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A review by janeneal
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
This was actually really fucked up! I do not recommend it for anyone, honestly.
I'm really annoyed with re-tellings that only want to contradict specific moments everyone remembers from popular culture, obviously Disney's animated version being the most well-known. Just Ella is actually the total opposite, ironically, ofThe Lady's Guide to Piracy and Petticoats. By which I mean, there is girl-on-girl hate galore, slut-shaming, anti-fatness, rape threats. Ella isn't like the other girls because the other girls are stupid because caring about fashion is dumb! Doesn't matter that it is supposedly how they have survived an oppressive monarchy that only values beauty through the lens of cishet white dues.
But why examine the nuggets of interesting ideas that could evolve into larger thematic commentary on gender when you can just make fun of other women for their choices. Another something I wondered was what difference does it make if Ella marries a prince or a tutor? If people complain about Prince Charming marrying Cinderella, it's not necessarily his royal status, but the pressure or expectation of women relying on men to resolve their problems. Tangent: Cinderella is a victim of abuse and it's real shitty to judge her for getting swept of her feet by an all right guy who was nice to her. Why is that so awful?
Anyway. Thanks for coming to my lecture on fairy tales and lazy attempts to "fix" them.
I'm really annoyed with re-tellings that only want to contradict specific moments everyone remembers from popular culture, obviously Disney's animated version being the most well-known. Just Ella is actually the total opposite, ironically, ofThe Lady's Guide to Piracy and Petticoats. By which I mean, there is girl-on-girl hate galore, slut-shaming, anti-fatness, rape threats. Ella isn't like the other girls because the other girls are stupid because caring about fashion is dumb! Doesn't matter that it is supposedly how they have survived an oppressive monarchy that only values beauty through the lens of cishet white dues.
But why examine the nuggets of interesting ideas that could evolve into larger thematic commentary on gender when you can just make fun of other women for their choices. Another something I wondered was what difference does it make if Ella marries a prince or a tutor? If people complain about Prince Charming marrying Cinderella, it's not necessarily his royal status, but the pressure or expectation of women relying on men to resolve their problems. Tangent: Cinderella is a victim of abuse and it's real shitty to judge her for getting swept of her feet by an all right guy who was nice to her. Why is that so awful?
Anyway. Thanks for coming to my lecture on fairy tales and lazy attempts to "fix" them.