mulan feminism essay

Mulan: A Feminist Icon in Disney’s Princess Franchise

Mulan: Defying and Changing Notions of Gender in Disney

Disney Studios is currently one of the largest companies in the entertainment industry. One of the prominent productions is their animation studio works. Disney has been producing animation since 1937 with its debut animation, Snow White. Snow White has now become part of a long line of feature films known as the “Princess Franchise”. The Princess Franchise is known for creating a series of Disney princesses, who feature as the female protagonists in the film. This was a milestone in the representation of females as protagonists. However, it is notably problematic as several of these princesses are characterised as victims and are rescued by a “handsome prince”. This notion was built on the idiom “a damsel in distress”. Most of these princesses were constructed in the same storyline, where a fair, slim, caucasian girl is rescued. 

This notion was built to please the views of conservative, mostly white,  audiences in the patriarchal society. This image began to change with Jasmine, being the first non-caucasian princess and Pocahontas, being the first princess to save her prince, both princesses are still known for their story of women being love interests to men. However, the first film to challenge gender roles, break stereotypes, and the “typical” Disney princess is Mulan. Despite not being a real princess, she was initially added for Asian representation. However, she has become to be a legendary figure in the franchise. She is viewed as a legend for defying gender roles, destroying the notion of “a damsel” in distress and challenging the patriarchy. The following article looks at depictions of honour, gender roles and feminist approaches to analyse the film.

Background History

The 1998 film Mulan, is set in China where the Huns along with their leader, Shan Yu,  are invading China. The fear of her injured father going to war prompts her to go to war in his place disguised as a man (Ping) despite the potential consequences of being killed for being a woman. Mulan’s ancestors send her a companion, a Dragon named Mushu to keep her company. Her commanding officer Li Shang initially asks her to leave, but through her perseverance, Mulan learns to fight, befriends some soldiers and destroys the Hun army.  However, upon being discovered as a woman, Li Shang doesn’t kill her for treason despite the Emperor’s advisor Chi-Fu insisting on the punishment, as she saved him in an avalanche. Hence, Li Shang abandons her in the Mountains. However, Mulan hears Shan Yu, upon the realisation that the Huns are alive, she returns to the city to fight the Huns and saves China.

Notion of Honour

Collectivistic cultures such as China and several other countries across Asia are consciously aware of ensuring the honour of the family is preserved in society. In India and most collectivistic cultures, a woman is expected to uphold family honour by remaining pure until she is married off. Mulan highlights this in the form of impressing the matchmaker to find a man. The movie spells out notions of honour in a song,  aptly titled “Honour to Us All”.

The song features lyrics that define the only way of bringing honour (“A girl can bring her family great honour in one way, by striking a good match), defines what men want from a “good woman” (“Men want girls with good taste, calm, obedient, who work fast-paced with good breeding and a tiny waist) and defines how a man and woman can serve the Emperor (“A man by bearing arms, A girl by bearing sons). This defines the roles of men and women, which is used to introduce the patriarchial society to the viewers. Women are expected to “fulfil their duties calmly and respectfully, reflect before acting which shall bring honour and glory”. Mulan fails to impress the matchmaker and is hence “will never bring her family honour”. Mulan believes she will never bring her family honour for being herself.

However, when her father is commanded to serve, Mulan speaks up for him which causes her father to accuse her of dishonouring him for talking to Chi Fu as women are not to speak over a man. While Mulan argues with her father that he will die, he says it’s for honour, and she should do her part by marriage. Mulan challenges this by taking his place in the war. She is determined and fights to save her country. Despite her victory, Chi-Fu reiterates she is worthless for being a woman. However, she brings her country and her family honour by taking over what is considered a man’s way of bringing honour.

Undoing Gender

Gender roles are very prominent in Disney films where typically women are portrayed as a princess, queen, or homemaker. A Disney princess is an idol for most young children to look up to as role models. Mulan, however, embodies masculine characteristics such as bravery, independence, perseverance, unlike  Disney princesses who preceded. Mulan transforms herself into a man (Ping) to enter the army in her ailing father’s place. She cuts her hair, and dresses as a man and through discipline and determination is able to become one of the best soldiers in the army. Looking back at the Damsel in Distress notion, Mulan fights for herself and her country embodying the saviours ideal previously given solely to men. Looking at Disney princesses through history, all except Mulan, all other princesses present themselves in traditionally feminine clothing. Mulan is notably the only Disney princess to dress as a man. She is also the only female character to fight a man physically. While Mulan updos gender expectations for women, it also introduces the concept of fluidity in gender expression.

To create an example, Mulan uses lyrics in songs to create an idea of gender expectations. As mentioned before “Honour to Us All” dictates expectations of an ideal woman. The depiction of an ideal woman is shown at the beginning where Mulan is dressed in women’s clothing and made to wear traditional makeup. The movie also features “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” where the ideal man is defined. The incompetency of the men is compared to a woman (did they send me daughters and I asked for sons). The song uses the common phrase “be a man” repetitively to define what an “ideal” man must be. It states that a man must be swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon and the strength of raging fire, which are traditional masculine characters. While Mulan is told to leave she is keen on staying and learns to become a soldier where she physically fights Li Shang who she had previously lost to and defeats him. Mulan is a determined on fighting but is uncomfortable with the men singing “A Girl Worth Fighting For” as they travel, as it features men stating what they would want their wives to do (and serve them). The song features lyrics such as “want her paler than the moon with eyes that shine like the stars”, “My girl will think I have no faults”. When Mulan is asked, she says “How ’bout a girl who’s got a brain, who always speaks her mind?” which the other men find boring as it traces back to the notion women being submissive and meant to be looked at.

