SUBMITTED TO: Prof.

Frances Jane Abao

James Roi Berroya, 2018-46179
English 13, WFU-7
September 20, 2019

II. The Shoe still fits

The feminist analysis for the film Ever After has been a big topic for a lot of critiques and
for the most part, the general idea is that Danielle is seen as a much more authoritative heroine.
Feminism emerged as people began to recognize and fight for equality in roles and gender. This
has been especially true during the medieval times where patriarchal rule is observed and most of
the power and authority resides in males. Feminism’s ideal is for everyone to have equal rights
regardless of their gender.

It was mentioned in the first page of the article that “The 1998 film Ever After is a
delightful retelling of “Cinderella” for a contemporary audience that has grown up with second-
wave feminism and its arguments about the problematically sexist representation of women. This
is particularly true since this is the period where social reforms and changes are being made to
achieve justice not only in gender but in different socio-economic fields. The film is made
progressive in a way by eliminating the birds, mice, and fairies (Perrault and Grimm’s) which
shows how women are purely dependent on these magical factors to prove themselves worthy of
love.

The article also mentioned “analyses emphasize characteristics that generally fit feminist
ideology, and they praise the film for its efforts at representing a strong heroine.” The idea is
that Ever After trods a new path in contrast to older Cinderella versions. Cinderella, like the
other fairy tales, features a damsel in distress longing for a prince to love her with the cliché
ending of a happily ever after scene with her prince charming. In a feminist perspective, the
story of Cinderella gave the impression that women are always in need. With Ever After
however, this idea is altered since Danielle exhibits a sound reasoning when conversing with the
prince and she proved her point several times without holding back or showing any sign of
submissiveness. Danielle, despite her elegance, showed her courage and bravery by not

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remaining stoic and even speaking up for herself when she was addressed by her stepmom. The
concept of saving the heroine also changed when Danielle instead, freed her peasant coworker
and even disguised herself as a noblewoman. She also saved Henry from the gypsies and even
carried him by arm. By this , we can safely support and agree to the statement that Ever After is a
movie that showed Danielle as “a story of female resistance within a dominating patriarchy
which can be used to redefine gender boundaries, removing sexual stereotypes and
discrimination. We can also agree that not only is she (Danielle) a strong female lead who
represents the ideals of girl power and liberal feminism, but she recaptures the strength of the
older heroines.

It was also mentioned in the text that “ Ever After assumes a feminist stance but offers a
mass-mediated idea of feminism where individual women can be strong and achieve equality
through personal actions that do not, however, challenge or change the underlying patriarchal
structure of society”. For me, this is a very crucial detail which can vary according to the
interpretation of the reader. A supporting statement was present in the latter part of the article
where the story begins with “once upon a time, there lived a young girl who loved her father
very much,” a phrase that immediately establishes Danielle in relationship to a patriarchal figure.
This part of the article for me has made a point because even if the overall idea of the film is to
show the possible effects of female power or authority, the context is still under that patriarchal
scheme. This was, for me, implicitly shown in the film by the stepmom, who’s need for wealth
and security depends on Danielle’s father who is a nobleman. The stepmom did mention a couple
times in the film her noble status which she acquired upon marrying Danielle’s Father. This
remains particularly true as the motivating reason for the stepmom’s desire to have her children
marry the prince is to acquire a higher state of life, which falls back to the idea of being
dependent on men to achieve a good life status. Of course, the general idea of the film still
remains on the rising force of Danielle as a woman, but minute details can still be observed to
show patriarchal manifestation in the film.

Going further, the article did mention the younger days of Danielle. In the establishing
scenes of her happy childhood, a young Danielle (Anna Maguire) is portrayed as a typical
tomboy who nevertheless attempts and fails to act like a girl in her stepfamily’s presence. We
can see this particular scene when she was playing with her friend Gustave and she was all

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covered in mud. Danielle also mentioned the statements “That’s what I am, half-wit.” And “Boy
or girl, I can still whip you.” Danielle is identified as female by the romance plot that ultimately
results in her marriage to a male, but her behavior in the film is a mix of gendered responses
ranging from hyperfeminine to tomboy. – For me all these statements in the article makes sense
because gender is performative, as mentioned by Judith Butler. It is not defined merely and
purely by physical traits or expressing a certain quality but is rather constructed by repetition of
acts and gestures. Danielle’s tomboyish character when she was younger doesn’t make her any
less of a female but that doesn’t mean she isn’t one just because she does not perform according
to what society think is right.

In Danielle’s period, the gracefulness and elegance of a girl is the determining factor to
see how appropriate one is as a maiden. This agrees to the concept of hyperfemininity by Mary
Doane or the amplified version of femininity. People often associate the properness and etiquette
to see how feminine a woman is. This is relevant in the modern context as views on how
feminine a woman is should not be purely dependent on the way she acts or moves. There are
different ways of expressing oneself without losing essence of identity. Danielle can act out of
character for a woman by communicating with men on equal terms and taking direct and
aggressive action to solve problems she encounters. This further supports the statement of
abolishing characteristic stereotypes on genders since Danielle’s shifting attitudes in the movie
did not make her any less of a woman, rather, it made the prince even love her more.

The most remarkable part of the text for me is “Danielle’s independence and self-reliance
become possible because of the liberal, sensitive, forward-thinking men who allow her to step
outside of gender boundaries, not because she has fought for and won equality in society. This Is
very relevant up to this day because patriarchal rule can still be observed but social movement
are present to reaffirm equality rights despite the differences. Everyone should speak their voice
and express respect to each other. Gender Stereotypes should be reaffirmed. Ever After, even as
a film, is a manifestation that shows female power and how changes in time can change
ideologies. In time, and with the unity of voices and people, we can achieve equality, not only in
gender but in more aspects as well.

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