suspicious. The Korean Cinderella Pear Blossom doesn't even bother with a pretty dress and shoes when going to a festival and just gets her plowing work done with some help from an ox so she can go party. An African folktale has Nyasha rewarded for her generosity towards a hungry boy, humility in accepting advice from an old woman, and courage in facing down an alleged monster. In Vietnam, we have Tam going to the party and meeting a guy, but after they marry, her stepmother kills her yet because of her kindness, she's able to reincarnate until she's completely resurrected and is adopted by a kind old woman until her beloved finds her again (And she tricks her stepsister into getting boiled alive and her stepmother into eating said stepsister).

[@LissyAvenita]

Adding to the fact that she has no money or a place to go, i've heard people say she could have tried to leave and then get a job outside.... Like... she's been ISOLATED her WHOLE LIFE with those three women, do you truly belive she knows how the world works in that way or even think that's an option? It really gets on my nerves, i can't describe how much that movie helped me when i was little since i grew up in a similar environment and had a similar character/personality than her :') This is a great video!

[@sophiamikell7490]

And also, the money that she had the stepmother took. If she revealed she would have been on the street. Back then women hardly ever had jobs that were because of their family or husband. She would have died or ended up in a brothel with almost no hope of finding a stable lifestyle. So she did what she did, took it until a way to escape came. Which it did. And she took it the first chance she got. She is strong to be kind and compassionate with an incredible amount of bravery in spite of her step-family. She is stronger than most Disney Princesses and a role model and I stand by it and I am glad you do to. And I hope you are doing better. And you are so strong and I can only hope to be more like you.

[@anacardoso9822]

I like your point about the actual amount of force it would take to rip the dress to shreds like that. I always focused on the emotional abuse part of it and never really stopped to consider the physical violence as well and how that means Cinderella may have endured even beatings at some point.

[@Wawagirl17]

I think that critics tend to forget that Cinderella had been stuck with these people (her stepmother and stepsisters) since she was a very little girl. Viewers act as though Cinderella, as a fully grown adult, just kinda moved in with them and let herself be pushed around like an idiot. But her father, the only caring parent in her life, tragically died when she was a small child, and she gradually became brainwashed while grief-stricken. Brainwashed to believe that this was her new duty and role in life, to serve her only living family. And if during her entire upbringing she was never allowed to leave the home, why wouldn't she develop a fear to do so as an adult? That's only natural. But people skip over that backstory in the opening and trauma and context and just think, "Damn, she's so passive and dumb." That level of isolation, not even factoring in the time period, makes Cinderella's situation extremely believable, and the only surprising part really is her kindness and positive attitude through it all.

[@loganmiller7827]

I'm really glad you pointed out that Cinderella did not care at all whether or not she met the prince at the ball, let alone even realizing that she did in fact meet him. She just wanted to have a fun night out, and she makes that very clear in the movie. She only mentions the prince at the ball as an excuse to run away

[@boxbo7926]

You all should watch Cinderella 3: a Twist in Time! It’s one of the good bad Straight-to-DVD sequels, but it’s fantastic.

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

It’s the Cinderella fairytale was always my favorite story it was never about where she ended up it was about how she got there, she just wanted a break from a tough world that all she knew of but she got so much more, her kindness and her ability to make friends in dire circumstances is something always wonderful to see and the way she retreats in her imagination to give herself some hope to carry on living with abusers, people are so quick to blame the victims of abuse it even says so in the intro of the movie, That she was abused by her step family all her life. She is another version of a strong woman. I will always love Cinderella.

[@sarahchristine5095]

I LOVE this so much. One tiny thing I’ll say- I would argue that in the end, it’s Cinderella’s own kindness that saves her. When Tremaine locked her in her room, the prince and the godmother were nowhere to be found. Who got her out of that room? Her animal friends. Why? Because they loved her. And they loved her because she rescued and showed compassion to them. To me, it’s a beautiful story of reaping what you sow. The stepfamily sowed hatred, and they got humiliation. Cinderella sowed kindness, and she got salvation. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@Antiloottioy]

