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The Cinder ella Pr oject Ter esa Sappington, Emma Seiler Mississippi State Univer sity

Cinderella – Modern Parity

At the stroke of midnight, Cinderella realized she must go. She raced down the long castle staircase. “Don’t fall, don’t trip,” she kept repeating to herself. Oh, how fun it was to dance with a prince, a real prince. But, oh, how her feet hurt. Was this the true price of beauty? Just as she realized the impossibility of running in glass high heels, one hung on a crack in the step. As the clock kept clanging, she quickly removed the other shoe and raced on into the night.

Once upon a time…

The Cinderella Project grew from a shoe project done in the World Images of Science and Engineering for Women (WISE Women) summer program at Mississippi State University. The original project used cardstock, glue, and other materials to construct a model tennis shoe. However, the girls would often construct sandals, wedges or heeled shoes. The not so revolutionary discovery was that girls are interested in girls’ shoes. In a discussion with those involved with outreach to girls and women, it was decided that a whole project could be built around this concept of creating engineering activities specifically for girls.

This is based on the first principle of C. Rogers’ experiential learning theory, which is: “Significant learning takes place when the subject matter is relevant to the personal interests of the student” [1]. Therefore, engineering outreach activities that are designed for girls will be more effective in attracting them to the field of engineering.

Who decided that shoes were cool?

Shoes are such an important part of our history that several American museums have hosted shoe exhibits. France, Germany, and Canada even have shoe museums. Early civilizations recognized the importance of protecting feet against jagged rocks, burning sand, and rugged terrain. Records of the Egyptians, the Chinese and even the Bible contain references to shoes. The first shoes were a simple piece of plaited grass or rawhide strapped to the feet. Among the relics of early Egyptians are some beautiful sandals made from plaited papyrus leaves.

When the medieval guilds controlled craftsmanship in Europe, perfection in workmanship and extravagance in style seems to have been sought in shoes rather than foot comfort and protection. As last as 1850, most shoes had the same shape for the right and left shoe. Also, only two widths of size were available: a “slim” shoe and a “stout” shoe. Through all this development, comparatively little attention was devoted to fitting qualities or comfort [2].

“Proceedings of the 2005 American Society fro Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Sappington, T., & Seiler, E. (2005, June), Cinderella Project Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--15421