Most of us know Cinderella as the poor servant girl who stuck it to her mean stepmother and stepsisters by proving she was good enough to marry the rich and handsome prince. She had a little help from a fairy godmother, a pumpkin coach, and a foot small enough to fit into the glass slipper.
Most of us read Cinderella as kids and moved on, right? Not really. It's a simple story about upward mobility and gender relations that's been adapted worldwide to both promote and subvert cultural notions about women, race, and inequality.
Cinderella stories aren't limited to Cinderella. We can find this story in every aspect of culture from "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" to "Pretty Woman" to "My Fair Lady." We can even find it in "Batman" -- Alfred is such a nice fairy godfather.
We also talk to a Cinderella and about Cinderfellas!
GUESTS:
- Maya Cantu - Dramaturg and author of American Cinderellas on the Broadway Musical Stage: Imagining the Working Girl from Irene to Gypsy
- Linda Holmes - Writes and edits Monkey See and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour
- Heather Curran - Cinderella in "Into the Woods" on Fire Island in The Pines
- Simone Paget - Simone Paget writes a blog about sex, love and relationships called Skinny Dip
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Colin McEnroe, Chion Wolf, and Greg Hill contributed to this show.
