How the concealed Princess hinges on moral identity and external gaze upon the glass slipper

‘Once upon a time’ is the quintessential opening for a classic romantic tale that fills the audience with dreams and ambitions. This is no less true for Disney’s 1950 Cinderella which “is an artistically coherent exploration of the connections between dreams and fulfilment, romance and reality” (Wood, 1996, p. 27), showcasing how a high-moral protagonist forced to serve in rags, conceals her true heart of nobility. Ultimately, her good-will nature becomes the engine of her own fate, surpassing just the concept of true love. When the opportunity arises, she transcends from her domestic prison to capture the hearts of the court; however, the stroke of midnight forces her to retreat, leaving her true identity to be mediated through the external gaze of a single glass slipper. In this moment, the slipper becomes the hinge between her internal worth and the world's perception.

Image 1- Cinderella in Rags, Cinderella, 1950

The narrative’s true deception lies in physical appearance. Initially, Cinderella is defined by a muted, mismatched dress, a servant's apron and simple hair (image 1), while her family remains draped in glamour (image 2). This impoverished appearance masks a transcendent moral compass in which Cinderella persistently seeks goodness in others. Cinderella demonstrates an internal nobility through her disciplined work ethic (Image 1) and her profound self-control. Wood (1996, p. 36) notes that she transforms her servitude into an expression of capability, maintaining her composure and sense of propriety regardless of her environment and the people around her, but “still has time to sing and dream” (Wood, 1996, p. 36). This internal strength allows her to transcend her outer disarray, turning her quiet resilience into a form of power and true-self identity (Stott, 2006). Moreover, Cinderella’s empathy towards animals further distinguishes her moral nobility. As Gissena and Agusta (2025, p. 7) highlight, this mutual care elevates her status, proving that her grace is an active, transparent part of her identity. When she earns a chance to attend the ball, the opportunity is sabotaged by her envious stepmother and stepsisters. They attempt to deceive the world by projecting an image of high status (image 2), while simultaneously stripping Cinderella of hers, proving that the external gaze in this situation is manipulated to hide a lack of internal worth.

Image 2 - The Wicked Step Mother and Step Sisters, Cinderella, 1950

The tension between moral identity and the external gaze reaches a climax in the contrast with her stepsisters. Her stepmother and sisters throughout the film are dressed in high finery, which acts as a failed mask for horrid personalities, highlighting a status bought rather than earned (image 2). This sharply juxtaposes Cinderella, whose torn attire cannot dim her defining beauty. Applying the psychoanalytic lens of Vitoriano et al. (2025), the maternal gaze acts as a form of submission and punishment. The stepmother attempts to render Cinderella “simultaneously hypervisible in (her) work and invisible in (her) value” (Vitoriano et al., 2025, p. 4). By reducing Cinderella to a tool of domestic labor to attain their lifestyle, the stepmother seeks to project her own insecurities onto her stepdaughter, effectively trying to drown Cinderella's natural moral superiority in the aesthetic of servitude.

Cinderella’s exclusion from the ball highlights a tragic irony that she has the qualities of nobility, yet the world’s gaze remains fixed upon her rags, which serve as a physical barrier. In this moment of true despair, the inevitable magical moment of Disney appears with the arrival of the Fairy Godmother. This provides thematic reassurance that magic is not a deception, but an act of revelation. Cinderella’s inner nobility and good intentions are validated by her own mantra: “If you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true” (Cinderella, 1950). As her moral identity aligns with her appearance, she shifts "from worldly appearance to noble appearance" (Gissena and Agusta, 2025, p. 6). However, this moment does more than celebrate aesthetic beauty as it suggests that her external glamour is merely the manifestation of pre-existing internal worth (image 3). The magic simply reveals the princess hidden in plain sight that the stepmother’s gaze actively tried to blur.

Image 3 - Cinderella’s Transformation, Cinderella, 1950

The glass slipper serves as an object that cannot be manipulated, fitting only the moral identity of the one who truly deserves it. At the ball, her appearance grants her "access to the higher social layers" (Gissena and Agusta, 2025, p. 6), it is only then she has gained full attention by the Prince. In this pivotal moment, although her servant-like deception has been replaced by her true nobility (Image 3), Cinderella has yet to achieve the internal self-belief required to claim her space. Leaving the palace, the only place she truly belongs and living her desired dream, Cinderella still fears judgment from society of her servant life. The slipper remains the only remnant of her dream which is a symbol of a moral identity that is honest, transparent, and as fragile as glass.

Image 4 - Cinderella’s Fitting of the Glass Slipper, Cinderella, 1950

In the Prince’s quest to find the princess who fits the slipper, Cinderella is granted the opportunity to dissolve the deception of her rags. However, her stepmother sabotages the fitting, shattering the slipper, in a final attempt to maintain the deception of Cinderella’s low status. This showcases the fragility of not only Cinderellas dreams, but the stepmother’s insecurity. Cinderella “is able to salvage her rightful destiny” (Stott, 2006, p. 17) by presenting her token slipper that she kept safe (image 4), which, much like Cinderella herself, was concealed and is now fully displayed, but by her own choice. Cinderella’s etiquette, forgiving heart and the holding “on to her dreams, no matter how frustrated she may become” (Wood, 1996, p. 37) are the invisible qualities that allow her to perfectly inhabit the fragile glass slipper. In essence, this was the tool that forced the world to see her internal worth and nobility. Consequently, the glass slipper facilitates a “transition in social status” (Vitoriano et al., 2025, p. 10), reconciling the woman in rags with the princess of the palace.

Ultimately, the resolution occurs when the external gaze of the Prince finally aligns with Cinderella’s own internal worth and goodness. The powerful resonance of this story lies not merely in the pursuit of true love, but in the reclamation of the self from a maternal gaze that sought to define her by labor alone. Even in this revelation, Cinderella maintains kindness and loyalty towards her stepmother and stepsisters, rather than bitterness and hate. It serves as a testament that honest morality and a steadfast identity are the only garments that never fade at midnight.

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Bibliography -

Cinderella. (1950). [Film] Walt Disney Studio.

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