The Evil Stepmother

It all started with Cinderella. Or maybe it didn’t. Maybe when Disney released a film version of the age-old tale in 1950, kids all over the world let out a sigh of relief and said, “There it is. Finally somebody has put into film what I’ve been experiencing my whole life: the wicked stepmother.” The word “stepmother” carries negative connotations with it and has for, what I would argue, decades. Why is that though? What is it about a stepmother that brings such negative feelings? Is being evil the “single story” for all stepmothers?

The news clips I’ve found illustrate my point in a rather drastic way. Both stories are about stepmothers harming their stepchildren and acting out in violence. Notice that both articles also included the title “stepmom” in the heading. It wouldn’t have been inaccurate to put “Woman charged with abuse after 4-year-old critically injured” or “Woman accused of forcing boy to swallow peroxide.” Another thing to notice about the latter article is that the husband was also accused of the same thing, but he didn’t make the headline. I believe that that’s because the story wouldn’t have caught reader’s attention or garnered as many views had it not been about the “evil, evil stepmother.”

Although the reporters behind these specific stories just want to increase the success of their stories, at what expense are they doing this? And sure, maybe Cinderella is just a harmless fairy tale, but I think that these kinds of things are putting out the wrong “single story” for stepmoms everywhere. Stepmoms are portrayed in the media and the news as outsiders. They usually swoop in after the kind, gentle mom passes away and treat their new stepchildren like second-class servants, as the Cinderella meme demonstrates. There aren’t many examples of stepmoms in the media that are welcomed into their new family with love and who actually improve the family unit—apparently they’re only there to tear it apart. Obviously there may be examples of stepmothers who are horrible and do terrible things, but there are just as many stories of biological mothers, fathers, grandparents, etc. who do similar things.

Many people think that since stepmothers are not biologically related to the kids they raise, they are unable to feel that same connection that biological parents feel. That is an incorrect story. Maybe you have a stepmom with a heart of gold or you’ve known people with stepmoms they just adore. These stepmoms are loving and kind and treat their step kids as their own. We must look past the “single story” that is broadcasted by much of society and give stepmoms a break. Like every other person and parent, they each have their own story outside of the story that society often thrusts upon them.