Two of the most iconic scenes in  Mulan, which deconstructs gender are the cross-dressing scenes. The transformation of Mulan from a woman to a man (Ping) is one such scene. Mulan cutting her hair and dressing up as a man, leaving her flower comb (a feminine object) in place of the order to serve (a masculine object) was the first time Disney portrayed cross-dressing ina amain character. However, the second cross-dressing scene where Mulan’s friends from the army (who sang about what they wanted from a woman (A Girl Worth Fighting For) and were “transformed into the ideal man” at the end of “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” cross-dress. They dress up as women, to appear similar to Mulan when she dressed up to meet the matchmaker. As the men transition from a masculine war attire to the feminine attire.”I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is heard in the background. This hints at how embodying a feminine attire, that did not make them any less of a “man” as they still upheld masculine traits such as bravery, strength and their role as soldiers. The men wore feminine clothing and makeup, which can be seen as creating “gender trouble” by defying norms of clothing and destroying gender stereotypes.

Philosopher Judith Butler’s notion of performative gender by societal norms that reinforce the idea of gender itself, rather than being women or men, prompting individuals act as women and men, thereby creating the categories of women and men. The adaptation of what  Butler calls “Gender Trouble” by defying the binary promotes the liberation of gender norms which is seen towards the end of the film.

Feminist Approaches in Mulan

Mulan became the first-ever Disney princess to embody masculine traits such as clothing, bravery and strength. Before Mulan, there were films such as Pocahontas featured a woman saving a man, but Mulan takes the leap and enters a “man’s world” to fight. In comparison, films that succeeded, such as Brave and Moana took on a more liberal feminist approach. While these films have a strong lead, they focus on enforcing liberal feminist views of gender differences are not based in biology, and therefore that women and men are not all that different. While this promotes films like Moana, where she ventures to save her tribe and Brave where Merida ventures to find help in converting her mother back into a human, these women are embodying and taking on the “saviour” role of the man. Liberal feminism is focused on showing society’s discrimination against women. It fails to look at the intrinsic differences between men and woman, which leads to the thriving of the patriarchy.

However, In the case of Mulan, the film takes a Radical Feminist approach with hints of Liberal Feminism. Mulan looks at men’s pervasive oppression and exploitation of women throughout the film. Throughout the film, the belief that women are different and inferior is seen in the men’s consciousness, right from the lyrics of “A Girl Worth Fighting For” to Chi-Fu dismissing Mulan’s bravery as “that creature is not worth protecting, as she is a woman, she’ll never be worth anything.” Mulan looks at patriarchy and takes on masculine traits, which is frowned upon as they are seen to be the cause of wars and violence. However, to succeed, Mulan uses the patriarchal power of being “Ping” to fight for her country. However, when stripped of her masculine identity, Mulan fights and takes on the masculine role of fighting while being a woman. This is a liberal feminist approach, which encourages men to take on feminine roles, such as nursing, teaching and women to take on masculine roles, in Mulan’s case, fighting in a war and defending her country.

The Legacy of Mulan on Disney

Mulan as a film will remain iconic for its destruction of gender roles and empowerment of women, featuring an Asian woman fighting in place of her father to save his life as well as her country. Mulan’s legacy is yet to be matched as Mulan breaks the glass ceiling set by Disney for its princesses. While the ideal woman’s way of honouring her family is through marriage, Mulan is initially forced into doing so which she does not want. Hence,  Mulan upholds her family honour by fighting in place of her father for her country. The film features an array of music and uses lyrics to display traditional gender expectations.

Creating awareness of stereotypes and sexism, the film promotes unconventional gender roles such as a woman physically fighting and defeating a man, excelling at war, fighting the villain. Despite being disguised as a man, she is firm in her beliefs and states that she would want a girl who’s got a brain, who always speaks her mind, which is struck down by other men. The movie introduces gender performativity through clothing where Mulan dresses as a man to fight while her friends from the army dress up in traditional female costumes with makeup to rescue the Emperor from Shan Yu. This can be a form of creating “Gender Trouble” as stated by Philosopher Judith Butler by defying the binary and promoting the liberation of gender norms. Mulan paved the way for more women-centric films such as brave. However, Mulan is still considered to be an icon, for she embodies Radical feminist views with hints of Liberal Feminism. Mulan uses patriarchal power as a tool rather than an oppressor as seen in previous Disney princess films.

Mulan created a legacy, taking the leap by creating a film that destroyed conservative views on gender. Despite the risk of facing criticism, Mulan was released in 1998 and was surprisingly well-received as it introduced children to concepts of gender, feminism and promoted viewers to fight to question patriarchy and definitions of gender within their cultures. 

Bancroft, T., & Cook, B. (1998). Mulan [Film]. The United States of America: Walt Disney Pictures.

Lorber, J. (1997). The Variety of Feminisms and their Contribution to Gender Equality. Retrieved 5 August 2020, from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/%5EThe%5E-variety-of-feminisms-and-their-contributions-Lorber/dec287d31a1f8f415a367ab7e01498dc5924e82a

Morgenroth, T., & Ryan, M. (2018). Gender Trouble in Social Psychology: How Can Butler’s Work Inform Experimental Social Psychologists’ Conceptualization of Gender?. Retrieved 5 August 2020, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01320/full

Singh, P. (2016). My Life Your Honour?: On Women’s Bodies, ‘Safety’ And Honour. Retrieved 5 August 2020, from https://feminisminindia.com/2016/09/30/honour-killing-stalking-women/

Shubha Arvind

Shubha Arvind is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology with an Open Minor at FLAME University. Her passion for culture studies, sociology and film and she aims to focus her minor around them. She actively participates in discussions and hopes to make a change. Her hobbies include playing the violin, swimming and art.

