In recent years, Hollywood’s storytelling has deteriorated, with cycles of lazy writing and repeated characters and tropes. Filmmakers overextend franchises and, rather than developing new stories, remake old ones. Frequently, their contribution to the reimagining of a classic tale is to include whatever political or social agenda is trending, forcing each story to be topical. As of late, the portrayal of women has been the focus of these progressive upheavals we see on the silver screen.

In the quest for the acceptable woman, dependency on or actual romantic desire for men cannot be prioritized. Each woman must want to be the ultimate “girlboss,” motivated by ambition and self-promotion. Of course, this is not to say that women who choose to remain single or to focus on careers and other goals are not feminine. There is absolutely nothing wrong in choosing these paths, but modern culture deems this particular paradigm to be the paragon for women. Apparently, women ought to be ambitious, but goodness forbid those ambitions center around marriage and family. An example of this on the screen is Rachel Zegler’s interpretation of Snow White in the controversial 2025 remake of the original Disney classic. In press tours leading up to the release, Zegler, the lead actress, praised the rejection of antiquated ideals from the animated film, stating that Snow White “is not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love.”¹According to Zegler, a woman who actually wants a romantic relationship is intrinsically outdated and antifeminist. Furthermore, Hollywood, instead of producing unique female characters, shapes heroines to merely replace the men in the story, abandoning any feminine qualities. In an ironic twist, the best woman is actually the best imitation of a man. It is as if Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth is lurking behind the writers, begging them to unsex these women, lest viewers, in a world that has completely confused what womanhood is, actually see traditional femininity in a positive light.

Some, however, are not ready to abandon the fairytale or the idea that women can be compelling in a feminine way. Thankfully, Charles Perrault wrote a heroine that strays from this trend in the 2015 live action adaptation of Cinderella, directed by Kenneth Branagh. The remake of the Disney classic was a hit, earning several awards and nominations. In addition to stunning costuming and cinematography, the film was remarkable in its characters and storytelling. The plot remained relatively unchanged from the original, but with additional depth granted to characters and themes within the story. Viewers get to see more of Ella, the main character played by Lily James, as she grows up, loses her parents, and is gradually subjected to more hardship at the hand of her stepmother, allowing for more insight into her pitiful circumstances. Side characters like the king and the captain of the royal guard are given more dialogue and warmth, creating true emotional attachment to their arcs. The romance between Cinderella and the prince retains the fairytale aspects such as love-at-first-sight, but more time is devoted to watching them choose and strive for each other, making their relationship all the more compelling and heart-warming.

In addition to simply giving more screentime and lines to these elements of the story, Perrault grants these characters a pursuit of virtue which strikes a poignant chord with audiences. Kit, the endearing prince, wrestles with love and responsibility as he strives to be the leader his kingdom deserves while also prioritizing a marriage centered around authentic affection and gift of self. His devotion to his father, his kingdom, and to Ella define him as a true Prince Charming, moving the audience to cheer on their romance.

The most compelling character, however, is rightfully the leading lady, Ella. As the movie delves in her childhood, it includes a heart wrenching scene at the beginning of the movie, in which her dying mother commends Ella to “have courage and be kind.”² This simple maxim defines Ella’s character and her fight for virtue. As her father remarries, this time to the wicked Lady Tremaine who has equally cruel daughters, and then dies himself, Ella holds on to these words, maintaining hope and compassion even as she is mistreated and undergoes grief after grief. Despite her stepfamily’s best attempts, she refuses to lose her own character and principles to bitterness and despair. When Kit first meets her, he is inspired by her strength of character and actually takes the “have courage and be kind” mantra back to his father and advisors. As he takes on the kingdom following his father’s death, he strives to meet the example of virtue set by Ella, having moved him to be the best man and ruler he can be. Moreover, his encouragement and example of healthy and strong masculinity move Ella to greater courage, depicting the exchange of virtue in their relationship, sparked by her own inherent goodness.