In defence of the prince though. It wasn't him who came up with the idea of trying the shoe on every female of the kingdom, it was the king. I mean the king was so impatient to get the prince married and have grandbabies he throws a ball in a record time of one day and declares his son has to find a wife there that night. And when the grand duke comes to him telling him the girl his son was dancing with ran off, the king gets mad at this and then when the duke tells that they only found the shoe he orders it must be tried on every girl of the kingdom. Who ever it fits on is gonna marry his son, he doesn't really care if it is the right girl or not. He didn't even trust his son enough to round up all the females of his kingdom and parading them in front of his son and recognize the girl he danced with. Just saying that Cinderella wasn't the only one to grew up in an abusive household. I mean look at the duke's reaction when the stepmother makes him drop the shoe, he is afraid for his life. So imagine how it was to grew up as his son then. He comes home one day and gets told there is a party for him and he has to choose a wife that night and marry her the next and get the grandbabies coming.

[@sweetpotato552]

Probably my favorite line in the whole movie was when the fairy god mother gently assures her that by midnight the spell will be broken. The script and voice acting on that scene is on point! When she says - “Oh I understand; it’s just, it’s more than I ever hoped for” You get to see what her character is all about. She didn’t need all of that; yet she is given more. She understood that she only had until midnight. It was more than enough for her.

[@aidanelizabeth]

Such a lovely line!

[@CynderSpirit]

Cinderella was a story about a woman who was rewarded for her kindness and hardwork even though her step mother and sisters abused her. People should also know back in Cinderella's time laws were very different women were treated as property and could not just walk and move out whenever they wanted, women had to be married before she left home, in Cinderella's situation she had no mom or dad to protect her, her Step Mom could very well have sold her into slavery as many women were back then (in some versions Cinderella's Step-Mother has actually done this to her).

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I think that's why she fell for the Prince so easily. I mean he was kind to her, saw her as beautiful, would offer a better home life, and he showed her love.

[@PinkiemachineStudios]

Cinderella has always always always been my favourite Disney Princess, even though my favourite princess FILM is Tangled. Cinderella’s character was always so inspiring to me. I grew up in a situation where sometimes I felt very alone or picked on by my own family and it really hurt me, but seeing how strong Cinderella was, how determined she was to not let her circumstances define who she was, really inspired me to be brave and kind and optimistic in the face of some pretty dark times that ended up coming my way, and I think we need more women like her in the world.

[@millie209]

I disagree with the intentions part, people seeing a woman as weak due to a lack of phsyical strength and being unshakeably kind and therefore feminine vs the strong female characters with more traditionally feminine qualities are the good ones only, it kind of implies those people are right. Or like people victim blaming her because she didnt get out in their approved ways are correct in how they feel. Interpretations can be wrong and they don't negate the intent in every situation.

[@GrandmaGlitter23]

As a girl who's always had a hard time being outspoken and had a hard time asking for help and standing up for myself, I felt like I could always relate to Cinderella more than any other Disney princess. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the strong-willed Disney princesses and I think they're very important! But, what I love about Cinderella is that she can be someone that people relate to who aren't strong-willed and who care a lot about being compassionate. And it also teaches the value of asking for help! I have ADHD and Dyscalculia, and asking for help in school growing up was always really hard, I felt ashamed of myself a lot. But Cinderella through her interaction with her Fairy Godmother taught me that I am a good person and I am worthy of receiving the help that I need. Cinderella is easily my favorite Disney princess because of that.

[@怪怪的神探]

same for me. stay strong

[@LookItsSani]

Yesterday I watched an essay about snow white and today yours was recommended to me. I'm really glad youtube's smart enough to identify my need to watch these videos. Yeah, "they're just movies", but they're actually not. I've caught myself undermining other women, both characters and real ones, because I see them being less strong than others. They're cute, so wow, they're less than others that portray themselves as "badass". I first noticed this a couple months ago because of *k-pop* and I've been having the biggest internal fight ever. I don't like a groups bubblegum pop because it's their concept, but I can like another group's bubblegum pop because it's just a summer song. I can accept Riana falling in love with Naveen in a day because she works hard to earn money to buy a restaurant, but I can't accept Cinderella for falling in love with a person (possibly the only one) that has treated her well in forever? I can't accept Belle falling in love with the Beast after *months* of them living together, because they met through a very shitty event, even though _they actually become friends_ after a while. I've noticed how hypocritical I've been and these videos are really helping me to sort out my thoughts. Thank you for making this video

[@margaridaguerreiro802]

you deserve some love for this realization, self awareness and humility.❤❤❤

[@annabaker8137]

Fun fact: The reason for the glass slipper fitting was because up until the industrial revolution shoes were almost always custom made for each specific person.

