The most prominent motif in Cinderella Is Dead is the Cinderella story itself and all the objects featured in it (such as ball gowns, carriages, glass slippers, magic wands, and magic that fades at the stroke of midnight). Because so many different versions of “Cinderella” exist, there’s a range of allusions to these different versions, from older versions where Cinderella’s stepsisters’ eyes are plucked out by birds and they cut their own toes off, to the Disney film where Cinderella’s dress is blue and the fairy godmother sings “Bippity Boppity Boo” to perform magic. For the most part, the motif of Cinderella paraphernalia shows the degree to which young girls in Mersailles desperately want to follow in Cinderella’s “footsteps,” despite the palace-sanctioned version of the story being a lie and King Manford’s patriarchal system being a trap.

Cinderella paraphernalia, sold by various shops, is beautiful enough to seduce young girls toward their own erasure and subjugation. The markets are filled with exotic gems, palace-approved replicas of Cinderella’s dress and slippers, beauty and love potions, and magic wands meant to summon fairy godmothers (should one have enough “faith”). Girls purchase these things hoping they will bring them happiness by attracting the right husband.