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, how disney's "mulan" brazenly challenges gender and sexuality.

Disney's " Mulan " came out right around the time my generation started watching movies in earnest. Long after Disney’s Golden Age (1937-1942), Millennials’ grew up during the animation giant's important soul searching phase: the Disney Renaissance (1989-1999). We saw non-traditional families, people of color in lead roles and a general break from the norms of Disney princess storytelling. This new art was an essential part of growth for a generation that is more fluid  (and more free to be fluid) about labels and identity than those that came before us.

Millennials are especially familiar with the tail end of that wave—when smaller films popped up in the wake of giants like " The Lion King " and "Beauty and the Beast." It was around the time the studio began to pivot toward 3D computer generated animation (a trend that gained steam throughout the 2000s) that a few truly unique films made it to production. Among those were " Lilo and Stitch ," a radical film for its time and, along with this year’s " Moana ," one of the only mainstream examples of a non-white, non-princess to come out of the Mouse House. The other film that fits this mold is, of course, "Mulan."

"Mulan" sticks out even more than "Lilo and Stitch" for managing to cast a largely Asian—if not always Chinese—stable of actors. ("Lilo and Stitch" did feature Tia Carrere as Nani and use some Hawaiian authentic music, but largely relied on a white cast and crew.) And yet as unique as "Mulan" was for pulling such a diverse and interesting cast (in 1998, no less), it is even more remarkable for its treatment of gender and sexuality. To explore "Mulan's" subversive tendencies, we must first understand what archetypes the film challenges. 

THE BADASS PARADIGM

In many (if not most) action films throughout the 20th century, female characters functioned as damsels. They existed for male characters to fight over or rescue. To combat this trend, filmmakers started to turn damsels into badasses. 

These kung fu mastering/gun toting/butt kicking women (think Trinity from " The Matrix ") were physically imposing and more aggressive than their predecessors. But issues arise when this approach is relied on exclusively to produce "strong female characters." It reduces female strength to how well it can imitate male physicality. This can manifest in a few unfortunate ways, leading to a phenomenon I like to call “badass fatigue”: filmmakers relying on badass attributes to excuse thinly written female characters. In the process, their female leads lose nearly (if not all) agency and complexity.

Forcing female leads to function as physically imposing forces implies that traditionally male characteristics are necessary for women to achieve agency in the badass paradigm. For the paradigm to work, these women must be physically strong and, if possible, they must defeat men in combat to prove how strong they are. 

The product of this is a "strong female character" in the most literal sense—but not where it matters. Simply being a physically domineering badass doesn't mean you won't be swept aside when the plot demands it (see Tasha Robinson's excellent article on "Trinity Syndrome" for more). Further, this rigidity trains millions of young women, feminine men and other genders to feel like they're not strong enough, or indeed worthy of their humanity, because they don't naturally exhibit traditionally masculine tendencies.

STRENGTH IN FEMININITY

At first blush, "Mulan" looks exactly like the kind of movie that traffics in the regressive ideology of the badass paradigm. The elevator pitch for the film is, "Young woman fills in for her ailing father to fight in the Emperor's army by pretending to be a man, outshines her male counterparts and then saves China." The movie goes to lengths to have us believe Mulan ( Ming-Na Wen ) is an archetypal badass.

To do this, "Mulan" begins by establishing a gendered social hierarchy for its title character to rebel against. Indeed, in the first song of "Mulan," “Honor to Us All,” other women bathe, clothe and prepare her like a doll to meet the matchmaker. She is told that her manners and appearance will win her a husband, and in doing so, she will bring honor to her family. The consequence of not conforming is literally “uproot[ing] her family tree.” As she theatrically fans herself in a struggle to impress the matchmaker, the weight of her ancestors hangs on her shoulders.

This moment leads to the song “Reflections,” wherein she considers the duality of her identity. She has been asked by her family and her community to fulfill a role of abject conservative femininity. Yet Mulan knows that not only will she never be the person her family expects, but that she won’t even “pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter.” Note the use of “pass” here, a loaded sociological term that has meaning across everything from race and religion to gender and sexual identity.

"Mulan" continues to lure us into the comforts of a well-worn badass trope when she rebels against these expectations and leaves to join Li Shang’s (B.D. Wong) regiment in the army in her father’s stead. Note here that Mulan’s agency is still merely in filling her father’s shoes; her identity is locked into proving she can do a man’s duty.

In the camp, she is instantly confronted with signs of traditional masculinity: boastful gruffness (a minor accident leading to an all-camp brawl) and repellant social habits (picking toes, spitting). This world which Mulan sought for herself couldn’t be more antithetical to the vision of traditional femininity we experienced with the matchmaker. Again, the film paints a black and white gender divide which erodes over the course of the narrative.

The most popular song off the soundtrack, blatantly titled "I'll Make a Man Out of You,” immediately has double meaning. Li Shang challenges his recruits’ idea that gruffness and poor social habits are the measure of manhood. Instead, he has his soldiers fulfill their masculine promise by becoming refined fighting machines. In parallel, of course, Mulan becomes a “man” by this new definition. This transition is, not coincidentally, communicated through a brilliantly animated and edited training montage reminiscent of the ultra masculine " Rocky " and so many other copycats that it inspired.

