Disney got it wrong

Cinderella didn't need a sparkling gown and glass slippers; she needed some sturdy walking shoes and cargo pants. She needed a backpack and a one-way ticket out of that podunk village. She didn't need a fancy carriage made from produce; she needed a Eurorail pass so she could ride the rails anywhere and stay in cheap hostels. One night on the town did her no good at all. She ended up late with only one shoe. What kind of cruel joke is that?

Cinderella had skills; skills that would have served her well almost anywhere. She wouldn't have been above bussing tables or cleaning homes for minimum wage. She might have been able to afford a small flat somewhere and taken night courses. She had a great singing voice and presence; she could have sung in nightclubs in a big city. Disappeared into the night with her dreams and a journal.

A good journal and some ink pens would have been a better gift as she had a story to tell. Unfortunately, those Grimm brothers told it instead and became famous. What did she get? We don't know because her story ended when the prince put the slipper on her foot and carried her off to the castle. Her with no education or the background to be royalty.

She probably embarrassed the prince and his family the first week. She wouldn't have known what fork to use or how to speak Latin. She never learned to embroider or do any of those useless things that royal ladies  know in order to pass the time of day. Her experience didn't prepare her to be the princess. Her experience better prepared her to be a kitchen maid or maybe even the headmistress.

No, Cinderella got a raw deal that night. But then again, she'd been getting a raw deal her whole life so she was use to it.

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