Society’s Expectations for Pre-Established Gender Roles in Mulan
In society, there is a lot of diversity that comes with the responsibility that people should educate themselves and to find a better understanding of the different cultures that surround them. People often believe that they are only standing for themselves and have this idea that they are not expected to go beyond their levels of education when it comes to race. They then start to form biases or stereotypes towards various groups. Disney has changed the image of their heroines in keeping with the societal changes in the attitudes towards women. Disney’s Mulan reflects such sentiments through the journey of finding oneself and not being afraid of breaking societal norms for the sake of one’s family and country. Mulan’s journey has another meaning in a societal standpoint where it allows young girls and women to have a role model who is not afraid of what people say about them, and to break the traditional gender roles. Women are said to not show any signs of aggression, and are supposed to follow the traditional stereotyped role of a kind and nurturing parent figure. Men are said to show the aggressive side and to be tough as it lays off a message to the society that they are not showing any signs of weakness or imperfections. But Mulan was received horribly due to the cultural differences that it has. People have criticized how the movie confused China with Japan which is ultimately due to the culture differences. Mulan was not preserving Chinese culture, but was released as an American movie and audience aimed at Asian and Chinese audiences. Disney’s Mulan reinforces a binary understanding of gender stereotypes that privilege men over women, the differences between masculinity and femininity, and the effect that female leads have to function as physically imposing forces in the tough paradigm.
To begin with, men are more favored to join the army than women are. Mulan begins in China during the Han Dynasty followed by an invasion by the Huns. The Emperor asks one man from each family to join the Chinese army to fight the Huns. Only men were allowed to join the army as it is part of the Chinese culture. According to Tian and Xiong, “Mulan’s cross-dressing is due to the fact that women were disqualified from joining the army in feudal China and they were confined to the housework including cooking and weaving”. During this time in Chinese culture, women were not allowed to join the army. Women were placed into the category of the housewife or nurturing than being aggressive and violent like men are. Knowing that there is only one man in her family, Mulan takes her father’s armor and sword to enlist in his stead accompanied by a guardian spirit red dragon and a lucky cricket. Even after breaking the Chinese tradition and law, Mulan brazenly defies the traditional gender roles that men were the only ones able to join the army to defend against the Huns. Moments later, Mulan’s identity is exposed and even then while traveling with the army, Mulan would ultimately see to the defeat of the Huns restoring her honor and bringing peace to the country. Despite breaking the rules and going against her family’s wishes, or impersonating her father, she challenged the Huns and found herself. Mulan was being prepped as a bride for a potential suitor at the beginning of the film, and this concept goes to show how women were expected to fulfill certain gender roles. Being a housewife was one of the expectations that ran during this time. As Tian and Xiong argues, “Mulan’s image is slightly changed from a gentle girl to rebellious one”. This shows that women can defy the rights and rules that the tradition follows to not follow the norm that they have to be a housewife or be nurturing. Women can too be just as strong as a man. Mulan becomes a hero for defeating the Huns during the war and the emperor bows to her as an expression of gratitude.
In addition, there are differences in Mulan of the portrayal of masculinity and femininity. Starting with the training arc on how to be a man greatly shows the masculine side of the film. According to Li, “Mulan never faces embarrassment by lack of physical strength or martial skills as a woman; nor does she show anxiety trying to earn her fellow soldiers’ respect”. This means that despite all of the hardships that comes from being in a male dominant army and being the only female, Mulan stays strong and works her hardest for the ultimate goal of defeating the Huns and saving her country. The process of how to become a man can also be shown through the song “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You.” This song accurately shows the steps it takes to be a man and how one can achieve great strength and power to fight in the war. As Barnett states, “Masculinity is defined by physical and emotional self-control, power, assertiveness, competence, and status”. This shows the masculine side of men in which they are assigned to be a certain role in society. As for the feminine characteristics in the film, Mulan tries very hard to conceal her true identity when she joins the army. Mulan outsmarts all of the men who make contact with her by acting like a man and their masculine qualities. According to Ghassemi, “The protagonists’ obsession with finding the true nature of their self and reality, that from which they are radically and agonizingly barred is seemingly intertwined with the ‘mystery’ of femininity”. This shows that since Mulan is on a journey to not only defend for her country in place of her father, but also on a path to find out who she really is and what she has to offer. Furthermore, Mulan has a strong depiction of a strong and independent girl represents a new kind of treatment of feminism in popular culture. Mulan is a role model to many young girls out there from her story and her upbringings in the war and defying the rules that women cannot be in the army and have to stay home to be the housewife and be nurturing. As Yin argues, “Disney’s Mulan is lauded by critics and audience members as a rupture of stereotypical female images in U.S. popular culture and endorsement for feminist values”. Mulan is a strong independent woman who made it on her own through countless training in the army and following her own paths and desires that she wishes to fulfill. This is means that the stereotypical female images in U.S. popular culture contrasting off of Disney’s approach are all fairy-like, princesses, romance, etc. Disney’s Mulan is lauded not only for being the first Asian female, but for not following the Disney princess traditional films of living in a castle, having a prince, or being married.