The film goes further to suggest that it's succumbing to the badass paradigm throughout the montage. Mulan—now going by the pseudonym Ping—outdoes her peers on every task. She even manages to figure out how to get the arrow from the wooden pole in the center of camp, a task none of the bigger, stronger recruits manage to do. Gone are the feminine-centric songs that began the film like "Honor to Us All." She has become, as far as the audience is concerned, “a man.”

But has she? Successful training is indeed how she captures Shang's attention, but it isn't how she ultimately defeats the Huns. When the army finally does face down with Shan-Yu ( Miguel Ferrer ) and his band of raiders at the mountain pass, Shang and his warriors find themselves woefully outmatched. It's Mulan's ingenuity—using a rocket to target the snowbank and cause an avalanche—that eventually buries their enemies.

This is significant. Here a lead female character doesn't use strength to prove herself, but rather wit. This is even more jarring after we spend a good deal of time watching Mulan not only meet her fellow soldier's feats of strength, but outdo them. By neglecting her successful training in the camp, this moment undercuts the value of physical strength (and indeed masculine traits) entirely.

CHALLENGING THE BADASS PARADIGM

Directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook don't stop there. Mushu and Cri-Kee see the unvanquished villains emerge from the snow and head for the Forbidden City, promising yet another showdown as they try to assassinate the emperor. And once again, Mulan is the only one left to save the day.

The film takes an even bolder stance on gender in the finale. Mulan uses her smarts (again) to concoct a plan to defeat Shan-Yu as she did on the mountain. This time, however, she wields the femininity she allegedly rejected at the film’s onset in conjunction with what she learned from Shang. 

Consider how she takes back the palace after Shan-Yu's men break in and take the emperor hostage. Mulan asks her friends from the army, Yao ( Harvey Fierstein ), Ling ( Gedde Watanabe ) and Chien-Po (Jerry Tondo), to dress up in distinctly feminine clothes and makeup. The whole sequence harkens to the ultra-feminine satirical number “Honor to Us All,” where the film makes it clear that Mulan rejects strict gender roles. Yet here, she calls on this experience to ask her team to engage with Shan-Yu's men as women by adopting traditionally female traits. 

And it works. First, Mulan and her pals manage to scale the side of the palace using the sashes from their outfits—again, explicitly using feminine accoutrements to achieve their goal. Upon entering the building, they then dupe the guards into thinking they're women (and therefore non-threatening) and knock them out. 

"Mulan" breaks from the badass paradigm in two ways as its title character takes initiative in the climax. Most obviously, Mulan and her allies prey on the presumption by Shan-Yu's men that women pose no immediate danger to their well-being. Despite the fact that they’ve suddenly appeared in a locked-down palace, Shan-Yu’s soldiers think nothing of their presence and shrug them off as “concubines.” But deeper than that, Mulan also builds on lessons she learned not only from Shang’s training, but from the matchmaker and her own family, as well.

Of course the film doesn't go so far as to say that the restrictive, rather oppressive nature of female roles in the opening scene are the ideal. But it does suggest that the femininity baby need not be thrown out with the patriarchal bathwater. This is a point often lost on directors and writers who trade in badass fatigue. There is strength in femininity , and feminine people do not need to forego their personality and behavior to gain agency. 

The scene takes the message further when Yao, Ling and Chien-Po all willingly engage with this plan despite their obviously masculine demeanor. Their lack of protest is a statement from the filmmakers; once again, they challenge the notion that femininity and male identity are mutually exclusive, and that femininity represents weakness. At no point during this plan are any of the gang seen as fragile, clumsy or meek. They brazenly push ahead with their task (following a woman's lead, no less) and deal with Shan-Yu in the process. 

It is worth noting here that "Mulan" suggests a combination of classical femininity—the crew’s outfits and demeanor—and masculinity—physically taking down the guards—is the true foil to the huns. We see at the mountain pass that simply training to become “a man” isn’t sufficient. "Mulan" nudges that merging these identities in strength is the key to success, branded here as “saving China.”

On the rooftop, Mulan finally defeats Shan-Yu using yet another combination of femininity and ingenuity. First, she disarms him using her fan. This is significant; this is the very same object she used in her meeting with the matchmaker—a heretofore intrinsically feminine symbol in the film’s visual language. Yet on the roof, Mulan uses it to trick the physically imposing Shan-Yu into losing his sword. From there, she uses a foot swipe she learned in her hand-to-hand training with Shang to trip Shan-Yu, setting him up for a firework finish from Mushu ( Eddie Murphy ). She finally bests her archetypal male foe with a clever fusion of the masculine and the feminine, demonizing neither in the process.

"MULAN," ROMANCE AND SEXUALITY

The other related trope "Mulan" manages to undercut is how it handles romance and attraction. Once again, the film appears on the surface to succumb to the same pitfalls of so many other Disney films: woman meets man, woman has a troubled life or a secret, man saves or validates her, a conflict arises and is resolved and then they get married. It is the classical Hollywood narrative, as based on traditional sexuality and gender roles.

Some films in Disney’s recent past eschew this trend. Although it features romance between two of its main characters, " Frozen " (2013) puts its focus on the relationship between sisters Anna and Elsa. In the recently released "Moana," the titular lead never treads on romantic ground at all. "Mulan" doesn’t play out this way. Bankcroft and Cook take a riskier approach: break down the traditional Disney romantic path down piece by piece instead of sidestepping it.

