Josie Nasmyth-Miller
The nineteenth century Romantic movement and the subsequent revival of European folklore exposed the story of Cinderella to an international audience. Popularised through ballets, operas, mass produced children’s books, songs, poetry, art and cinema. However, a Neo-Romantic movement has started to flourish in reaction to rising violence against women and Incel culture. Rebecca Guay’s illustration of ‘Cinderella at the ball’ perfectly encapsulates the universal female desire for of love, security and power in the 2020s.
THEY SHARE THE MORAL THAT GOODNESS WILL EVENTUALLY BE REWARDED WITH FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL SECURITY
The most impactful adaptation of Cinderella in modern popular culture was the Disney musical adaptation from 1950. However, Guay’s illustration is based on The Royal Opera House Adaptation by Fredrick Ashton from 1948. This version was a key source of inspiration for Walt Disney due the ballet’s public success, but his child orientated version leaves out several key points. It must be noted that the Classical Ballet and the Disney version of Cinderella are separate amalgamations of Charles Perrault version from 1696 and The Brothers Grimm version from 1884. Although there are significant variations between each text, they share the moral that goodness will eventually be rewarded with financial and social security.
‘Cinderella at the ball’ displays this Neo-Romantic fervour through it’s optimistic use of colour in a watercolour style. The contrast of Cinderella’s bold pink gown against the neutral muted bluish- green tones of the rest of the illustration. By placing her at the centre of the image, Guay is highlighting the essential femininity of the story. Furthermore, the support arabesque position creates the illusion that she is the largest and therefore most important person on the page. This challenges some critics views that Cinderella is an inherently patriarchal story: a woman being reliant on a man to save her from her abusive family members and limiting her to a ‘damp dish cloth’. However, this removes the essential moral element of the story which is that through compassion, a feminine attribute associated with weakness, she is able to gain financial, emotional and physical security.
CINDERELLA ADDRESSES THE EXISTENCE OF THAT VIOLENCE BUT ALSO PROVIDES A HOPEFUL ESCAPE FROM IT
How does an old wives tale about a girl marrying a prince with the help of faeries have anything to do with the current state of women’s fundamental human rights? In reality, everything. Cinderella is an ideal of financial, social and emotional comfort in reaction to the global threat of violence against women. From the current mass rape trial of Gisèle Pelicot in France, reducing the age of consent in Iraq from eighteen to nine and reports from the UK indicate that one in four women have been raped or sexually assaulted as of 2024. This isn’t even touching on the further violence faced by women of colour, transgender women or disabled women. Cinderella addresses the existence of that violence but also provides a hopeful escape from it.
Now, Cinderella cannot be discussed without talking about Prince Charming. In reality his character in most films, TV shows, ballets and operas has very little action. The tale, despite the version, places emphasis on Cinderella and her abusive step family. However, he is still important, he allows Cinderella to escape the financial, emotional and physical abuse inflicted upon her. Their romance is never explicit, and he treats her with reverence, respect and compassion. You can see this displayed in Guay’s images of the Prince being on his knees and wearing a deep blue which visually pushes him into the background. This is in contrast to the growing online Incel culture. Gaining traction on Reddit, Fourchan and Eight Chan, Incels believe in a nihilistic cocktail of misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and racism. Desirable women are considered money grabbing, promiscuous and stupid but also desirable: they [Incels] will never have a sexual relationship with them because desirability is a genetically rigged lottery they lost. One ex Incel told the BBC that “they tended to convince me that [cruelty] was a common attribute among women…It was this idea that all women were inherently manipulative. All women had an intent to exploit men.” The majority of men who engage with Incel culture are in their late teens and early twenties, some are advocating for the use of AI girlfriends as an alternative to human connection. By contrast, the Prince treats Cinderella with respect, admiration and goes out of his way to show her that. It reflects a fundamental human need to be loved and desired without the overhanging dread of violence which many women experience on a daily basis.
CINDERELLA IS NOT JUST A SILLY STORY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
‘Cinderella at the Ball’ by Rebecca Guay centralises women’s experiences. She utilises colours and styles which would otherwise be considered childish or frivolous. Cinderella is not just a silly story for young children, it’s resurgence in popularity highlights the very real problems of violence against women.
Josie Nasmyth-Miller
Features image courtesy of Carla Oly via Flickr Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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