Beauty Discrimination toward Cinderella in Disney’s Cinderella 1950 Movie

            As people know since a long time ago that family is the best place in the world. Family is the best support system ever. This especially refers to parents. There is no parent even step parent in this world want their children get hurt, even get discrimination. But, in the one of the Disney’s movie which is Cinderella 1950 has an exception about a child who get discrimination from her own stepmother. She was Cinderella. This movie tells about a girl named Cinderella who was discriminated by her stepmother and stepsister because they were envy of the Cinderella’s beauty in her way to get her dream to live happily in the castle with a prince. So, this essay will discuss about the beauty discrimination towards Cinderella in Disney’s Cinderella 1950 movie.

            According to Lippert-rasmussen in 2013 stated,

“In this basic sense, to discriminate against someone is to treat her disadvantageously relative to others because she has or is believed to have some particular feature that those others do not have. In short, discrimination against someone simply is disadvantageous differential treatment.”(Lippert-rasmussen, 2013)

            The beauty discrimination that was felt by Cinderella which is getting unfair attitude can be seen from the scene,

(Cinderella see in the mirror that her stepmother is going to lock the door)

Cinderella        : “oh, no! No, please! Oh, you can't, you just can't. Let me out! You must let me out! You can't keep me in here! Oh, please.”

And the scene that showed disadvantageous treatment from her stepmother and stepsisters can be seen from,

Duke               : “You are the only ladies in the household I hope... I presume.”

Stepmother      : “- There's no one else, Your Grace. Duke: - Quite so. Good day. Good day.”

Cinderella        : “Your Grace? Your Grace, please, wait.”

(Stepmother and stepsisters are shock when they saw Cinderella)

Cinderella        : “May I try it on?”

Stepmother      : “- Pay no attention.”

Drizella            : “It's Cinderella. - From the kitchen.”

Anastashia       : “- Ridiculous. She's out of her mind.”

Stepmother      : “Just an imaginative child.”

Duke               : “Madam, my orders were ‘every maiden.’ Come, my child.”

            The discrimination happened in the Disney's movie Cinderella 1950. Cinderella as the object of discrimination, was discriminated by her stepmother and her stepsisters. According to Lippert-rasmussen, Discrimination is an attitude toward someone that is harmful, and unfair due to that person has something different with others who do not. As the original host of her father's house, Cinderella was discriminated because of her beauty. Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters were jealous of Cinderella's beauty and charm. As the narrator's statement in front of the movie, "Cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Cinderella’s charm and beauty, she was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awk ward daughters." Cinderella was treated as a maid in her own house. She was the only girl who cleaned, cooked, washed and did laundry in her own house. While her sister were wearing a good and appropriate dress, she was wearing a rag dress, and shabby clothes seems like the real maid but in beautiful look. These are examples the discrimination in the Disney's Cinderella movie. Cinderella got unfair treatment. But she was still kind and lovely person. Even animals love her so much and helped her. The discrimination also can be seen obviously can be seen at the scene when a duke from the castle were visiting each house in the kingdom to find a suitable girl for the glass shoe and then finally arrived in the Cinderella's house. Cinderella knew that a Prince find her and Cinderella was happy. But, her stepmother and stepsister were mad and envy of her. So, when Cinderella went to her room to get prepared. Her stepmother followed her silently then took the key of Cinderella's room and locked her. This is unfair attitude that Cinderella got from her stepmother. Cinderella's stepsister, Anastasia and Drizella were allowed to try the glass shoes, but Cinderella are not allowed. This is kind of discrimination which is unfair treatment. So, Cinderella as the host get discrimination of her beauty by her stepmother and stepsisters.

            In conclusion, in the Disney’s movie Cinderella 1950 showed a discrimination that was felt in Cinderella by her stepmother and stepsisters. This discrimination happened because they were envy and jealous of Cinderella’s beauty and charm. In simply way, discrimination can be defined as an attitude toward someone that is harmful, and unfair due to that person has something different with others who do not, which in this movie is Cinderella’s beauty. Discrimination in the family is not a good thing and can be harmful. As a family, people have to support each other and treat fairly each other, even it is a step family. This essay hopes the discrimination will not happen to us, especially in a family, and as a human, we have to not discriminate others although in differences.

 

Reference

Lippert-rasmussen, Kasper. “What Is Discrimination?” 12-53, Inbook, Des 2013. 9780199796113, 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199796113.003.0002.