[@ayumikamukura1041]

Cinderella is a strong emotionally character, dude girl was abused emotionally and as someone said in the comments even in financial way, the fact that she was able to keep being loving and kind to people is in fact a miracle

[@LoneGamerNerd]

I hate that people instantly label Cinderella as "weak" and a "damsel in distress" type. For her to put up with the years of emotional and mental abuse she suffered and not once lose her mind or lash out at them shows incredible inner strength and respect; some people don't deserve the latter, but will get it anyway if they are a parent, guardian, or any kind of authority figure. If people actually paid attention, they would learn that Cinderella was NOT looking for a man. She was looking for an _escape_ ! Which anyone in her situation would want badly; it happens with people in abusive homes in the real world -- so why can't they see this in Cinderella? She didn't want a man to save her. He just happened to be what she got. Cinderella found her escape in marriage and a better life, but she did not actively seek it out. On the contrary, he sought _her_ out -- clearly! She is my favorite simply for her courage, strength, and conviction.

[@spookyspirits4462]

Remember that scene where she scolds bruno for dreaming of chasing the cat? She tells him if we wants to keep a roof over his head, he needs to stop thinking of chasing the cat as the cat is lady tremaines pet. I think its very clear there why she stays in the household.

[@manyagoyal3835]

Fairy Godmother doesn't get half as much credit as the prince. She showed her the love of a parent when Cinderella was rejected and abused by a mother figure after the death of her parents. She could've done a lot more for her, but remember this is Cinderella's journey. If Cinderella wanted she could've asked for a house and some money to live alone, fairy godmother could've probably given it to her. But she didn't, she survived her journey alone and at the end the universe rewarded her for it. The ending should've been a celebration not an attack at the poor heroine who suffered for the entire movie. People don't really notice all the efforts she made to keep herself strong, she didn't have unhealthy coping mechanisms, didn't cause self harm or cause/justify harm to others. She remained kind and as a child I really looked upto it, I kind of still do. There's not enough kindness in the world, we should not take for granted the kindness that's left.

[@sparxstreak02]

15:29 Well, if you count the Disney Cinderella sequels she does know the people in her village (from when she presumably went shopping for her stepfamily) but this still might not warrant her feeling like she’d be able to leave as victims of abuse more often than not find it INCREDIBLY hard to open up about their trauma to others, even close friends. So even if she had friends in the village it still might not be enough to break that cycle.

[@aromaladyellie]

Small correction- Cinderella was 19 in the movie, but was like, 9 when her father died. So she spent 10 years as a servant, not 19. Cinderella fascinates me. Also something interesting about the opening narration: "Thus, as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair, for the family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepsisters, while Cinderella was abused, humiliated, and eventually forced to become a servant in her own house." Cinderella was NOT originally a servant in the household. I think they probably HAD servants at one point but they had to be let go when they could no longer be afforded, after which Cinderella was forced into the role. Also because it's LADY Tremaine, then Cinderella is part of the court *by birth* possibly the daughter of as high a position as a duke. I hate how many miss the whole idea of her so badly by making her "sassy" and "spunky" and having her openly defy the stepfamily and mess with them. Cinderella herself does show this.... towards Lucifer. I personally find her to be my favourite princess. Through horrible abuse she never falls to depression- she is optimistic. She continues to be gentle and kind and doesn't let her abusive upbringing control her. It is part of her, yes, but she doesn't let it define her, either. She is a survivor. I, personally, love her. She is the perfect femme hero- there is nothing masc about her. But her femme traits make her strong.

[@diamondinmyeye6160]

The biggest problem is have with the Disney remake was it downplayed her abuse. She has time to learn French and goes out regularly, building a support structure in the process. The explanation of staying for the house is weak. She also daydreams and passively gets saved by singing rather than doing everything she could to get to the messenger. Every attempt to make her more "strong" weakens her position.

[@josephsoltero7326]

Also, enduring abuse and then consciously choosing to not pass down that same abuse to others is a strength.

