I’d put off watching this movie for the longest time. Partly because I didn’t have the time. Mostly because I’d heard how concerning some of the scenes were. And yeah… the naysayers didn’t lie.
Over 90% of people hated this movie. But now that I’ve finally seen it, I think I have a slightly different perspective or not, let's find out.
Maybe people missed the message this movie was actually trying to preach. I don't think it's a gory, twisted version of Cinderella. It’s not just another dark fairytale.
I think The Ugly Stepsister is really a brutal commentary on something very real and very now: beauty standards.
It starts with a widowed mother of two girls, Elvira and her little sister, getting married to a widower who also has a daughter, Cinderella. All three girls are about the same age. Barely a few days into the marriage, the man dies.
So now, Cinderella is left with a new stepmother and two stepsisters. And the stepmother, who’d married for money, soon finds out her husband was actually broke. That’s when it becomes clear: if there’s any chance of survival, one of the girls must marry rich. And of course, the stepmother would prefer it was her daughter.
But Cinderella is a natural beauty. Blond hair, great nose, the type desired by all. Elvira, on the other hand, who also dreams of marrying the prince, is seen as the opposite of “desirable.” So, what does the stepmother do? She takes Elvira to a surgeon. The first procedure: her nose.
But even with her new nose, Elvira still can’t see herself as beautiful. Every time she looks in the mirror, she only sees fat in the “wrong” places.
She wants food, but fears where it’ll go. Then she meets a mysterious woman who gives her a tapeworm. Now she can eat as much as she wants without gaining a single pound.
Meanwhile, Cinderella is caught in an “indecent” act and is immediately disqualified from her “virgin status,” becoming the family’s new maid. Elvira, on the other hand, keeps going back for more surgeries. Nose, eyes, body, until there’s almost nothing natural left of her.
Will the prince still want her? Will she finally feel beautiful? Or will these standards consume her, literally?
So here’s the thing: I went in expecting a twisted fairytale. I mean… people said it was the “dark Cinderella story.” But honestly? I disagree. Cinderella and the stories I grew up on were like fairy dust for my childhood. I don’t want to imagine Cinderella doing certain things in a stable.
Just… no.
That said, I do admire the message this movie tries to drive home. Beauty standards. Self-worth. How far some women go to feel seen, chosen, enough. Yes, the methods used in this film were gory and a bit much, but unfortunately, that’s real life for many girls today.
Plastic surgery gone wrong. Surgeries that rob you of breath and blood. Chasing an ideal that keeps shifting, always out of reach.
Elvira’s nose in that final scene? I still can’t unsee it. Horrific. Now, about the movie itself… The dialogues could definitely be better. Actually, the entire film could be better. There were scenes I neither expected nor wanted to see.
Like the part where Elvira’s little sister had to pull the tapeworm out of her, I nearly puked. Some visuals were so unnecessary, I wish I could unwatch them.
The only thing I tolerated was the storyline. Everything else?
Just a weird little film, to be honest.
Watching this made me reflect on real-life standards. Girls doing BBL, which, by the way, is said to be one of the most dangerous cosmetic procedures in the world. Getting their teeth shaved just to achieve that “V-shape” chin. Invading their biology. Inserting foreign objects into their bodies. All in the name of beauty.
When you’re not self-secure or self-aware, it’s easy to get swept away. A lesson I took from this movie? Self-alteration will always leave you worse than it found you. Eventually.
And the whole jealousy subplot between Cinderella and Elvira? Yeah… that’s real too. These days, the most modest girls end up with the worst guys. Meanwhile, the loudest ones get the princess treatment.
But maybe it’s not that deep. Maybe it’s just life. Maybe it’s all just a game of luck and timing. Trying to force yourself into someone else’s shoes never ends well. We all have our own path, and trying to walk someone else’s could break you.
Acting is hard. So I respect all the actors. But honestly… no one really stood out to me.
Fair warning: If you can’t handle gory visuals, don’t even try this movie. I’ve watched The Substance, yet somehow, this was worse.
I’ll give it a 2/10 and that’s solely for the storyline. If you’re someone like me who’s obsessed with narratives that challenge beauty norms and explore the why behind it all, you might appreciate this.
But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
All images are from IMdb.
✧ ──────────────────── ✧ ──────────────────── ✧