One aspect of Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella” that is prevalent in our world today is the topic/theme of female empowerment. In Perrault’s version, Cinderella’s mother is deceased; her father has married an evil woman (Cinderella’s stepmother), and both she and her two daughters treat Cinderella horribly, making her do household chores like scrubbing the stairs, washing the dishes, and even cleaning their rooms. Although Cinderella’s father is present in the household, he does absolutely nothing to help out his daughter, and it seems like Cinderella’s stepmother has a large percentage of control in the household. For being put to paper in the late 1600s, Perrault’s “Cinderella” is truly ahead of its time – at that point in history, a woman being a leader in the household could only be dreamed of. Now, a little over three centuries later, it is amazing to see how much societal views have shifted – women can now vote, have many, many more job opportunities, and can even hold leading government positions. Women have a much stronger voice. Today, women have much more freedom than they did centuries ago, and it’s definitely something I, as well as most women I’m sure, am grateful for every day.
