Cinderella, Darling

We're all familiar with the story of Cinderella. Well, a story of Cinderella. Most of us probably think of the version by Perrault, more or less. As is common in some versions of these tales, they tell you the moral at the bottom of this one. Just in case you missed it. However, I have two other morals that stood out to me in this story.

Do I have to make a wish? Because that's a lot of effort.

1. No matter how badly you have it, don't do anything to make your life better.
Apparently, Cinderella couldn't complain about her stepfamily to her father, who disappears shortly after we are told this, but if it was truly that terrible, she could have left. If she'd become a maid in someone else's house, at least she'd be paid for it. She could have refused to do the chores her stepfamily told her to do as well, but Cinderella seems to have done every task with a smile. She only gets out of this slavery because her godmother finally appears to save her from it. Otherwise, she would have just cried most of the night of the ball and been stuck as a serving wench for the rest of her days. Depressing. The only thing Cinderella does on her own to help herself is ask to try on the slipper at the end. Other than that, she's just following the current.

I'm so hot that guys are always chasing me.

2. Beauty is the most important way to win a husband.
The only thing we're told about the prince's and Cinderella's interactions are that she dances nimbly, he won't stop complimenting her, and that he won't stop looking at her. When she first walks in, everyone just talks about how beautiful she is and how nice her clothes are. They don't wonder who she is or how she got an invitation. That doesn't matter because she's gorgeous. Not to mention the several times we're told in this story how beautiful Cinderella is, especially in comparison with how ugly her stepsisters are. This feeds into our first point because Cinderella didn't have to do anything once she got to the ball because she was so beautiful. The prince went out and got her from her carriage, for goodness sake!

So, to marry the prince, you should put up with everything, no matter how terrible, and be beautiful. Only then will you find your happily ever after.

Did anyone else notice the father and stepmother disappeared from the story? I think they just left their daughters to find a happier story somewhere else.