Cinderella Can Go to Hell

I think women should strive to emulate the evil stepmother in the Cinderella story. She's a potent, strong woman. She's not the prettiest thing I've ever seen in fairy-tale, and she treats her stepdaughter like shit, but at least she's out in the world wheeling and dealing for her three ugly biological daughters. She's proactive and hard hitting and who would want to fuck with that? Is it possible that the only image of a strong woman in fairy tales is a woman who is bad and ugly? How else can we explain the enduring legacy of the beautiful but passive heroine who is saved by a bunch of mice and travels to the ball in a pumpkin? Who is saved from a life of drudgery by Prince Charming? What does Cinderella do on her own to merit such status?

She is beautiful and she is good. She is passive. When her stepmother says, sweep out the fireplace, she sweeps it out and then sleeps there as well. What if she stood up to her stepmother and said, "Bitch, sweep it out yourself. And while you're at it, quit wearing my dead mother's jewelry and the next time I see my father I'm going to expose you for the fraud you are, you and your measly ugly whining daughters. Now get out of my room before I hit you over the head with my broom. And don't think for one minute that I'm not going to the ball. I am going. I'm like a hundred times better looking than you and your girls, and chances are good the prince will want to tap this ass when he finally gets a chance to meet me. So stay out of my way."

Would we love a Cinderella like that? The answer is obviously, no. We wouldn't. So why do little girls grow up reading that version? Why do we go to musicals that support this version? Shouldn't little girls be given images of power. I don't have a problem with all the Hello Kitty business and hearts and flowers and even Cinderella, but taken together as a whole seems to me that we are handicapping little girls before they're even out of the gate.

Which is why we should start emulating all the evil women in fairy tales because that's where all the power is--- let's not fall in love with Snow White. For God's sakes she's dead most of the time, in a coma, suspended animation. If I were Snow White, I wouldn't be living out in the woods with 7 Dwarfs, I'd be inside that castle. I'd steal that magic mirror, take it to my room and find out what all the fuss is about. Then I'd get rid of the mother, or at least sell off some of the valuables and move to Paris! Or Rome! Have a good time. I'd kiss a lot of princes and wouldn't care who they told.

At least if you're the bad guy(girl), you get to have some fun in your life. Know what it feels like to have power even if you are evil. So what? Better to be bad and be in charge of your destiny than be good and have to depend upon the prince to rescue you.