One of the major questions of the story is how someone who has been wronged can still be good. Ella, following the famous scene where her stepsisters destroy her mother’s gown, comes face-to-face with this question, struggling to maintain her courage and kindness as despair threatens to corrupt her. However, she never stops pursuing the good and continues to choose charity and perseverance. This question is reintroduced in a later conversation with her stepmother, who monologues about her own tragedy of having lost two spouses before smashing the iconic glass slipper that Ella has kept from the ball. It is this final act of cruelty that leads Ella to fall apart, begging to know what she has done to deserve such mistreatment. The response from the stepmother is simple; she screams “Because you are young, and innocent, and good, and I—” before storming off, thus losing the fight to remain good in the face of hardship.³ She allowed tragedy to make her wicked, whereas Ella’s virtue has prevailed. Perrault avoids the pitfall of the not-evil-just-misunderstood villain by juxtaposing the stepmother, whose personal tragedies are nobody’s fault, with Ella, who has been consistently wronged by those who should have protected her and yet has still remained good.

In the end, Ella gets a happy fairytale ending; Kit finally finds her, and after a heartwarming proposal, the two are finally able to be together. Then comes one of the most powerful shots of the movie: as Ella and Kit leave her home hand-in-hand, the stepmother is in the background, made powerless because of Ella and Kit’s virtue and devotion to one another. Ella turns and, with Kit lovingly watching, forgives her stepmother before walking off into happily ever after.

In addition to a lovely movie with idyllic music, costuming, and fantastical elements, Perrault, Branagh, and James succeeded in fashioning a heroine that is so powerful and yet so beautifully feminine. Ella’s strength is not defined by great deeds or fiery independence or any other metric that ultimately reduces what a woman is. Rather, her power lies in her quiet but inspiring pursuit of virtue. This defines how she loves, as she gently shows Kit how to lead with service and chooses forgiveness over bitterness in her dealing with her stepfamily. Her femininity is not a hindrance to her happy ending but a defining part of who she is.

A respected philosopher and theologian of the 20th century, St. Edith Stein, once said “the world needs what women are, not what they have or do.”⁴ Stein speaks to a poignant truth about femininity and rejects the proposed and degrading reinvention of female characters that are only inspiring because of their actions. Ella was no fierce leader, nor did she turn away others for the sake of her own singular success. She was powerful simply because she did not abandon her own character. Stein continues, “a woman’s soul is a shelter in which other souls can unfold.”⁵ Once again, a mighty calling is given to women, who have a unique ability to nurture, protect, and inspire the souls of others. This is not a passive or weak vocation but rather one essential to the very foundations of a virtuous society. Despite her own trials, Ella maintains this shelter within herself, fostering fortitude and charity within Kit. Even when she leaves her stepmother’s house, she does not lash out but rather gives the grace of forgiveness. Many aspects of this movie appeal to the feminine eye, such as Ella’s stunning ballgown or the swoon worthy waltz between her and Kit. However, there is something fundamentally striking about a female character who is so strong and powerful in such a uniquely feminine way. Ella may not be the quintessential girlboss figure, but she shows that there is beauty and strength and goodness in simply living virtuously and loving well. Maybe heroines don’t always need to be toppling stereotypes to be ‘good’ female characters. The pure and simple call to “have courage and be kind” may be the perfect inspiration.

N o t e s

1. NBC News, “Rachel Zegler Stirs Backlash over Old Comments about Disney ‘Snow White’ Live Action,” August 2023, accessed September 27, 2026, nbcnews.com, https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/rachel-zegler-viral-backlash-snow-white-disney-live-action-rcna99848

2. Cinderella, directed by Kenneth Branagh (Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2015), 5:22.

3. Cinderella, 1:24:11

4. Edith Stein, Essays on Woman, trans. Freda Mary Oben (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1996), 6.

5. Edith Stein, Essays on Woman, trans. Freda Mary Oben (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1996), 6.