Cinderella, Cinderella

Disney is everywhere. Can I just lay that out there from the very beginning? Whether it is a Snow White lunch box or a Sleeping Beauty pillow case or my aunt's Mickey Mouse tattoo (what was she thinking?!), Disney has achieved universal ubiquity in a relatively short period of time. And, like any multi-billionaire dollar corporation that quite literally promises happiness to those who oblige, the Disney mecca has infiltrated ideology of western culture. Perhaps one of the most dominant ideals propelled by Disney is the concept of girls and women as "princesses." And while I would love to describe to you (in great detail) why the image of a princess is in many ways detrimental to the psyche of women today, I will refrain for a few reasons: 1) I'm sure you've all heard it before 2) It's beside the point and 3) Once I step on my proverbial soapbox, it's hard to tug me down! I digress.

I searched the Internet for "Cinderella" and was not surprised to find 25,800,000 hits. I sifted through the Disney version of Cinderella and found a music video by Christian musical artist, Stephen Curtis Chapman. Now, let me tell you, Stephen and I go wayyyyy back. As a 12 year old, I was quite smitten with the squeaky clean, blond hair, blue eyed Mr. Chapman. That's right. While other girls were fawning over JC, Lance, and Justin, I was dancing around to "Let Us Pray." No shame. Still love the song. Nine years later, I'm listening to him, this time with a focus on the aforementioned song. Unfortunately, I'm a little disappointed, for Chapman does little to resist the famous Cinderella fantasy. Allow me to post a few lyrics:

"'There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?'

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone..."

The rest of the song subscribes even more loyally to the typical Cinderella tale. The young girl goes from dancing with her father, to dancing with a boy at prom, to dancing with her husband at their wedding. What is this, I ask! An assembly line! Geez, Cinderella, let's chill out with the dancing for a bit. What I'm getting at is this: the song positions the girl constantly with a male counterpart. At the risk of sounding callous, she just changes hands, from one man to the next. I would argue that this is a particularly disappointing aspect of the Cinderella tale, because it emphasizes the necessity of couples. Man and woman must be together. Not only does this perpetuate the oppression and submission of women, it also emphasizes comulsory heteronormativity. That is, a true "princess" is made worthy by her "prince," And if there is no prince, well, sorry sister! No princess for you!

Now I'm not suggesting that Stephen Curtis Chapman is some sick chauvinistic sadist. I'm positive that the song was created with the purest intentions! The work does, however, show how subtly and consistently this fairy tale myth persists in our culture. There is nothing strikingly anti-feminist about the song. It is not until we really break down the song and recognize its relation to society on the whole that we see where the message is slightly problematic.

I'm not going to lie. The song is cute. It's soft and sweet and will inevitably pull at the heartstrings of any who, well, has a heart. And sure, I'll admit it: a very very small, feminist-denying part of me hopes that someday I will find myself on my father's arm and we will dance to this lovely tune on my own wedding day. Yes it's true! Despite my own earnest critique of the Cinderella myth, even I sometimes harbor my own fanciful hopes for a blemish-free future of fairy tale happiness. Oh whatever... I blame Disney.