[@tangerine_chocolata]

As a feminist AND a victim of an abusive relationship,characters that took their opportunity to be happier in a way that's sorta dependant(in most eyes) like Ariel and Cinderella are my favorite yet they were the ones hated for ending up with a guy to achieve that dream? Sometimes,you do not have to be alone to achieve a dream you wanted,sometimes you need help or even motivation of others. *When you were finally given that opportunity to go,you go to it and never look back.* Cinderella was ALSO VERY STRONG to forgive Anastasia in the sequels once said sister started to (have the urge of) change(ing) her ways and life away from her own mother. Most(includes me) can't even forgive their abuser even if they change once out of life. *Also note that,Femininity is not equal to weakness and so is not masculinity equals strong character.*

[@KittyPieVibes]

It takes a really strong person to not only hold their head high and stay optimistic when in abusive situations but to go even further and stay kind to others during. She’s a hero

[@jamiwall207]

Maybe one day Disney will also make a movie on the Little Princess. She was a positive girl in a negative situation as well. That book taught me a lot.

[@777Rowen]

Love your discussion. Femininity doesn’t equal weakness. I’m a femininity woman myself, and I greatly appreciate your discussion on feminism. Cinderella is a great character! Internal strength is just as important as physical strength. 💙 Amazing job. Your video and The Take did an amazing job on showing what an awesome character Cinderella is.

[@amandawade7803]

Someone who loves Cinderella because she connected to Cinderella's story on an emotional level, and is a very strong person is my mother. My grandpa was a person who despite loving his family and thought he showed this by providing for them, was quick to anger, was quick to criticize and never seemed interested in knowing his children. To be fare that wasn't his intention, but that is what my mom her brothers saw, to the point where my mom was afraid of him. So for her she was able to connect to not only Cinderella's story, but any story of an orphan. Cinderella was my mom's favorite Disney princess, and still is. I'm not saying this to criticize my grandpa, because I love him, and he has come to understand his flaws over the years and has been working really hard to change them. Another Cinderella story that touches more on the abuse, and reasoning why she wouldn't leave is "Not Cinderella's Type". Which a more modern take, but dives deeper into the emotional trauma that Cinderella was truly dealing with.

[@winry2357]

I know it’s been a while, but I’m defense of the Prince, the ball was being held because the king wanted him to settle down, get married, and have kids. You know, security of the kingdom and all that. He didn’t know Cinderella’s name, he just had her shoe and told his father that he would marry the woman that wore the shoe to the ball. The king took that to mean any woman that could fit in the shoe would be good enough. The Prince didn’t even go with in search of the girl that fit the shoe, probably because he was looking for her face (we don’t know as we don’t get anything from strictly his pov). Our big clue for that is “I don’t even know your name, how will I find you?” He’s distraught. He found a girl that didn’t even know or care that he was a prince and she was getting away with no real clue outside of a shoe and what her face looked like. I feel like even though we don’t see much of the Prince, dude doesn’t even get a name, we still have a lot to go on for character depth. He was interested in Cindy because she wasn’t looking to get in line and butter him up, she was in awe of her surroundings. They were able to spend time together and converse. At the end, her excuse for leaving was that she hadn’t met the Prince yet, and he thought it was a joke. She really didn’t know until she was told he had been the Prince and that he wanted to marry her. I really love the simplicity of the animated movie. They don’t assume you need everything to be spelled out for you. It’s beautiful.

[@juanmanuelpenaloza9264]

In defense of Cinderella, she has become an icon in the Hispanic community. There's a reason Quinceañera dresses tend to be pale blue and telenovelas follow the story formula to the letter.

[@Boundlessness]

The fact that people call her a meek damsel in distress that should have stood up obviously don’t understand just how awful and manipulative abuse is. *anyone* , even men, can adopt this personality if they’re trapped in that sort of awful household. It is a survival mechanism. There’s literally nowhere else Cinderella could have gone at the time other than homelessness. Because this is also in the medieval era, there’s obviously not much public service for abuse victims so she would have probably starved or died.

