The Movie: Cinderella, 1950 (eight screenwriters – eight! – from a story by Charles Perrault; three directors)
Who says it: Ilene Woods as the voice of Cinderella
The context: Cinderella dreams of love and escape as she drudges away for her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters.
How to use it: Even Bill Gates must get a little wistful sometimes.
Cinderella is a wicked movie not only because it gives little girls unrealistic expectations about Prince Charming, but also because it gives little girls unrealistic expectations about the possibility of one day finding a shoe that really fits.
I woke up in a cold sweat one night this summer, realizing that the move to Maine meant that I'd have to buy new shoes. I've spent most of my life avoiding shoes, and I always hated socks; one great advantage of Los Angeles was that I could and did wear sandals, or even flip-flops, year-round.
But there's no getting around it: Maine requires shoes. And socks. It says a lot about how quickly my perspectives have changed that I asked only for socks for this year's birthday -- and I was thrilled when my sister Peggy sent me a box of them, yesterday.
They say that middle age is a time of adjusting one's expectations, but to go from dreams of love to dreams of socks is humbling.
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