There are two things I especially loved about the depiction of Cinderella in the current movie: Cinderella on the outside, and Cinderella on the inside.

By “Cinderella on the outside”, I mean that although she was a stunningly beautiful girl, she had her own version beauty. She didn’t look like the cookie cutter type of pretty actress that you see in many roles. She was her own “look” of beautiful. I love that it shows that beauty has many ways to get there and not everyone has to look the same.

By “Cinderella on the inside”, I mean that without changing the story, they have given a young girl an amazing strength of character and compassion. Her mother tells her, “have courage and be kind”. She takes this to heart and uses it to develop a dignity that is not dependent on the actions of others. It is a strength that comes from knowing who she is, from knowing what is important and from seeing the beauty in the little things around her. She creates her own world, with her view of it. Ironically, she reminds me of my mother, and what I admired about her. Her strength was not from what she demanded of others, but rather from knowing herself and always using her strength to be kind and caring. In this world of the endless noise of so many people doing whatever it takes to be noticed, this quiet dignity is a wonderful change. It is the kind of movie I would want my daughter to see if I had a daughter. It is also a thoughtful reminder for us “kids at heart”, even if we’re old enough to appear all grown up. We can not control the actions of others, only of ourselves, she did that. We can be strong and protect those we love even in the most humble circumstances, she was and she did. We can know that the end does not justify any means, and she knew that too. An amazing role model from such a simple, pretty story. Who would have thought you could learn so much from a Fairy Tale?