LI SHANG’S ATTRACTION

When Mulan and Li Shang meet, Mulan has assumed the identity of Ping. For all intents and purposes, Shang has no idea that Mulan is in disguise. To him, Ping is just a scrawny, clumsy male soldier. This is the first moment the film makes a clear delineation between "Mulan" and films in Disney’s princess pantheon. Instead of a woman meeting man, we have a man meeting a man.

This context is what makes Li Shang’s attraction to Ping all the more interesting. Once again, we turn to the famous montage sequence where Shang begins to take notice of Ping's quick learning, physical acumen and inventive methods of meeting his challenges. As they train, Shang expresses pleasure at Ping’s progress through body language.

Disney, of course, never goes so far as to allow us to see Shang making any overt romantic gestures toward Ping. Yet, perhaps to foreshadow an eventual romance, we do get a few stolen glances from Shang. As Ping continues to try and blend in with her peers and prove herself to the captain, Shang becomes increasingly affectionate. What starts as head shaking and disregard becomes a genuine smile when Ping defeats him in hand-to-hand combat. 

This repeats when Ping (Mulan) tosses down the arrow from the wooden pole. She sits at the top with a smirk, perhaps unaware of Shang's genuine admiration and affection from below. At this point, Mulan has proven herself in every way except the traditionally feminine. Despite this, Shang shows genuine interest—something he withholds from the other soldiers under his command.

We see more of this attachment a few scenes later. The scene opens with a rousing (and arguably ironic) rendition of "A Girl Worth Fighting For" as each soldier pitches in their vision of the perfect woman. These often come down to the superficial traits discussed in “Honor to Us All”: appearance, the ability to cook. Yet Shang doesn’t contribute to the song after heading up the previous number in the camp. Even Chi-Fu ( James Hong ) and Ping/Mulan get a verse in, the latter pining for “a girl who’s got a brain, who always speaks her mind.” Shang’s lack of participation is perhaps another hint at his disinterest in traditional ideas of sexuality and gender norms.

Just as the song ends, the film's most devastating moment lands as the company reaches the Tung Shao pass. There they find a smoldering village and Shang's father's defeated army: decimated, burnt to the ground by the Huns. All that's left is a little girl's doll.

Shang is understandably devastated by the revelation. He solemnly builds a shrine in his father's honor. Behind him, Ping waits in solidarity. At this point, we are led to believe that Ping, of all the soldiers, has enough familiarity with Shang to be there for him in his grief. Shang even rests his hands on Ping's shoulder, wordlessly expressing his thanks for sharing the pain.

We see this gesture again when Ping saves Shang's life moments later. Shang says he trusts Ping now more than ever before, again laying a hand on her shoulder. Shang becomes even more intimate when he learns that Ping is wounded; he calls for help and then offers words of encouragement as Ping fades out of consciousness. When the scene refocuses, Shang paces anxiously outside Ping's tent as he worries after her health.

"MULAN" AND THE SEXUALITY BINARY

Mulan awakens to learn that the façade has been lifted. The whole camp now knows that she's a woman. Yet it isn't for being a woman that Shang rejects her service. In the moments just prior to her passing out, we learned that Shang trusts her. It is the violation of this trust (and perhaps Shang's own confused feelings) that leads to his anger and her rejection. Of course, his affection is also likely the deeper reason for him sparing her life (and leaving her a sword) against official law.

What does this mean about Shang's sexuality? We can only speculate, but it certainly paints a picture of someone who found himself attracted to someone who presented as a man for part of the film. While Ping does eventually turn out to be a woman, Shang appears to be attracted to the person regardless of gender. 

Too often in film, sexuality is limited to a strict binary. A film is either a "gay romance film" or a "romance film" (because straight is the default norm in films about love—a discussion for another time). Characters are almost never allowed to be bisexual or pansexual, certainly not in the leading role. 

And yet here we see Shang demonstrate affection for someone whose gender is fluid throughout the movie (at least outwardly). This is a unique feat rarely repeated. And as we soon see, his love for Ping/Mulan never really dies.

In the final scene of the film, Mulan has fully unveiled her identity and Shang still wants to marry her. He knows her masculine and feminine qualities. For him, gender isn't locked into a rigid category per the matchmaker's (and tradition's) decree. He loves Mulan—or Ping—for who she is. He realizes that as much as Mulan lied about her name, she didn't lie about who she was: an industrious fighter and a quick thinker. She is, as discussed, a fascinating marriage of masculine and feminine identity. 

SHANG’S AMBIGUOUS SEXUALITY IMPROVES THE NARRATIVE

There is some level of ambiguity about Shang’s sexuality. It may be that the stolen glances and camaraderie between himself and Ping are nothing more than platonic friendship building between two men. I would counter this point in two ways. 

First, aside from the fact that Shang doesn't show anyone else this level of attention in the camp, it is possible that Shang could never and would never have moved on his feelings for Ping due to the nature of their relationship as commander and soldier. That doesn't mean the feelings weren't there, but it does preclude open expression beyond subtle looks and gestures and explains why this connection isn’t made more explicit.

Second, the story works better if Shang has feelings for Ping and Mulan. The only way to make the final moments of the film meaningful is to have Shang build his romantic interest in Ping/Mulan from the start. If all Shang has seen of Mulan is her saving the emperor, then he's known her as a woman for approximately a few hours. In any good romance story, that wouldn't precipitate a marriage proposal. Conversely, if Shang built his affection from the moment he met Ping to the conclusion of the narrative, then the romance has a full, almost classical narrative arc. Indeed, Mulan and Shang’s relationship does in many ways follow the traditional Disney framework, but radically redefined with a more fluid spectrum of gender and sexuality.

