We all have heard the fairy tale story of the poor little girl who was abused by her stepmother and her jealous stepsisters as a kid. The girl who lived in a toxic household, who endured the pain she felt because of the members without having anybody to complain about it to as she was denied the freedom to make friends or live a life of her own, the one she deserved. When the poor girl was basically crying for help to attend a ball (a social gathering) arranged by the prince a fairy godmother appears out of nowhere to help her situation. She provides her new clothes and a pair of glass slippers; she looks like the prettiest girl ever in the entire ball room. Her spark so strong that after being treated like a slave for so many years when she gets the freedom nothing could stop her to get what she wanted. She attracted the prince towards herself not just because of how she looked but also because of her kind-hearted nature which was kept hidden by her family. This story was meant for little kids as a happy story that the little girl falls in love with a prince who treats her right and a fairy godmother who helps her and animals as her friends. It’s a happy ending when she marries the prince and moves out.
What we failed to see was the darker parts because we were blinded by the beauty of the story. Manipulated by our elders that the story is positive whereas, if we give the story a reality check. The story Cinderella could be the situation of every teenage girl/boy surviving in a toxic household with no escape, the escape options are available as therapy however, some fail to reach it and choose other methods like self-harm or suicide. The godmother who graciously helped her out still exist in the form of therapists or good friends or teachers who never fail to help you out in such situations. The character of the prince is shown as kind-hearted because he started looking for her again based on a glass slipper but it’s not surprising how he could only recognize her by what shoe fit the foot and not how she looks once returned to her usual attire, the fake clothing masking her true self enough to be unrecognized by the mighty prince because it was hard to believe that someone who is going through all of that could manage to be a princess. It shows that appearance is only upfront and to truly know someone you must first recognize them at their lowest the same way you would at their best. The reason of the happy ending wasn’t because of her marrying the prince but for her finally having the courage to stand up for herself and saving herself from the toxicity which was bringing her down.
Harshita Agarwal
11th (commerce)
DPS KALYANPUR
About Post Author
