Perrault's version features a beautiful young woman, Cinderella, who is ill-treated by her vain stepmother and two stepsisters, who cast her into a life of servitude. The king holds a ball, to which all the kingdom's fashionable young ladies are invited. Cinderella is mocked by her stepsisters for wanting to go. Cinderella's godmother -- who is a fairy -- casts a magic spell to enable Cinderella to go to the ball, turning her rags into a beautiful gown with glass slippers, and a pumpkin and mice into a carriage and horse. Cinderella receives much attention at the ball, especially from the prince. Cinderella leaves just at midnight, as the spell starts to break, leaving behind one of her glass slippers. Entranced by Cinderella, the prince scours the kingdom for the young lady who fits the glass slipper. After the slipper does not fit the feet of the stepsisters, Cinderella tries. When it fits, Cinderella is whisked away to the palace to marry the prince.
Perrault writes that the moral of his story is that "Beauty in a woman is a rare treasure that will always be admired. Graciousness, however, is priceless and of even greater value." In her historical context, Cinderella possessed traits admired of young ladies, such as grooming, grace and patience. According to Adam Phillips, Cinderella has lost her social status because of the death of her mother and because of her father's second marriage. At this time, it was incredibly difficult for a woman to become independent. Men were usually necessary to defend and provide for a household. A woman's status was derived from her parents and husband.
In Cinderella, positive personality traits correlate with good looks, while negative personality traits coincide with ugliness. Her stepsisters have bad personalities and are unattractive; the comparison between her daughters and Cinderella is one reason why the stepmother treats Cinderella so badly. Cinderella is unknown at the royal ball, but is welcomed and gets the attention of the prince because of her looks. As a character, Cinderella passively submits to her stepmother and stepsisters, and relies on magic in order to get rescued by a man. One could conclude that the reward for female passivity and stoicism is marriage.
Although beauty becomes one powerful asset that frees Cinderella of her predicament, the story also makes sure to show that beauty is not Cinderella's only asset. The heroine demonstrates humility and strength. She works hard without complaining, while surviving an abusive situation in an era oppressive to women. In the story, the people at the ball clearly admire wealth and fashion; Cinderella's clothing, servants, and coach are merely illusions, showing that material possessions - and maybe even appearance - are not that important. (Perrault adds, "...graciousness is more important than a beautiful hairdo.") The prince clearly does not care about her destitution, which he discovers when he finally locates her. Finally, it's important to note that the story does not necessarily paint all women as powerless figures, as Cinderella's father cannot help her. Cinderella's stepmother is portrayed as powerful and overbearing, while Cinderella's godmother has the magical strength to change Cinderella's fate.