Was thinking last night about alternate stories where Cinderella has a wicked stepfather ...and realized that this could not happen.

The reason for Cinderella's predicament was her wicked stepmother --- who is in a predicament herself.

Consider this, if I'm the stepmother: I had a first husband and two daughters I loved very much, and then I lost the husband (to war, illness, a hunting accident, whatever). By rights, his daughters should get everything of his.

But unfortunately, I have to get married again, because for whatever reason, this society can't help a woman alone deal (maybe I need a loan, and the bank just won't give one to a respectable widow without a man signing off on it).

And now my new husband, whom I married for convenience or survival, owns everything I own, by the customs of this nation. Including all that used to be my beloved first husband's. And he's got a kid, and she'll get everything he has, so she'll it ALL. Including what should have been my Drucilla's and Anastasia's. Just because I needed that bank loan so they won't starve now, they'll starve after he dies. All because I'm a woman and had the tactlessness to survive my husband (and maybe he'd died without a specific will that all the money goes to his daughters, or his will gets overridden because heck, I'm the only one who was witness and I'm a woman).

Frack, I'll be wicked too. It's not a bad stepmother that's Cinderella's problem, it's the patriarchy.

(The wicked stepfather/real father problem is Donkeyskin.)
This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting
.

Profile

syncategorematic: (Default)
syncategorematic

Most Popular Tags

Powered by Dreamwidth Studios

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags