Cinderella syndrome

[jenbe_me]

No: HPFGUIDX 31559

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "viola_1895" <viola_1895 at y...> wrote:
> 
> Seriously though, ship debates are interesting in that they're 
quite 
> often about who _Hermione_ should end up with rather than who Harry 
> should. ^_^ Which I find quite intriguing. Is it because most of 
the 
> active fans are female and find something identifiable in Hermione? 
> Or is there something else going on there? As someone with almost 
no 
> ship preference, I'm obviously unqualified to answer that question. 
> *shrugs* If this question has been asked before, I apologize in 
> advance... but are there any theories why as to why the debates 
> develop from that perspective?
> 
> Throwing my own bit of mud into the water...
> -Julie

   Julie,

 I found this post incredibly thought provoking. I found it so for 
these reasons: because 1. The main character of the book is not 
Hermione, it's Harry, and secondly, 2. I'm willing to bet that the 
majority of the this list is not female. Even if it is an even 50/50 
split between the sexes, it still would not explain this 
extraordinary interest in who Hermione ends up with romantically at 
the end of the books. Not all of us can be identifying with Hermione 
and her brainy, bushy-haired character.

  Giving it a bit of thought, I think some of it might be attributed 
to a kind of... Cinderella syndrome. Where every girl must end up at 
the end of her story with her prince, and live happily ever after. 
Most of us start reading (or have read to us) those kinds of fairy 
tale stories in childhood and are taught to pair up as couples. Even 
seeing films such as Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty 
and the Beast, Aladdin, etc, each female character, while being a 
strong role model, ends up needing a man. The same holds forth for 
many novels, tv shows, etc.  

   And while we also speculate on who Ron and Harry will end up with, 
we're not as fervent or determined to pair them off as we are with 
Hermione. I think we have this concept that it's ok for a single male 
to be alone, it's not as approved for a single female to do the same 
thing.... if she's not dating there's something kind of weird about 
her. So naturally we take a greater interest in who Hermione's going 
to end up with. She's attractive; of course she wouldn't choose to be 
alone! Think of this: What would you have thought if Ron had not been 
able to find a date for the Yule ball, but had gone anyway? Perfectly 
acceptable, right?  What if Hermione hadn't been able to find a date 
for the Yule ball? Should she have gone anyway or stayed in her room? 
There's a double standard there. 

  Will Hermione link up with Ron or Harry? Perhaps so, perhaps not. I 
think perhaps she may end up alone at the end of the three books- she 
doesn't necessarily need anyone to lean on and if she's not ready or 
doesn't want a relationship, she might not have one. This post may 
come across to some as radically feminist but I assure you it's not 
meant in that way; I'm just trying to figure out if we've been 
holding some stereotypes about male and female characters in the 
books. 

  Any replies are much appreciated. Any comparisons of myself to 
Gloria Steinem are not.

jenbea