Stepmothers and movies?

Question

Why is the stepmom (or the woman becoming the stepmom) usually evil or bad in movies? Hellraiser, Cinderella, Snow White, Dead Silence (sorry if I ruined that for ya), Sleepy Hollow, Ever After, The Parent Trap, Nanny McPhee, and Ella Enchanted to name a few. Why oh why does Hollywood feel the need to do this? Especially in kids movies?????

Answer 1

A lot of kids movies are based on fairy tales or books and step-moms are mostly portrayed that way. There is the movie Stepmom with Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon that shows a stepmother in a positive light.

Answer 2

In my mind it portray's the fact that the stepmother is not the birth mother. It is a little odd for there to be so many movies out like that, I agree. You will find though, in real life stories and such that is the fact of it. More often then not, the stepmother is not a very good person , or even just a pretty harsh person in the family. I speak from experience.

Have a great day.
Kristy

Answer 3

They're typically a "Replacement" for the mother. Mothers are usually portrayed as kind, loving people who offer love and affection, kiss away the ouchies, make everything wonderful. Of course they need an "eviller" side, which takes form in a stepmother. Since "Stepmother" has the word "Mother" in it, it's a bit of an oxymoron. They're supposed to take on the duties of a mother, but they're not really the mother to begin with.

Answer 4

The evil stepmother rooted from one p*issed off mother who wanted their kids to hate the stepmother! That's what I think!
They don't have anything else to make movies about, I guess now days an evil stepmother is more believable than a mother and father together!

Answer 5

because there is never a mom in the first place.