Interstellar Cinderella
“Amid her fleet of sparkling ships and friends both old and new, a joyful Cinderella cried, ‘My stars! Dreams do come true!’”
Interstellar Cinderella: a retelling of the classic fairytale. Will she choose to marry the prince?
Classic Cinderella and similar fairytales perpetuate stereotypical gender roles for women and girls including beauty, domestic work, and the dependence on a man to find happiness and fulfillment. While this may be the experience and desire for some, it is not a complete story of women’s identity.
Hence, the importance of stories like this that offer an alternative narrative. What would it be like if Cinderella were interested in robotics? What would it look like if Cinderella and the Prince were not the same race? What would happen if she chose not to marry the prince?
Spoiler alert: she doesn’t choose to marry the Prince. Instead, she fulfills her desire to work on spacecraft as his Head Mechanic - putting her in a position of power while pursuing her interests and using her talents. While we would have loved for her to start her own spacecraft repair business rather than working for the Prince, we are glad this narrative exists.
Some things to think about…
Why do you think that the author decided to change the story of Cinderella?
Be your own storyteller! Can you create a new version of Cinderella? Would her name be the same? Where would the story take place? How would you change what happens to her?
Excerpt from Interstellar Cinderella
