Jealous. Evil. Scheming. The stepmom myth includes these stinging words. Fortunately, in this generation where being ‘woke’ matters, the myth encounters some challenge.
Still, the awakening to what a stepmother is really all about is not complete. As it is in a process of metamorphosis (I hope), here are some of the more famous fictional stepmothers attached to the madrasta image.
Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)
One of the original evil stepmothers, Lady Tremaine is stepmom to Cinderella. Cold-hearted and manipulative, she punishes Cinderella with an avalanche of household chores, forbidding her to go to the royal ball. She was arguably a member of high-society who fiercely fights for her daughters’ future. Lady Tremaine is one of Disney’s most popular and effective villains.
Meredith Blake (The Parent Trap)
A gold-digger bent on sending her would-be stepdaughter to boarding school, Meredith Blake is another Disney transgressor in the film The Parent Trap, headlined by the young and adorable Lindsay Lohan. The Disney classic is known for the film’s twin protagonists’ opening their bag of tricks to drive away the meddling stepmother and reach their ‘happily ever after’ ending.
Queen Narissa (Enchanted)
In Disney’s Enchanted, the powerhouse film company attempts to upgrade the villain character by creating a hybrid evil creature through Queen Marissa. In the film, she is Prince Edward’s stepmother who carries the banner traits of former Disney villains Maleficent, the Evil Queen and Lady Tremaine. She is selfish, cruel and manipulative. She knows black magic. Her main agenda is to ruin the Prince’s bride to avoid the crowning of Edward as king.
The Evil Queen (Snow White)
The Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs enjoys being Disney’s very first antagonist. Perhaps, this contributes to her fame and makes her a classic. Jealous and vain, the Evil Queen is responsible for the celebrated line, “Mirror, mirror on the wall...” The poisoned apple peddled by the old hag as her other version remains to be an iconic feature of Disney films.
Maria Von Trapp (The Sound of Music)
Inspired by real life, Julie Andrews’ The Sound of Music character may be as good as it gets in terms of depicting a gracious stepmother. Maria Von Trapp became a young stepmother to seven children. She sings, she dances, she strictly disciplines, she talks in a singsong-y voice. She is not your typical stepmother portrayed in stepmom myths. Free-spirited and independent, she was also caring and nurturing.
Isabelle Kelly (Stepmom)
Perhaps Stepmom’s Isabelle Kelly is the closest to what a real stepmother is. Played by Julia Roberts, Isabelle is a kind, young and beautiful second wife. Possibly, she is everything the first wife would not wish for. Isabelle goes through the mental and emotional nuances of being a stepmother, getting entangled in conflicts with the biomom. The driving force of her success as a stepmother is her unconditional love for her husband. Maybe this was what provided her grace as she built positive relationships with her stepchildren.
Baroness Rodmhilla De Ghent (Ever After)
Ever After is evidently inspired by classic Cinderella. Anjelica Houston plays Baroness Rodmhilla De Ghent, the stepmother to Danielle (Drew Barrymore). The Baroness is nothing ‘common.’ She is all about stature and material affluence. Her cruelty to Danielle and the people she perceives as beneath her is heartbreaking. She says with such flair, “Darling, nothing is final until you're dead and even then, I’m sure God negotiates.”
The Stepmother (Hansel and Gretel)
Published in 1812, Hansel and Gretel is also known as “The Little Stepbrother and The Little Stepsister.” Interestingly, the unnamed stepmother in this narrative is a secondary villain to the witch in the gingerbread home. As she was the woodcutter’s second wife, she set things in motion for Hansel and Gretel to lose their way in the woods. It is assumed that she wanted the woodcutter all to herself.
The whole spectrum of fictional stepmom characters still depicts the stepmother in the zones of envy and self-centeredness. But notice how powerful and moving the stepmother characters are as created by fiction! The gallery above is a canvass of beautiful faces, confident feels, an arresting presence and depth of soul. Maybe these are traits that come with the madrasta territory too. These are traits that can inspire and nurture a child and a family. Though the era of wokeness is at hand, there is much to be done to paint the real picture of a stepmother.
Meanwhile, let us keep an eye on the Isabelle Kellys and Maria Von Trapps that make their way into the media streams.
In a world were judgment and stereotypes prevail, that’s something.