She has been dreaming of this day since she was a little girl; this is the day her prince has come to sweep her off her feet, and she is ready to do anything for him. This photo illustrates how women are romantically socialized starting from when they are little girls, how they learn the gender scripts that demonstrate what it means to be feminine. Specifically, the photo exemplifies the concept of the “glass slipper effect”, the phenomenon that women who implicitly associate men with romantic heroes become disinterested in pursuing their own futures. Centered is a young woman whose appearance suggests that she is a successful career woman. She is cradled in the arms of a young man who is clearly to object of her affections. Her eyes are focused on him, and his eyes of focused on the camera, indicating that he has the power and control. In the right corner is a table with several items on display. These items represent the ways in which young girls learn adult roles. On display are several Disney princess movies, a princess doll, and a teen romance novel. Notice that the woman is leaning towards these objects that influenced her childhood, suggesting that she is submitting to the role they promote. To the left of the table is a black briefcase, representing status and a career. The brief case has been abandoned and hidden away from sight, which illustrates that the woman is no longer interested in such a future now that she has found her man. In the background is a closed door, further symbolism that the woman has “closed the door” on her opportunity for status and success. And finally, she is missing her left shoe, for what good was Cinderella without her glass slipper?
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This picture is a great example of the “glass slipper effect”. The girl is in her prince charmings arms and is happy that she finally found the “perfect prince”. From when girls are little they imagine themselves finding a prince charming when they get older. They imagine what the guy will look like and how he will treat her. You see little girls dressed up in princess outfits and playing the roll of a princess that is looking for, or already has found her prince charming. As Katie stated in this blog, girls believe that guys are suppose to be romantic and their hero. In this picture you can see that the guy that is playing the prince roll has a rose in his mouth and is holding the girl like a prince would in a Disney fairytale movie. The guy is acting romantic and sweeping the girl off her feet. Also, the girl missing a shoe off her foot is a perfect example of the Cinderella movie. In the movie, Cinderella imagines herself getting out of her step mother’s house and finding herself a prince charming. After the prince slips the glass slipper on her foot, her and the prince live happily ever after. Till this day many girls still dream of finding their “Prince Charming” one day and living happily ever after like Cinderella. This picture shows how young girls learn about romance in adult life and what roll men and women are suppose to play. As we talked about in class, men are the strong, romantic, hero’s and women are waiting for their perfect “prince charming”. The way that young girls are raised is the reason why girls are effect by the “glass slipper effect”. Overall, this picture explains the ‘glass slipper effect” very well. Just by looking at this photo you can tell how head over heels the girl is over the guy.
This photo perfectly depicts the ambivalent sexism of the "damsel in distress waiting for her prince charming". The girl in the photo is dressed in a professional manner, suggesting that she has a successful career. The fact that she is so willing to fall into the arms of her prince and abandon all that she has worked for suggests that although she is successful she was never really "truly happy" without a man in her life. The briefcase being cast aside suggests that after marriage she will fulfill a housewife's duties in order to please her husband and leave behind her promising career. The toys on the side symbolize the ideas that all little girls are given at a young age through disney and other forms of princess-like media. That idea being that your ultimate goal is to find your prince charming, marry him, and serve him as your husband. The missing shoe symbolizes that she had literally embodied this Cinderella idea and that her place is in the home (no one would typically step outside the home without their shoes). All together this photo shows that romantic fantasies that even powerful women think about, can have damaging effects on their career.
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