[@sidneastrelser4207]

100% agree! I think its damaging to criticize the classic princesses themselves for their actions within their stories. However there are valid points to be made regarding why Disney chose to tell those stories. For example, Prince Phillip is the one who slays the dragon and saves Aurora, but it's not because Aurora was incapable because of something inherent to her character, it was the events of the story rendered her unable. It's not like if she had been smarter or stronger she could have avoided a freakin curse. So I think criticism of Disney for only presenting women in certain types of ways for a long time is valid, but judging the characters themselves is not.

[@kayakat1869]

Cinderella saved herself, even if she got help along the way. She went to the ball of her own volition even though it was a huge risk. She was the one who presented the other slipper in front of her stepmother in the end. She didn't even want to go to the ball to see the prince. She just wanted to have a fun time, and she went out and got it herself.

[@lovetolovefairytales]

Cinderella is my favorite princess. Ever since I was a little girl, she's been my favorite.

[@ToastersChannel]

Justice for cinderella! This was legit an amazing video and so well thought out! Super underrated channel!! Instantly subbed :)

[@aidanelizabeth]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed!

[@JoMarieM]

I enjoyed this video, and I agree with everything you said about Cinderella. Many girls today who grew up watching Disney princesses like Ariel, Mulan, Tiana and Moana, see classic Disney princesses as Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora as weak and submissive. And that's sad, because Cinderella, in particular, shows a lot of quiet inner strength, something that isn't portrayed very much in Disney movies today, sad to say. These are some things that I wish people would consider, when it comes to female role models in movies: First of all, some girls/ young women are trapped in situations that they CANNOT escape from, for whatever reason. And if they DO manage to escape, where can they go, and how can they earn a living, if they have no one to take them under their wing for a while? If they're a child who tries to run away, they often don't get taken seriously, and are returned to the same place that they tried to get away from. As for Cinderella, that house was her HOME, even if it was being run by her stepmother. It was the only home she had ever known, and she actually had more right to it than her stepmother did. Why should she have had to leave it, even given the treatment that she experienced? She was also probably concerned about her friends the mice, whom the cat would have probably devoured one by one, had Cinderella not been around to protect them. Plus, as hard as her life was then, she at least had something to eat and a roof over her head, and she probably felt very close to her parents at times as well, since she had happy memories of them in that place. Also, not every girl/woman has a naturally scrappy, feisty personality, with the ability to get right in someone's face if they're being abused, and scream back at them. In America, we live in a culture where the strong, independent, I-don't-take-nothing-from-nobody mentality is prized and admired, and more timid, emotionally insecure people are seen as weaklings, even if they're really kind and gentle people who hate conflict and don't want to fight. Having a quiet inner strength, and a determination to keep going on with a good attitude no matter what happens, as well as being able to show kindness and compassion to others no matter how badly you're treated, is also the sign of being a strong person. Holding back your temper when somebody is insulting you is also an admirable trait, though some people don't see it that way. There is nothing wrong with showing a woman on screen who cries, doubts herself, cringes when being abused, or who never raises her voice to anybody. What really matters is how she conducts herself in less than ideal circumstances. When the only female characters that young girls watch are super self-confident types who never seem to show any kind of weakness, IMO it can actually discourage youngsters with low self-esteem, making them feel like they could NEVER be like that. I think it's better to show less feisty female role models who can overcome their personal issues, than a super-confident "I can take on the world" type of person. Also, encouraging the concept that people who are quiet and gentle are weaklings can also encourage bullying. The story of Cinderella shares some similarities with the classic story of "A Little Princess." Like Cinderella, Sara Crewe is born into a world of privilege, and is dropped off by her wealthy father at a boarding school. Sara is treated well until her father suddenly dies, and when Miss Minchin, the cruel headmistress of the school, realizes that Sara has nowhere to go and no more money will be coming in, decides to keep Sara as a servant girl. She wants to toss her out of the school altogether, but she is advised not to, for fear it will damage the school's good reputation, so she decides that Sara will be of some use as a domestic servant. She strips Sara of most of her possessions, makes her sleep in a cold, drafty attic room, makes her do all kinds of manual labor, and in general treats her like dirt, even though Sara is a very well-mannered and intelligent young girl, and some sort of nicer arrangement so that she could have continued to live at the school and finish her education could have been made, had Miss Minchin been a nicer person. But Sara pretends that she is a princess, and to her, being a princess does not mean living in wealth and wearing nice clothes, but being kind and gracious to others no matter what, and she shows this attitude time and time again, even through verbal abuse, near-starvation, poverty and being shunned by her former classmates. She's able to stand up for herself, but is never physically abusive or disrespectful to anyone. Sadly, the 1993 version of the film, while being a good story in many respects, screwed up the original princess concept by saying that you could be a princess simply because you were a girl, not how you behaved. IMO, that was an example of feminine empowerment gone way too far. However, for Sara, just like Cinderella, everything turned out OK in the end, when a friend of her father's, who had been looking for her for two years, rescues her. IMO, there is NOTHING wrong with having the main character be rescued by someone, whether it's a friend, a lover, a family, whatever, and finding REAL love with that person or people. That's one of the the things that made the original story of A Little Princess so endearing, IMO. Some of the movie versions of this story have Sara's father only BELIEVED to be dead, and then he turns up alive by the end of the film, whereas in the original story, he really IS dead -- but there's someone else who really cares about Sara, and rescues her. I think Cinderella is a great role model, even though she isn't one of my top five Disney princesses. It's just a shame that some people don't see that!

