Magic Has No Gender
And other stereotypes the new ‘Cinderella’ is breaking
My 11-year-old daughter was very excited about the release of ‘Cinderella’ on Prime Videos. That was the one she selected for our Friday movie-night ritual. I was a bit surprised by the selection.
Because she is not a fan of the usual fairy tale stories about princesses, who invariably failed to stand up for themselves and would wait to be rescued by a prince. To live happily ever after.
And again, hasn’t there been enough Cinderella movies already. One more? Yet, I was ready to bear it one more time for the sake of our time with my kiddo.
As the movie unfolded, I was pleasantly surprised. Not the original version, phew!
Though the larger plot remains the same of a stepmother and two stepsisters, the mother is the typical biased lady who considers Cinderella a burden yet is dependent on her for all the cores. So Cinderella has again resorted to a dingy basement as her abode along with her friends-three mice.
But, for a change, the stepsisters are not replicas of the mother and have amassed a bit of compassion for their sister. They do treat her a tad decently.
Cinderella has ambitions.
Finally! High time now.
She aspires to design her own line of clothes. She dreams, no, not of a prince but a future. Of her own — made on her own.
I was sick of earlier fairy tales that revolved around this beautiful and kind girl. Mind you. It was never a freckle-faced, badass girl.
As if proclaiming that being kind and docile is the only path that leads to the charming prince. Now, who doesn’t want that?
It has to be a prince, never a peasant. And it ends with marriage with a guaranteed happy-ever-after life.
The new Cinderella thankfully is clear about her aspirations and dares to choose the right thing.
“I choose me.”
About time, gal.
The most refreshing angle — the genderless fairy godmother Fab G!
Played by Billy Porter, the first openly gay Black man to win a lead actor drama Emmy, he breathes freshness into the stale run-of-the-mill storyline.
Adorned in a glittery, glitzy, glamourous attire in all gold,
heavily decked up with a necklace screaming attention,
style oozing from even the air that surrounds him,
he has stolen the show, hands down.
And then there is the full-of-ideas princess who demands to be the king, ahem queen, intermittently popping up in the story spurting some more of feminism.
Have to mention the queen, who is not very happy with just being the king’s smiling companion in the court. Her heart desire to say ‘you’re wrong to the king in front of the whole kingdom, which she finally does, good for her.
At times it does feel like an overdose of feminism, but then, that’s what the world needs, right?
Though the movie is not an Oscar-worthy one, it is a good watch, considering the changes it brings.
Since it was on a spree of breaking stereotypes,
would have loved to see flats or a boot maybe.
Like the actress, Kristen Stewart made a statement against the Cannes Film Festival’s controversial flat-shoe ban. She not only wore a flat, she even removed them on the carpet and walked bare feet.
My mind goes back to the gay fairy Godmother. That was just a masterpiece stroke.
Now I am waiting for the next ‘Cinderella’ movie.