As a matter of fact, female leads have an impact on the tough paradigm. According to Yin, “In the movie, it is true that Mulan went to war out of consideration for her aged father. But the real or more primary motivation was about her individuality or self-esteem”. This shows that Mulan not only had one goal in her mind in taking her father’s place and protecting her country, but to also come to a compromise to find herself for who she is. When her true identity was revealed for being a woman instead of a man when she was training with the other men, she was deserted in the snow by the army since it is against the rules and tradition for a woman to be in the war. The aftermath of this was that Mulan then reflected on herself on the behaviors and motives. Mulan’s reflections consists of constant questioning of the self and if she even made the right choice to begin with by taking her father’s place in the war and going on this long journey. Mulan conquers her worries and doubts and decides to do the right thing in following her motive and that is to protect her family and country since she has already made it this far; there is no turning back. As Yin argues, “Traditional Chinese culture was portrayed as an ‘oriental despotism’ that was hostile to both individual freedom and feminism”. Traditional Chinese culture was opposed to the free individual which also adds an obstacle to gender equality. There was a lot of negativity aimed at Mulan because she was nowhere to be found in her hometown. People thought that she left or escaped. Mulan was being called a traitor, a snake, someone who dishonors the army. In the film, Mulan would be killed if her real gender was exposed due to the Chinese traditions and laws. The tough paradigm can be seen through the actions of Mulan as a strong and independent women who won men’s respect with her strength and the deeds that she has done for the sake of her country in defeating the Huns. As Yin states, “What needs to be noted is that in Hollywood representations, the non-Western female is promoted to the centre only as a rare exception of a non-Western cultural or racial group”. Mulan is distinguished from the rest of the group when she joins the army due to her physical beauty and her willingness to be civilised and assimilated. Mulan embraces Western values such as individuality, independence, and to a certain degree, feminism. This makes Mulan superior and in sharp contrast to the rest of the members of the Chinese culture. The political economic view of Mulan was that of a powerful girl image. The powerful girl image of being strong and independent. Mulan features as a tomboyish girl who could not fit in the traditional gender role in China. Being a female does not automatically make a woman a feminist. She can be a feminist only if she accepts the articulation of a feminist ideology and uses it to interpret social affairs. A man can also subscribe to the feminist ideology even if he does not have a female identity. The act of simply cross-dressing to be a man to fight in the war shows the courageous heart that females have and that is being portrayed through Mulan.
All in all, Disney’s representation is far from being accurate and authentic in relation to the audience members in the West. The introduction of the heroic figure Mulan not only challenges the articulation and appropriation imposed by Disney, but also users a new standpoint into dialogues on global communication, ethics, and feminisms. Even though Mulan has its contradictions between Chinese and American values, it speaks to what Americans do know and do not know of Chinese culture. Perhaps Mulan does not reach out to China very well, but the film continues to offer introspection into the presence and awareness of China and America.
Works Cited
- Barnett, Michael, et al. “Masculinity, Femininity, Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs, and Rape Myth Acceptance Among Heterosexual College Men and Women.” Sexuality & Culture, vol. 21, no. 3, Sept. 2017, pp. 741–753. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12119-017-9420-3.
- Ghassemi, Mehdi. “The ‘Woman’ as a Frame for the Self: Femininity, Ekphrasis, and Aesthetic Selfhood in John Banville’s Eclipse, Shroud, and Ancient Light.” Estudios Irlandeses, vol. 13, no. 2, June 2018, pp. 30–43. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=132948567&site=ehost-live.
- Li, Jing. “Retelling the Story of a Woman Warrior in Hua Mulan (花木兰, 2009): Constructed Chineseness and the Female Voice.” Marvels & Tales, vol. 32, no. 2, Nov. 2018, pp. 362–387. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=135539441&site=ehost-live.
- Tian, Chuanmao, and Caixia Xiong. “A Cultural Analysis of Disney’s Mulan with Respect to Translation.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 27, no. 6, Dec. 2013, pp. 862–874. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10304312.2013.843636.
- Yin, Jing. “Popular Culture and Public Imaginary: Disney Vs. Chinese Stories of Mulan.” Javnost-The Public, vol. 18, no. 1, Mar. 2011, pp. 53–74. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/13183222.2011.11009051.