"MULAN"'S WRESTLING WITH IDENTITY IS KEY TO ITS SUCCESS

On the surface, "Mulan" appears to adhere perfectly to the badass paradigm: a woman becomes a “strong” lead by virtue of her physical competency. However, closer examination of the film reveals that the story emphasizes strength in femininity and ingenuity, not physical power. Primary male characters also adopt feminine traits in order to defeat the the film’s villains. Mulan therefore becomes the consummate strong female character not (only) because she is literally strong, but because she demonstrates agency in every phase of the narrative. Her mode of success transcends gender, a theme so powerful it affects her peers and causes them to break out of their own gender norms.

Mulan also inspires Shang to explore his feelings someone he knows as a man for most of the film. Yet the only sensical reason for Li Shang's proposal at the conclusion of the film is that he fell in love with Ping long before he knew she was Mulan. And it is her explicitly depicted expression of the traditionally male and female that wins her Shang’s heart.

The fluidity of sexuality, like gender, sets "Mulan" apart from other films. And in the process, it produces a narrative that continues to work as a benchmark for not just animated films, but all fictional storytelling. Even "Moana"— in some ways a spiritual heir to "Lilo and Stitch" and "Mulan"—skips romance in avoidance of the well-worn Disney tropes. "Mulan," conversely, embraces and wrestles with this element in a way we so rarely see, particularly in family-oriented storytelling. It is this aspect that makes "Mulan" such an important film for Millenials and marginalized communities. I hope that in addition to featuring an Asian cast in the 2018 live-action remake of "Mulan," these important narrative elements aren’t lost in translation, either.

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Mulan — Feminism Representation in the Movie Mulan: Literature Review

Feminism Representation in The Movie Mulan: Literature Review

• Categories: Empowerment Movie Review Mulan

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Words: 1076 |

Published: Jul 15, 2020

Words: 1076 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Works Cited

• Dundes, L. (2010). Revisiting Mulan's legend and Disney's film: Reception and criticism. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 38(1), 19-27.
• Streiff, M., & Dundes, L. (2011). Princesses in progress: Disney's Mulan and The Princess and the Frog. In D. J. Herdieckerhoff (Ed.), Reading the child in children's literature: An hermeneutical approach (pp. 145-162). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
• Hsieh, I., & Matoush, J. (2016). Mulan in translation: The hybridization of Disney's animated film in Chinese culture. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 3(1), 23-35.
• Xiong, C., & Tian, C. (2018). Analysis of Chinese culture in the translation of Disney's Mulan. Journal of Translation and Linguistics Studies, 1(2), 45-60.
• Limbach, G. (2012). Mulan and gender roles: Analyzing the female warrior archetype in Disney's animated film. In M. F. Schultz & D. W. Schultz (Eds.), Disney and philosophy: Truth, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust (pp. 131-143). The University Press of Kentucky.
• Smith, M. (2014). Exploring the feminist narrative of Mulan: Disney's contributions to gender representation in film. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 30(2), 85-101.
• Bell, E. (2015). The Mulan myth: Representations of gender and cultural identities in Disney's Mulan. Journal of Popular Culture , 48(2), 231-251.
• Chen, Y. (2017). A feminist analysis of Disney's Mulan. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 42(4), 453-476.
• Liu, Y., & Xu, Y. (2019). The transformation of Mulan in Chinese and American culture. Modern China Studies, 26(3), 31-45.
• Han, J. (2020). Unveiling Mulan's identity: A feminist analysis of Disney's Mulan. Studies in Literature and Language, 21(4), 46-57.

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In a popular children’s science experiment, a bowl is filled with water and sprinkled with pepper, which floats on the surface. The scientist (probably mom or a teacher) then drops a squirt of dish soap into the bowl, and upon the soap touching the water, the pepper flies to the side. As far as Disney princess movies go, Mulan is the dish soap in a bowl sprinkled with the movies that came before it. When the film was released in 1998, it was dramatically different from the likes of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. It was ahead of its time and a welcome change, and it pushed all the Disney renaissance classics to the side.

This year,  Mulan turns 20, and in the two decades since its release, a lot has changed for women in culture and society. While other Disney princess movies become dated and labeled as anti-femme or condescending, Mulan remains a pillar of feminism in a time when it’s more important than ever to see that idea on screen.

In contrast to the films in which princesses need to be saved, Mulan did the saving, and in doing so influenced a generation of girls and women who have grown up to create #MeToo and #TimesUp, march on Washington for the right to govern their bodies and fight for an equal place in society. Mulan taught us lots of things, and with talks of a live-action movie in the works since 2015, she will continue to inspire us for years to come.

First and foremost, Mulan is not a princess. She’s a commoner and a deviant from social constructs, yet she doesn’t hesitate at the chance to save her father’s life. She’s a witty, charming and courageous woman, but even before she slices off her hair with a sword, Mulan is wary of the cultural standing of the women in her day. She tries hard to please and behave how she’s supposed to, but she can never seem to force herself into that mold.

In an early Mulan  scene, our heroine is washed, made up, tied into a kimono and thrown in a line of women about to be tested for marriage readiness by a matchmaker. Her mother, grandmother and the rest of the village ladies crow “Please bring honor to us all” while painting on their makeup and handing them umbrellas. The women will be assigned a husband based on their appearance and housekeeping skills like, you know, pouring tea.

