Many of us are familiar with Mulan, the Disney classic about a girl living under a patriarchal regime who secretly takes her father’s place in the Chinese military. Mulan escapes her fate of falling into the trap of what society thinks a perfect woman and daughter should be and redefines gender roles in her own terms.
In the town that Mulan comes from women are seen as worthy only if they are capable of being a good cook, always looking beautiful, and being obedient. The movie reinforces the prominence of masculinity throughout. One of the ways that Mulan demonstrates this idea is by only letting men go to fight. Not only does this demonstrate that men are the only powerful ones but even the men who are “girly“ have to be turned into real men by becoming strong and good fighters. During the scene where the men are training for war, the captain is sending the message that being womanly is not acceptable for a soldier. The song that is sung during this scene highlights the fact that men are the ones who must be strong and a force to be reckoned with in the war.
On the other hand, Mulan corrects this injustice by reinforcing the idea that being a woman does not create any setbacks, and being a woman in her town can mean so much more than being beautiful and obedient. She takes her father’s place, trains with the men, and ends up victorious showing that the stereotype that only strong men can go fight is irrelevant. Not only does Mulan become just as physically strong as the men, but it is also her wit and her mind that allows her to outperform the men. Mulan also does not have the typical Disney princess desire of having a man come to save her or dreaming of romance, instead, she goes out and fights for herself and her family.
