Critique of Pretty Women: A Modern Cinderella
             The story of Cinderella has appealed to a number of audiences since its earliest dated version from China in the ninth century. Even with the extensive selection of fairy tales in existence, "Cinderella" is undoubtedly the best known in the world, with over 700 versions of this story available. However, this popularity is not limited strictly to literature, for the "Cinderella" theme is also seen in many movie productions. Karol Kelly's article Pretty Women: A Modern Cinderella best examines how the story has changed little with society, from the original Disney film version to the modern film version Pretty Women.
             Kelly starts out her article with strong points on how the women's role in society has changed over the last thirty years. Changes such as the passage of an "Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, gave women political, economic, and social equality to the men" (Kelly 647). With these changes and the breaking of the stereotypical female role in society, she asks why the "Cinderella" story has remained the same. The author starts the article with facts that cannot be argued, thus setting a strong foundation for the rest of her article.
             Kelly first argues that both the Disney version and Pretty Women place the women in the same situation. In the Disney version Cinderella has no money, and is a maid to her stepmother and sisters. In Pretty Women, Vivian has little money, but earns it through prostitution. The way these women escape their situations is to dress beautifully, and catch the eye of a man. The men that take the women out of their situations have money, education, power, and are far superior to the women. Kelly shows how the women are portrayed as second class to the men in both stories. The author does an outstanding job in showing how the only way for both Cinderella and Vivian to escape is thro...