Cinderella complex
n.— «Poor old Cinderella never intended to be a social climber—but her rags-to-riches tale has given hope to countless upwardly mobile little girls over the years. They should be careful, however, not to fall prey to the “Cinderella Complex”—the term used to describe beautiful and polite women who are unable to become independent characters and who can only be rescued by a man.» —“Why Britain is going crazy for little princesses” by Katy Guest Independent (United Kingdom) Feb. 17, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
It’s cats and dogs, and a few other critters, too. Animals prowl around inside several English words, including sleuth, which was originally sleuth-hound, a synonym for bloodhound. Plus, the language we use with our pets and the ways they...
Animals leave their footprints in several English words, including chatoyant, or “shimmering like a cat’s eyes” and sleuth, which is short for sleuth-hound, a kind of bloodhound used for sniffing out prey. Pets have also inspired...