As kids, we’re immune to the implications of such a scene. Heck, I sang along and owned a replica of Mulan’s subservient pink kimono dress. But thank goodness this is only a comedic, stage-setting song because looking back, we can see how constricting Chinese culture was for these women. More than that, the scene speaks to the way women have been regarded in popular culture at large—as a gender meant to uphold a home and be seen but not heard. Mulan tried to fit into that, but the overwhelming message of her story is that girl power means more than playing a role cast for you by society.

When Mulan joins the army in place of her wounded father, she has to pretend to be a man. She tapes up her chest and practices man things like spitting and a more masculine way to eat. Naturally, Mulan struggles to match the brute force of the competitive soldiers, but she excels on her cleverness and ability to persevere.

Take that scene in which the soldiers have to fetch the arrow from the top of a pole. All the overcompensating men attempt to hanker up the wood using strength and show, but Mulan (known as “Ping” by these guys) uses the weights to repel up the pole and seize the arrow. It shows girls they are just as capable as men at any task, and it’s OK to use your unique strengths to produce the same result. It’s also OK to fail a few times before you reach the top.

The idea resurfaces in the avalanche scene. The Huns track down the imperial army, but as the small troop begins to embrace a hero’s death, Mulan’s cleverness saves them all. The men had planned to rely on their strength, but Mulan grabs the last cannon and runs straight for the Huns, aiming the weapon at the side of a mountain to cause an onslaught of snow. It’s not a typical princess move. Mulan is not your average maiden in a fancy dress. She’s the type of lady who will grab an explosive and run straight into the fight.

When her fellow soldiers eventually realize Mulan is a woman, they’re in a pickle. The penalty should be death, but Shang, the captain of their squadron and Ping/Mulan’s love interest (there’s a lot to unpack there, but that’s for a different story), spares her life because she had saved his own. The soldiers leave Mulan in the snow and march home, but after they’ve left, Mulan realizes some of the enemy soldiers survived. She rushes to catch up with the men who left her, but they won’t listen to her when she arrives, because a) they’re still mad about the cross-dressing and b) hey, what woman hasn’t experienced disregard from a man?

So when the evil Hun,  Shan Yu, pops out of the woodwork and kidnaps the emperor, it’s up to Mulan alone to defeat him. She uses her new military skills and her longstanding courage to save Shang’s life and rescue the emperor. In an act of what can only be poetic justice, some of the soldiers actually have to dress like women to deceive the Huns and help Mulan claim victory. Our heroine once again proves the sharp wit of a woman can beat stereotypes and be enough to save the day. She proves women are more than porcelain dolls. They’re warriors.

As 21st-century women call for equal pay and opportunity, the legacy of  Mulan sets a powerful example. The movie was a catalyst for a more feminist Disney, and Mulan herself was made the way for princesses like Merida and Moana: bold, brave and interested in finding adventure above finding a prince. As the fight for equality continues, Mulan reminds women today to fight like a girl and refuse to be silent.

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A strong and authentic human, feminist theme guides 'Mulan'

Yifei Liu stars in the title role in "Mulan." (CNS/Disney)

by Rose Pacatte

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Long ago in China, during the time of emperors, Hua Mulan (Yifei Liu) is a young woman of marriageable age. Although her rural village is small, a matchmaker (Pei-Pei Cheng) is employed to find her a suitable husband. The problem is Mulan excels in martial arts and doesn't want to be married.

This stresses her mother, Hua Li (Rosalind Chao), but her sister, Hua Xiu (Xana Tang), admires her. The other females in the village, however, look down on Mulan when the matchmaking efforts fall apart.

Along the Silk Road trade route, the warrior Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee) leads his Rouran hoards toward the Imperial City to take over China, leaving devastation in his path. In response, the emperor (Jet Li) commands that one male from every family must join the imperial army to stop Khan. But Mulan's father, Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma), a hero who was injured in previous wars, only has two daughters, so he must join the army.

Mulan cannot accept her father's sacrifice. She steals his sword, a gift from the emperor with the words "loyal, brave and true," engraved on the blade to describe Zhou's character. She dresses like a young man and makes the treacherous journey to the training camp where she joins other young men who have been conscripted to fight Khan.

Khan has a secret weapon, however, a witch, Xianniang (Li Gong), who is a shapeshifter, and is employed to cause havoc so Khan wins his battles. Xianniang was cast out from her village as a child because of her abilities and Khan took her in and gave her a home, recognizing her powers as no one else ever had.

Mulan successfully hides her gender but because she will not shower, the men in her unit complain about how badly she smells. Chen Honghui (Yoson An), a young man in her unit, admires Mulan, but she does not want to be friends with anyone. She does promise her unit, however, that they will be safe in the battle to come.

" Mulan " is the best live-action film to come from Disney in a very long time. Directed by Niki Caro, who gave us the luminous " Whale Rider " in 2002 about another young girl called to leadership, revisits familiar thematic territory with a much larger budget.

I first watched "Mulan" on my 18-inch computer screen but it deserves a very large screen because there is so much to take in. The beauty of the cinematography by Mandy Walker is incomparable and the soundtrack includes melodies from Disney's 1998 animated version of "Mulan," rather than the songs themselves.

Usually, too many writers spoil the soup, so to say, and with four writers, Disney took a big chance at losing or skewing the plot, as they did with its 2012 film "Brave." Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin wrote the screenplay that some critics feel favored action over character development. I was engaged in the story from beginning to end, looking to see if the narrative would fall into the Disney romance trap or present an authentic heroic character. I think the current Mulan, as played by Lui, is a young woman her father, family and village could be proud of.

