Gender Issues Related to Cinderella
Cinderella is the classic fairy tale that we all know and love, but could it be harming us with the gender stereotypical behaviour embedded in the story?
In a journal article Karol Kelly suggests that Disney’s Cinderella and Cinderella-like movie Pretty Woman both exhibit gender stereotypes. Kelly argues that both films portray a woman who is dependant on a man to change their lives for the better. She also asserts that in neither movies do females partake in any of the stereotypical male behaviour. It is the men who rank higher in wealth, occupation, status, power and action. In Disney’s Cinderella, Cinderella’s family struggles financially and she forced to complete the household chores each day. The Prince however, holds the highest possible status as the future King. Pretty Woman’s Edward also holds a high status with his wealth and occupation while Vivian is a prostitute who struggles to make ends meet. Throughout the rest of the article Kelly continues to explore further into the fundamental stereotypes demonstrated within both films.
Linda Parsons wrote a similar journal article in which she analyses four versions of Cinderella and discusses the different gender appropriate behaviour embedded in each version. She argues that Perrault’s Cinderella shows us that we should be submissive, passive, and beautiful. Grimm’s Cinderella, however, shows us that we can use our voices in powerful ways, that our appearance is second to our inner beauty and that there are severe consequences for cruel intentions. She suggests that Ella Enchanted shows us that we can direct our own destiny and over come obstacles that bar the way, while Just Ella shows us that our lives are intertwined with those of others. She believes that as researches and teachers we need to continue to work with our students in an effort to better understand how they read texts. We need to listen to children as they construct meaning and guide that in that construction to ensure they don’t adhere to the gender appropriate behaviour embedded in books.
Ella Westland also conducted a study on the gender issues related to cinderella. Hey study was designed to test the feminist hypothesis that the Cinderella style fairy tales harmfully reinforce restrictive images of girlhood and womanhood. she based her research on working with 100 boys and girls aged 9-11 from 5 different Cornish primary schools. She found that after asking students to draw a character from Cinderella, girls predominately drew a pretty princess, however through discussion it was apparent that few girls self identified with their drawings. The girls instead favoured heroines that showed independence, while the boys favoured the image of the prince for the same reason. There results indicate that girls at this age are resisting readers towards the gender images presented to them in the classic fairy tales, like Cinderella.
Although all three authors assert very strong opinions towards the gender issues related to Cinderella, there is no evidence suggesting that children are in fact influenced by the gender appropriate behaviour exhibited in Cinderella.
In a journal article Karol Kelly suggests that Disney’s Cinderella and Cinderella-like movie Pretty Woman both exhibit gender stereotypes. Kelly argues that both films portray a woman who is dependant on a man to change their lives for the better. She also asserts that in neither movies do females partake in any of the stereotypical male behaviour. It is the men who rank higher in wealth, occupation, status, power and action. In Disney’s Cinderella, Cinderella’s family struggles financially and she forced to complete the household chores each day. The Prince however, holds the highest possible status as the future King. Pretty Woman’s Edward also holds a high status with his wealth and occupation while Vivian is a prostitute who struggles to make ends meet. Throughout the rest of the article Kelly continues to explore further into the fundamental stereotypes demonstrated within both films.
Linda Parsons wrote a similar journal article in which she analyses four versions of Cinderella and discusses the different gender appropriate behaviour embedded in each version. She argues that Perrault’s Cinderella shows us that we should be submissive, passive, and beautiful. Grimm’s Cinderella, however, shows us that we can use our voices in powerful ways, that our appearance is second to our inner beauty and that there are severe consequences for cruel intentions. She suggests that Ella Enchanted shows us that we can direct our own destiny and over come obstacles that bar the way, while Just Ella shows us that our lives are intertwined with those of others. She believes that as researches and teachers we need to continue to work with our students in an effort to better understand how they read texts. We need to listen to children as they construct meaning and guide that in that construction to ensure they don’t adhere to the gender appropriate behaviour embedded in books.
Ella Westland also conducted a study on the gender issues related to cinderella. Hey study was designed to test the feminist hypothesis that the Cinderella style fairy tales harmfully reinforce restrictive images of girlhood and womanhood. she based her research on working with 100 boys and girls aged 9-11 from 5 different Cornish primary schools. She found that after asking students to draw a character from Cinderella, girls predominately drew a pretty princess, however through discussion it was apparent that few girls self identified with their drawings. The girls instead favoured heroines that showed independence, while the boys favoured the image of the prince for the same reason. There results indicate that girls at this age are resisting readers towards the gender images presented to them in the classic fairy tales, like Cinderella.
Although all three authors assert very strong opinions towards the gender issues related to Cinderella, there is no evidence suggesting that children are in fact influenced by the gender appropriate behaviour exhibited in Cinderella.