When sitting down to watch a nostalgic movie, I always turn to Disney. In many cases, Disney does a great job ill
ustrating different cultures and identifying struggles with power within the characters. One of the most impactful illustrations of a power struggle within different groups is in the movie Mulan. Mulan tells the story of a young girl in China that goes to war in place of her father. Women during that time were not allowed to fight in the war, so in dire desperation to save her father, Mulan dresses as a man and goes to war. Mulan was very successful in her attempt and even saves the Emperor from the Huns. This was the ultimate display of how women are wrongfully “Othered” by groups in certain situations.
Within the movie, it is a running theme that women are supposed to look and act a certain way to please men and if they don’t meet these standards, they will not bring honor to their family. Women during this time were “Othered” since they were expected to do everything for the One, which is men. In Mulan’s case, she didn’t meet the standards so she tries to find herself by fighting in the war, which was fro
wned upon by both women and men in society. She ended up outshining the other men and was trusted by General Li Shang. After they found out that she is a woman, she was no longer allowed to fight and did not receive the same respect. She even said to General Li Shang, “You said you’d trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?”. This is a perfect example of the impact “Othering” has on women in particular. Women are more often than not viewed as Other which restricts their involvement in certain activities and the respect women receive compared to men. Throughout the movie, male characters would say that Mulan wasn’t worth anything because she is a woman, but when she was a man she gained a lot of respect due to her fighting abilities. This shows how women are perceived differently just because of their gender. Mulan proves that women are just as capable of being smart and strong 
fighters. Due to Mulan’s overall message, it has become my go-to movie when I need inspiration. It shows that women can do anything they put their minds to, even in the presence of adversity and “Othering”. What impact do you think Mulan had on young girls compared to other Disney Princess movies? After watching, do you believe “Othering” was portrayed in an effective way compared to some of the texts we have viewed in the course? For a mainstream movie, was it a risk for Disney to tell the story of “Othering” from a woman’s perspective (might lose male viewers)?