Boundaries / Cinderella Complex

Portraits

2020

Florina, northwestern Macedonia, Greece

In the early 1980s, Colette Dowling, established the term "The Cinderella Complex", which describes women's fear of independence and their inability to rely on themselves.
The fear of independence is usually cultivated through the pedagogical approach of the family during childhood. Thus the ideal love story, where the protagonist prince comes to rescue the vulnerable girl, is passed on to the subconscious of young girls as a role model. It is important for parents to explain to their daughters, through fairy tales, that they can claim happiness and that it is not an end in itself to find the one who will provide it. Teaching them the importance of setting boundaries, protecting and nurturing their independence and self-reliance.
By the last century, Marian Roalfe Cox (1860-1916), an English folklorist who pioneered the study of folkloric morphology, collected for the Cinderella tale 345 adaptations of the tale from around the world. The story of Cinderella appeared in Eastern fairy tales and is still told today, even in the form of pantomime. Since then, others have appeared. Happiness however, is by nature a personal affair. No prince with his white steed or wizard with his magic wand can eliminate life's challenges.