Post by K-Box on Feb 11, 2011 23:30:28 GMT -8
It started with this post on my blog, in which I made a surprising discovery that added yet another fetish to my laundry list of the same ...
Somewhere along the line, it apparently became a tradition for waves of guys to go to Disney World and get mock-engaged to Cinderella's stepsisters. I love that this is an actual thing, for a host of reasons that I'm not even sure I can put into words.
Yes, Anastasia and Drizella Tremaine are also known as the "wicked stepsisters," and even the "evil stepsisters," to the point that most people don't even know the characters' proper names, but for as cruel and abusive as they are toward Cinderella, they become slightly more sympathetic figures when you bear in mind that they've been raised by their mother to believe that their only worth as people relies on the "quality" (IE. wealth and status) of men that they can catch, and by overtly plotting to keep Cinderella from attending the ball, their own mother is basically telling them, "You two are so repellently unattractive and graceless that you could never hope to curry favor with any man honestly or on your own merits."
For as much of a gag as these proposals are, they turn that whole narrative on its head. Instead of Anastasia or Drizella scheming with their mother to trick men into marrying them, here they have guys proactively proposing to them, often telling the gals how their beauty won the guys' hearts from afar. Yes, the stepsisters remain bratty, petty characters, especially toward each other, but there's something undeniably lovely about the unabashed joy that their actors give them in these moments, especially when *ahem* younger guys are the ones doing the proposing:
Anastasia seems to be the more popular target for proposals among younger boys, I'm guessing because the two direct-to-video sequels to Cinderella retroactively redeemed her character quite a bit. Plus, red hair is always more eye-catching and appealing to younger kids.
Yes, that dude just tried to turn the Tremaine family into his own version of Big Love. And no, you could never stage a scene this entertaining or fun with any of the Disney princesses.
For as kind and warm and loving as all the Disney princesses are shown to be, they're not really allowed to be silly or dorky or (dare I even say) goofy, are they? I mean, for as much as Disney has tried to make the princesses' ranks more ethnically diverse over time, they're all still very squarely within the realm of "conventionally pretty," aren't they? After all, there aren't any Disney princesses who are even slightly overweight, or even slightly older. None of them needs to wear glasses. Not a single one of them even has so much as freckles or a pug-nose to set her apart.
But the so-called "ugly" stepsisters? In addition to being actually quite cute in person, it's their supposed imperfections that render them so adorable. Their Fran Drescher voices (right down to their laughter), coupled with their comically awkward social ineptitude and harmlessly childish displays of immaturity, manage to be endearing rather than annoying (or worse) when you see them standing next to a Cinderella who's already found her own happily ever after.
I wasn't planning on developing crushes on yet another set of fictional female characters, but if I ever visit Disney World, I suspect I'll be doing it with (at least) one ring in hand, with only the finest grade of cubic zirconia, to pledge my undying affection for Disney's most woefully overlooked women.
Somewhere along the line, it apparently became a tradition for waves of guys to go to Disney World and get mock-engaged to Cinderella's stepsisters. I love that this is an actual thing, for a host of reasons that I'm not even sure I can put into words.
Yes, Anastasia and Drizella Tremaine are also known as the "wicked stepsisters," and even the "evil stepsisters," to the point that most people don't even know the characters' proper names, but for as cruel and abusive as they are toward Cinderella, they become slightly more sympathetic figures when you bear in mind that they've been raised by their mother to believe that their only worth as people relies on the "quality" (IE. wealth and status) of men that they can catch, and by overtly plotting to keep Cinderella from attending the ball, their own mother is basically telling them, "You two are so repellently unattractive and graceless that you could never hope to curry favor with any man honestly or on your own merits."
For as much of a gag as these proposals are, they turn that whole narrative on its head. Instead of Anastasia or Drizella scheming with their mother to trick men into marrying them, here they have guys proactively proposing to them, often telling the gals how their beauty won the guys' hearts from afar. Yes, the stepsisters remain bratty, petty characters, especially toward each other, but there's something undeniably lovely about the unabashed joy that their actors give them in these moments, especially when *ahem* younger guys are the ones doing the proposing:
Anastasia seems to be the more popular target for proposals among younger boys, I'm guessing because the two direct-to-video sequels to Cinderella retroactively redeemed her character quite a bit. Plus, red hair is always more eye-catching and appealing to younger kids.
Yes, that dude just tried to turn the Tremaine family into his own version of Big Love. And no, you could never stage a scene this entertaining or fun with any of the Disney princesses.
For as kind and warm and loving as all the Disney princesses are shown to be, they're not really allowed to be silly or dorky or (dare I even say) goofy, are they? I mean, for as much as Disney has tried to make the princesses' ranks more ethnically diverse over time, they're all still very squarely within the realm of "conventionally pretty," aren't they? After all, there aren't any Disney princesses who are even slightly overweight, or even slightly older. None of them needs to wear glasses. Not a single one of them even has so much as freckles or a pug-nose to set her apart.
But the so-called "ugly" stepsisters? In addition to being actually quite cute in person, it's their supposed imperfections that render them so adorable. Their Fran Drescher voices (right down to their laughter), coupled with their comically awkward social ineptitude and harmlessly childish displays of immaturity, manage to be endearing rather than annoying (or worse) when you see them standing next to a Cinderella who's already found her own happily ever after.
I wasn't planning on developing crushes on yet another set of fictional female characters, but if I ever visit Disney World, I suspect I'll be doing it with (at least) one ring in hand, with only the finest grade of cubic zirconia, to pledge my undying affection for Disney's most woefully overlooked women.
