For hundreds of years, the glass slipper has been synonymous with the tale of Cinderella and her midnight dash home from the ball. Now an academic has traced its 17th-century origins and uncovered a connection to the creation of the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles and the impractical fashions and fads of French aristocrats.
“The glass slipper is a witty joke,” said Genevieve Warwick, professor of the history of art at the University of Edinburgh. It was intended to be a “literary mascot of French economic modernity” and a tongue-in-cheek reference to Louis XIV’s love of extravagant and often quixotic French fashion, especially in regard to shoes, she told the Observer. “No one could actually walk, let alone dance, in shoes made of glass.”
For years that other explanation has been that there’s some witty pun between the French for glass slipper and the French for lady’s bits. So, the Prince finds lady’s bits that fit, loses them then searches to find them again. Finds, marries and happy ever after.
This other explanation might have even less truth to it than this new one but there we are, preference for a story is preference.
I read somewhere, can’t remember where, that the slippers were actually fur and it was a mistranslation.
French for ‘glassware’ is “verrerie”.
French for fur is “fourrure”.
Take with a heaping bowl of salt , but it sounds plausible and fur slippers make a lot more sense than glass ones.
“So, the Prince finds lady’s bits that fit, loses them then searches to find them again. Finds, marries and happy ever after.”
Well, until she goes up a couple of shoe sizes after popping out les enfants.
The French are actually rather famous for this – every few years some female journo gives birth over there and then retails the same story. Kegel weights and the like. Prescribed for the new Proud Mum while immediately post-en couche. The punchline is always “Well, what’s this for then?” and the answer comes back “Pour votre mari”.
Not that this is entirely unusual. There’s summer in English called “The husband’s stitch”
The French might be right here.
I once read that the glass slipper was a translation error – “vair”, a French word for fur being mis-read as “verre” – glass.
This might have a link to Tim’s explanation as the original story would involve a “furry slipper” (fnarr fnarr!).
Indeed so…..
I read about the fur/glass mix up when I was a kid.
In my innocence it never occurred to me that there was a naughty version… Did the Prince have to have a crack at the Ugly Sisters too ? Ewww…
If it had been Louis XIV’s brother, Buttons would have won the competition.
Can’t actually see any obstacle to a glass slipper. It’d only be a variation on the clog, wouldn’t it? It’s not as if stilettos were the fashion at the time. Mightn’t exactly be comfortable & possibly clatter a bit on marble floors. But when has impractical ever factored in women’s wear?
Got me thinking now. Wonder if I could produce & flog ’em? There’s a shop along the road makes & sells glass objects d’art. Maybe they’d be interested. Next stop Paris for the Spring Season. Don’t know about finding any virgin blonde kitchen maids to model them though. Bit of a European shortage of those.
Maybe they were the 16th century inspiration for the Viz Fat Slags
Wonder if I could produce & flog ’em?
Liability insurance could be a problem, especially in the US.
Did the Prince have to have a crack at the Ugly Sisters too ?
Via panto they’re the original transwiminz, so the tightness issue could be, er, self healing. Not sure about the issue issue.
Ewww, indeed.
Stossel has a super little video up about comic book preferences
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zi1cLJyBoQ
I did’t realise DC and Marvel had been changing their heroes ahem sexual predilections so as to gain righteous points and to lose market share. Well done them.