Feminist Folklore​

Recently, I have had to find a new podcast that is unfortunately not allowed to be about murders and crime (Sword and Scale), #IHighlyReccommendIt!. Now, I have to find another podcast. I listened to Lore which is a podcast about the dark side of history, and what we don’t know. However, I chose to not listen to this podcast because it seemed WAY to similar to the podcast I was listening to before. Then, I found a podcast called Myths and Legends, which retold stories and folklore, but not as they are known. They told the original story, the story that all the retellings are based on. For example, the true story of Hercules is not as bright as Disney tells them. However, these podcasts seemed bland and did not have a good speaker. BUT, I did like that it was talking about classic stories that I have heard of before, so I kept hunting for a podcast.

FINALLY, After listening to many different genres of podcasts, ranging from the dark side of history to how to be happier, I ended up choosing a podcast called Feminist Folklore. This podcast is about classic stories and tales that are retold and then examined through a feminist lens.

Feminist Folklore examines fairy-tales, myths, and legends from around the world through a feminist lens, asking the question: how do the stories we tell about girls and women inform our attitudes about gender, sexuality, and more? (Feminist Folklore description via Spotify)

Episode:45: Cinderella
Length: 44:42
Speakers: Rachael Marr and Carlea Holl-Jensen
URL: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fwVZumjuYzyHdOoElL5vR?si=PHR6W_zKQ-6CiBUsGJ8pGw

Description (on Spotify via Marr and Holl-Jensen): In this version by the Brothers Grimm, Cinderella is an able-bodied young woman who scales trees to run from the prince (can’t he take a hint?!). The stepsisters also decide that in order to fit into the glass slipper they should probably cut their feet.

Cinderella locked away (as depicted by the Brothers Grimm)

My Description: The episode opens with the speakers telling the story of Cinderella as written by the Brothers Grimm.

In this version, Cinderella is not a helpless girl who lost her father and now has to live with her evil stepmother and 2 stepsisters as a maid. The Brothers Grimm present the story with Cinderella’s mother dying from the plaque and tells her to be good and kind, and god will protect her. Cinderella listens to her mother, despite her father remarrying, which comes with two cruel stepsisters. The father is a traveling merchant and tells each of the girls that he will bring them something back, the eldest asks for a dress, the youngest asks for pearls and diamonds, and Cinderella asks for the first branch that knocks his hat off. He brings each of them back what they ask for and Cinderella plants the twig and waters it, and then it transforms into a tree which grants her everything she asks for. Then, they get invited to a fair that the prince is hosting for all the females and Cinderella goes (even though the stepmother tells her no, the tree dresses her in gold and silver) in disguise and ends up falling for the prince, she leaves behind a shoe. The prince finds the shoe and says that the woman whose foot fits in the shoe will be his bride. He goes to Cinderella’s house and she is locked away while the stepsisters try on the shoe. The eldest’s foot does not fit into the shoe, then the younger, knowing the shoe won’t fit, cuts off her heel so the shoe will fit. However, 2 doves spot the blood and tell the prince it does not fit her. Finally, Cinderella tries on the shoe and it fits and they get married. Her stepsisters are the bridesmaids and try to win back Cinderella’s affection, however, the 2 doves from before gouge their eyes out as a punishment for being cruel to Cinderella.

This episode highlights the gender-segregated roles of society and presents girls with what they should aspire to be.

women must stay home and clean
women must be beautiful and always maintain that beauty because you never know who you are going to meet
women should not be themselves, they should present a false facade to please the males.
women should emphasize their outer beauty rather than inner beauty.
women must wait for the man to choose them and make them their brides.

They emphasized in this episode that women should be who they are regardless of the patriarchal society that we may be living in.