[@WhitneyDahlin]

I agree! Thank you for this! I always thought that the reason Cinderella didn't just leave is because she understood that the world is just as dangerous if not more so than living under the abuse of her family. What happens to homeless girls with no job no transportation and no money out in the world even today? S*xual abuse physical abuse being trafficked and enslaved. Sometimes the obvious way out of a terrible situation isn't the right way out. She needed an advocate, she needed a friend. Just like all those real girls in real life trapped alone with no home and no way to make ends meet. They need an advocate. After all like you said where is Cinderella going to run to? She's never been allowed to make friends or even leave the house. And what's going to happen to her when she can't get far enough away from her abusers so they can't find her. She son foot in a small area. What will they do to her when they drag her back home?. It's all about the hierarchy of needs. People need food, shelter, water and then they worry about all of the emotional stuff. And as long as you have shelter it's very incredibly hard to give up that shelter in exchange for emotional fulfillment. Humans just aren't wired that way. Also I would like to point out people fail to look at the time period Cinderella and snow White came from. They world had just come out of WW2. The most devasting war where concentration camps and starvation of everyone in mainland europe whether they were in a camp or not was a reality. It was a world where terrible things beyond your control happened and these were a people trying to put their life back together and move on from the horrors of world war two. The threat of nuclear annihilation was very real and something all countries prepared for. These people needed a princess like cinderella. They needed an emotionally tough hardworker who never gave up as a role model. They NEEDED to hear that if they worked hard and kept their spirits up life would get better and their dream of having a good prosperous life back would become a reality. Context is everything.

[@nicoleshan6410]

Do you remember the time when Keira Knightley said she wanted to ban the "Cinderella" movie from her house because "Cinderella" was too "passive" and her daughters or sons would be affected by it? I used to agree with her, but time has gone by and I just came to reappreciate Cinderella for how she acted with kindness and compassion towards everyone. I loved the Kazoo version of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes." 💙

[@kaptzu]

My mom grew up in a very abusive household herself and i’ve endured some as well, and just hearing my mom’s stories is so heartbreaking and emotionally damaging but she was able to surpass that and now lives a normal life, to this day she deals with trauma and depression from her past but she works hard to be a positive, patient, and loving person. And that’s why her and i both love cinderella and she’s our favorite disney princess. I think cinderella is a perfect example of living in an abusive home, there really never is an escape, but her remaining positive and kind, and never losing herself was what ultimately saved her in the end. She went to the ball for herself, she had no intention of meeting someone much less the prince, and yet he fell in love with her kind personality. She also has a very cute personality, she’s teasing with the animals and she’s funny, which is overlooked and not seen in many disney princesses.

[@irfansuljagic8431]

During the dress ripping scene, at one point right after Anastasia ripped Cinderella's headband off, you can clearly see Cinderella holding her head in pain, which basically means that this experience was indeed physically painful for her :(

[@curiosophy4241]

Cinderella is one of a few films made me cry as a child.

[@Kazifasari]

hell yes! Cinderella is one of my favorite Disney princesses and whenever someone says "she's weak" I'm like oh yes because kindness and patience are signs of "weakness". GTFO with your toxic view of strength vs weakness.