A easy lady in a plain gown. A dashing man in a pristine go well with. She is a no one. He’s essentially the most eligible bachelor within the room. Their eyes lock throughout a sea of strangers. And so begins a tumultuous love story. The world tries to tear them aside however, regardless of their variations, their love is robust sufficient to carry them collectively. And, as a pleasant little bonus, her romantic fortunately ever after comes with the perk of a complete bunch of cash – and a wholesome dose of social standing in addition.
That is, in fact, the essential premise of the Cinderella story. And it is a story as previous as time. Nevertheless it’s additionally one I sort of imagined we had left firmly up to now. In any case, essentially the most fundamental guidelines of #feminism are that we need not depend on males for our personal financially secure fortunately ever afters, proper? Effectively, apparently, we’ve all began to grow to be a little bit extra open to the thought of a superb old school Cinderella story of late.
After all, the very best love tales are all the time about star-crossed lovers: {couples} who’re stored aside by… one thing. Typically it is a misunderstanding. A household feud. One other romantic curiosity. However lately, the one factor we appear to be occupied with seeing is a pair torn aside by class. Is it simply me, or does the whole lot appears to be a rehashed model of Cinderella RN?
© 2025 Netflix, Inc.
The obvious is, in fact, the newest season of faux-Regency period romance sequence Bridgerton. Maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) isn’t like the opposite maids, as a result of she has an ideal RP settle for and speaks French, by the way in which. She takes an evening off, dons a large silver masks and attends the Bridgerton ball. There, she locks eyes with Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who has just lately been dubbed the season’s most eligible bachelor. After pining for the mysterious Girl in Silver for some time, he falls for the maid model of Sophie – and an entire lot of drama ensues, most of which, is all to do with their insurmountable class variations. It is hardly an enormous spoiler to disclose that Sophie will certainly get her fortunately ever after – on this case, a lifetime of real love funded, in fact, by the financial institution of Bridgerton.
Then there’s Hulu’s Love Story, one other of the 12 months’s greatest TV romances, which transplants the Cinderella story to ‘90s New York Metropolis. The Ryan Murphy present follows the real-life story of Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pigeon), who married NYC’s most eligible bachelor John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) only a few years earlier than they died in a tragic aircraft crash in 1999. Regardless of Carolyn’s cool woman standing denoted by her all-black minimalist wardrobe and stylish job at Calvin Klein, the present makes positive to tell us that, finally, she is sort of a social no one who was plucked from the obscurity of a Boston mall. JFK Jr., then again, is a tabloid darling, a Folks’s Sexiest Man Alive recipient, and, as a Kennedy, principally American royalty. Carolyn’s family and friends are flabbergasted that she has managed to land this contemporary day “Prince Charming.”
To present each Sophie and Carolyn a little bit credit score: neither of them appear notably occupied with their respective love pursuits’ cash and standing. In actual fact, in each circumstances, they see it as extra as a nuisance than a promoting level. Nonetheless, each reveals can not help however paint their variations of the Cinderella story as the final word fantasy.
