Still waiting to find out "What's Wrong With Cinderella"...

After making my way through Peggy Orenstein's "What's Wrong With Cinderella?", I was disappointed to conclude that I was unable to answer this enticing question. I think Orenstein's article was beautifully written and creatively crafted. I was intrigued by her topic and her style of writing and thoroughly enjoyed the piece. However, while I applaud the author for her captivating title and interesting article, I don't think she affectively proved the flaws of Cinderella and the whole princess phenomena. 

I was not convinced by the conversation Orenstein has with her daughter at the supermarket, in which she declares that "Cinderella doesn't really do anything." Unless I've been watching the wrong movie all these years, I'm fairly certain that Cinderella does, in fact, work hard. The majority of the movie consists of her tiring away with an excessive amount of household chores. I would think that Orenstein would want to use this diligent work ethic as a role model for her daughter. Something along the lines of, "Try your best in school, just like how Cinderella tried her hardest with her cleaning!" You get the picture. Yes, I know that there are aspects of the Cinderella story (cough cough fairy godmother cough cough) that depict the princess as being helpless and needy, but I still don't agree with the author's reaction to her daughter's fascination with princesses. If, like most young girls, her daughter is going to love princesses, Orenstein should make an effort to support it by finding the positive traits these princesses have to offer. 

On another, more positive note, I felt that this article discussed many interesting aspects of the broader princess industry. I was fascinated with the idea of Tinker Bell as a sort of rebel princess to appeal to the angsty pre-teen. This idea was probably, to a certain extent, modeled after the success of the sassy Bratz dolls that Orenstein mentions. Tinkerbell has come to represent rebellion and an escape from innocence, and I feel like this is a brilliant shift in marketing. 

Additionally, I was shocked to read about the evolution of color-gender association. It's funny to imagine a time when little boys sported mainly pink and girls mainly blue. The comment about purple was especially amusing to me. Just a couple days ago, a male friend of mine purchased a fleece that was far more purple than had been intended. As a result, he was poked fun at by the majority of our dormmates for ordering a fleece intended for a girl. I wonder what he would think if he knew that purple was once considered a manly color associated with royalty...

Overall, this article made me think, question, smile and wonder. I learned new things and enjoyed making connections to my own childhood experience (buying a Cinderella costume, destroying my barbies, etc.). However, at the end of the day, I don't have a convincing argument to summarize Cinderella's shortcomings.