Cinderella has been one of the all- time preferred, and one of the very most well- known fairy stories all over the world. There are numerous variants to Cinderella, but in this essay, Disney's version will be utilized. When children listen to these stories using their childhood, they immediately start to relate with the mystical individuals portrayed. These experiences cause children to develop their own heroes, and assess the character types around them as well. Initially, they don't realize the roles of gender or shade, but when Disney brings these fairy tales to life, they may be indirectly being taught to discriminate. Orenstein, in this article 'Cinderella and Princess Culture', talks about how girls imitate these fairy stories by attempting to end up like the Princesses in them. Also, children respond very easily to what they see in the Disney videos. For example, Disney's female individuals are mostly given negative functions. The men are portrayed to be the superior gender, which was because of the position of women in those days. This gives go up to certain gender prejudices in children. In the case of color, white is associated with all that is 'good', while black is associated with all that is 'bad. ' This earns the idea of skin color. Children, therefore, unknowingly begin to discriminate, as this notion has now been instilled in their heads. "A report was conducted, where children who had watched fairy stories, were shown black, darkish and white people. They responded favorably and then the white people. " (Hurley 229) Therefore, there is a clear understanding that such principles in these experiences can have a deep effect on young thoughts.
"Fairy stories like Cinderella play an exceptionally important role in shaping both self- image and belief- system of children" (Hurley 221). Children see what they are created to see and believe that what they are made to believe that. Disney, till now, has been very successful in advertising its products by making them colourful in order to attract the interest of children. Most children grows up watching Disney movies and reading Disney stories, but little do they know that their memory is able to retain every aspect of what they see. They cannot understand the many complexities in life at such a young era. However, through fairy stories like Cinderella, they come out of these world, and into the world of someone else's. Even the tiniest things appear big; for illustration, being dominated over by an older sibling could generate some kind of anger in their intellects. However, children are new to the ideas of anger, jealousy, and other thoughts. "Therefore, when they see Cinderella crying, but being so patient at exactly the same time, they believe that as the Fairy Godmother rescues Cinderella, their parents will rescue them using their siblings" (Poniewozik 668).
Gender has played an important role in establishing the various personas in Cinderella. The main figure in Cinderella are all played out by females: first of all, Cinderella herself; Cinderella's dead mother, who's always with her metaphysically guiding her; Cinderella's step- mother who treats her improperly and endeavors to eliminate her home- esteem; Cinderella's step- sisters, who are involved in sabotaging her; and the Fairy Godmother, who grants Cinderella her needs. It can obviously be seen that girls performed an important role in Cinderella as a lovable figure, Cinderella's mother; cruel personas, Cinderella's step- mother and step- sisters; or virtuous people, the Fairy Godmother. They are also three traits which children can simply relate to. This enables children to place themselves into the shoes of the primary characters, and associate the various people around them to these different personas. While the girl gender takes over the key role in Cinderella, the feminine gender has also been portrayed negatively in the case of Cinderella's step- mother and step- sisters. They are simply portrayed as bad. While Cinderella was obligated by her step- mother to clean the home and do the household tasks, her step- sisters liked all the privileges. Disney also portrays the step- mom and the step- sisters as unpleasant. At the same time, the men in Cinderella are portrayed to be the superior gender. "This is due to the sociological status of women at that time to time where they were considered second-rate and of a lower wealth and school. This triggers children to build up negative emotions, especially towards their step- mothers and step- sisters, and also choose their fathers over their mothers. This is exactly what society has unveiled to the kid causing fathers to be idealized over mothers" (Phillip 1). In contrast, Cinderella's father didn't play a substantial role in Cinderella's life. She was mainly under the control of her 'evil' step- mom. This may adversely impact children by allowing them to think that all step- moms are evil and mistreats their step daughters, furthermore because the father role is missing. In addition, by demonstrating the variations the step- sisters experienced with Cinderella, it's possible for children to feel that step- sisters talk about a bad romantic relationship, which is not the case in many occasions.
On the other hand, the utilization of colour as symbolism has performed a significant role in Disney's Cinderella. Numerous personal references to colour can be seen in Cinderella. Firstly, Disney associates the colour 'white' with Cinderella and everything that is considered good, as the dark colorings such as 'black' and 'brown' are associated with exactly what is bad. The step- mother and the step- sisters who are negatively portrayed have a relatively darker complexion compared to Cinderella, who is white as dairy. In addition, the Fairy Godmother also offers white wild hair. "The 'good' body, Cinderella herself, is blonde and has blue sight. She is portrayed to be always a pure within the Disney movies. One can note that the King's palace and the doves are also white in colour. The Fairy Godmother's wild hair and the King's locks are all symbols of purity, because they are all white. The coding of dark and dark hues is delicate in Disney's movie, though it absolutely is available" (Hurley 225). Therefore concepts like gender discrimination and racial discrimination are visibly included into the storyline of Cinderella, and these ideas are subsequently seen to mould the thoughts of the young visitors and viewers. Within a deeper research between Cinderella and her step- sisters, "Cinderella's center was real and she possessed a pleasant demeanour. That is contrasted by her step- sisters' wicked dark thoughts. This theme sometimes appears throughout the story book. " (Perrault 624)
In addition to creating gender biases and racial discrimination among children at such a age, we can see a relationship between Disney videos and real-life occurrences. Matching to Bettelheim "Cinderella is the best- known story book, and probably also the best like" (625). A deeper analysis, however tells another type of story. Schlesinger has an insight into "how these tales have formed the creativeness of children in the Western world. These stories have introduced them to the various existentialism concepts like loneliness, rejection, comradeship, fulfilment, and the everlasting struggle against fate, victory, love, fatality" (Schlesinger 618). On the other hand, these classical tales have been mirrored by fake performances by the Disney fairy Tale princess.
There are numerous evidences that gender and colour in- fact has made a direct effect on young brains. Beginning with color, children are seen with an eye for delicate distinction in epidermis colour. They don't understand the concept of racism at such a age, however when the idea of 'white' is good and 'black' is bad is created to them, it alters their whole approach. "Fairy tales such as Cinderella have been an integral part of children's literature for some time now. Over the years, children have designed mental images of princesses and other character types depicted in these tales, that are portrayed to be superior to the rest. " (Hurley 225). "One can see daughters aspiring to dress like princesses, which is a problem especially being that they are implementing that lifestyle. They need their futures to appear to be Cinderella's complete with a prince attempting to find his princess with a a glass boot" (Orenstein 670).
In finish, there are many ways that children face certain media that are not entirely befitting them. Nobody would have ever advised that fairy tales are a primary cause for individuals becoming racist at such a age, or even to discriminate against females. Fairy tales were written for parents, and Disney has altered them into a wonderland where everything is bright and shiny. Children at young age may not understand the meaning of what they see, nevertheless they do process things and it is obvious in the later levels of these development. Bettelheim's article 'Cinderella': A story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Issues, talks about the fact that "children don't realize their sense of hatred, jealousy, or anger which they feel towards their siblings sometimes because of the dominating power that they have upon them Cinderella, however, allows their heads to flee their intellects into a different aspect, where their emotions have words and a specific pathway. Equally as the fairy Godmother involves Cinderella's help in the Disney version of Cinderella, more youthful siblings expect their parents to come and rescue them using their company bad sisters of brothers. " (Bettelheim 655)
