If Lady Tremaine actually raised Cinderella, how do you think Cinderella’s personality would have been changed?

[Buzz Rules]

If Lady Tremaine actually raised Cinderella, how do you think Cinderella’s personality would have been changed? So, instead of turning her into a house maid, she actually tried to raise her the same way as her other two daughters. Also in this AU, Ella goes to the ball with her sisters with Lady Tremaine’s permission. Would Prince Charming still fall for her or would her new upbringing be a total turn off?

 

[BrianL]

Well, we're positing nature vs. nurture here - whould she be different. Yes, I do think so, however I also think her general kind nature would still win out. I think she would likely challenge her stepmother's ways a lot, she'd have more confidence to do so. That would be the major difference - instead of thinking she wasn't good enough to go the the ball without a little magical help, she'd just go. Would she catch the prince's eye though? I dunno. Actually, it might be she who is not interested in him. Charming was never the greatest of the prince's, that's for sure. Now, Phillip - he's the man!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Her kids were obnoxious jerks, as ugly on the inside as they were on the outside so it would seem neglect was the best case scenario for Cinderella. Sometimes it happens in real life too, better alone than in bad company and all that, turned out lovely.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Her kids were obnoxious jerks, as ugly on the inside as they were on the outside so it would seem neglect was the best case scenario for Cinderella. Sometimes it happens in real life too, better alone than in bad company and all that, turned out lovely.

But putting that aside, if L.T. did play active role in her life, wouldn’t have some affect on her in some way? Maybe her step sisters would have been nicer to her too or at least showed they cared, like in Cinderella 2?

 

[Mysterian]

If Cinderella were obnoxious, you wouldn't have a likable character for the audience to root for, and there would be little moral to Cinderella winning.

If Tremaine was to Cinderella, what Miss Havisham was to her adopted daughter Estella in Great Expectations, then you could have a Cinderella who would aim to break the prince's heart.

The prince barely new Cinderella anyway, they only met one night, and he needs a glass slipper to recognize her? Anyone with ill-intentions could pretend to be kind-hearted for that first impression.

If Cinderella were conniving, the story could end the same- only once becomes princess, she has the Tremaines thrown in a dungeon.

 

[fla4fun]

But putting that aside, if L.T. did play active role in her life, wouldn’t have some affect on her in some way? Maybe her step sisters would have been nicer to her too or at least showed they cared, like in Cinderella 2?

It sounds like you are assuming that the attention LT would have given her was positive, not negative. That wouldn’t be possible unless LT had a different personality.

Perhaps the question should be if LT had been a less self centered, angry person, would Cinderella’s personality have been different? If LT played a more active part with the personality she had in the movie, I am afraid Cinderella might have been more meek and afraid than she was, since she didn’t have the strong personality of her stepsisters. If LT were a kinder person, both the stepsisters and Cinderella would have benefited greatly.

 

[LuvOrlando]

But putting that aside, if L.T. did play active role in her life, wouldn’t have some affect on her in some way? Maybe her step sisters would have been nicer to her too or at least showed they cared, like in Cinderella 2?

You have such a sweet way of seeing things, I wish I could think that too.

L.T. was a monster so her version of love made two more monsters who were also awful to each other. There was the fist fight over the ribbon and they left it on the floor among other things discarded. Then when Cinderella and the loving mice made their throw aways lovely they were blinded by jealousy and viciously reclaimed it. That version of love even made the cat a jerk.

Lots of people think an absent parent is the worst ever, but they imagine the missing person to be wonderful. Lots of awful people out there, sometimes people are unknowingly lucky when the trash just takes itself out to the curb. Sometimes the absence of attention is the best outcome, noone wants to think it is true but it happens that what some people call love is not, in fact, love at all. Think we need to invent a new word for it, whatever it is. For an uplifting brand Disney actually does an excellent job pointing out awful humans and saying we can all choose, through force of will, to be wonderful in spite of them. Lots of kids need to see this, I know I did. Fruit can roll far from the tree.