The Bechdel test for women in movies asks three simple questions about the presence of female characters in movies:

• Are there two or more women in the film and do they have names?
• Do they talk to each other?
• Do they talk to each other about something other than a man?

At first glance, it might seem like the film fails this test, but looking carefully, you can see that "Mulan" has a strong and authentic human, feminist theme guiding it. The answer is yes to the first question; yes to question two, though the conversation starts out about men and marriage (and possible romance) but moves soon enough to family, community and the greater good.

As for question three, the women all talk about a man because the culture dictated that marriage was how men and women lived their lives. Though never enthusiastic about possible marriage, once her father was conscripted to the army, Mulan believes her call to take his place transcends whatever good the security of a successful match might give her.

Carrying through the feminist theme, the juxtaposition between Mulan and Xianniang proves to be one of the high points of the film. They begin as adversaries, with Xianniang, who morphs into a hawk when needed, threatening Mulan because "women are not allowed to be powerful." But Mulan calls out Xianniang to be her best self, letting go of the trauma and bitterness of her childhood and servitude to Khan. If you look carefully at this masked character and the beautiful tiara she wears, it is made out of chains.

Actually, both women are hiding their identity, Mulan with her clothing and hair knotted in a bun, and Xianniang with her mask. Their motivations, however, are very different. Neither character becomes free or fully a woman until they have the courage to reveal their true identity.

Birds are used as important symbols throughout the story. The film opens with a young Mulan chasing down a renegade chicken and Xianniang turning into a predatory hawk, a negative view of woman's power, and ends with the phoenix, a positive feminist symbol of beauty and sacrificial strength.

In an era when "truth" is a precious commodity, and lying or deception in the public square is becoming more normalized because there are almost no consequences, Mulan's deception offers viewers something important to talk about. Sure, it's just a story, but cinematic stories tell us who we are and who we ought to be, says Georgetown University professor and author Theresa Sanders .

This film offers us a chance to ask what I might have done in a similar circumstance, such as being Jewish in Germany during World War II, or being a Christian who is asked to hide people the government is hunting down. Films are a moral laboratory, after all, and a perfect space to talk about things that matter.

[Sr. Rose Pacatte, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, is the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles. "Mulan" is available for purchase on Disney+.]

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Mulan: A critical look at its portrayal of feminism and Chinese culture

The Mulan reboot has sparked several conversations in 2020. Although many people are happy to see an increase of Asian representation in film, others haven’t been as supportive of the Mulan reboot— given the several controversies surrounding it . Cold Tea Collective writer Angie Yu bit the bullet and rented the flick online to see if it managed to hold up to 2020 standards—specifically around topics of feminism and Chinese culture.

Conclusion? This Mulan may not be the feminist we need in 2020.

1998 vs 2020

Disney’s focus to pander to our nostalgia was clear and it’s perhaps the reason why the beginning is the most enjoyable portion of the remake. As an adult, I will have to admit I don’t enjoy the 1998 version as much as I did as a child. Why? Because at the end of the 1998 version, Mulan returns to her family and Shang follows suit to meet her family. She got the man. All is well. She retreats to the countryside to fulfill her womanly duties alongside the men of the household-her father and her husband. Though slightly more subtle in the 2020 version, Honghui becomes infatuated with her and offers his hand in marriage. Again, Mulan got the man. All is well.

Possibly missed by most who have never heard of the original Ballad of the Mulan is the pair of running hares. Mulan’s original story was told in a free verse poem. It ends with Mulan’s army buddies seeing her in ordinary clothes with makeup on. They were not angry at her gender reveal. In fact, they were amazed and simply shocked that they fought alongside a woman for twelve years. In response, she eloquently quotes them an analogy: How can one identify a male hare versus a female hare, while both hares run in a field? Their genders simply cannot be determined. 

When you see hares running in a field, it is not the goal of someone observing them figure out their gender. Eluding perhaps that it’s natural to have missed someone’s gender when you’re not seeking to determine their gender. This scene was added to the 2020 version at the beginning, and I was delighted by it. 

Read also: Op-Ed: We want more than just Asian-inherent roles

Feminism in film

We see Mulan make choices that render her life at the training camp more complicated than her fellow male soldiers. As a woman, she must get up earlier than everyone else. Modern life, not dissimilar, women arguably put more effort into preparing themselves for the day should they choose an appearance that appeals to the masses. A parallel to the reality of the lengths women go to fit themselves into a man’s world, physically, mentally, or emotionally.

We then see Mulan challenge an older female counterpart who has had a difficult path fighting for her right to power. We see the older female sacrifice her life to make way for a younger woman who has more success to “make it in a man’s world.” Screenplay by all-white writers aside, were the writers not at all embarrassed by this troublesome trope?

To be frank, my expectations going into a Disney film is not to see a story that challenges gender norms and modern feminism. What I saw, much to both my expectation, yet also my disappointment, was the reinforcement of a type of feminism that we need to abandon. Feminism is more than what is deemed acceptable to the male cohorts. As emphasized by Hua Zhou at the beginning of the film, only men can achieve chi in this confusing world.

Blessed with the gift of chi, Mulan is then automatically elevated to the same status as a man, thus making her the heroine. This is on the same level as the cool girl trope in many romantic comedies written, surprise, by male writers. A girl is cool if she is cool in the eyes of a man. A girl is equal if she is equal in the eyes of a man.

This movie over-relied on the same heroine traits that were relevant twenty years ago during the 90’s Girl Power Movement. Twenty years later, the film failed to deliver a grown-up version of Mulan, a woman that Gong Li’s character touted and died for. At the very least, the 1998 version pleased a huge western audience with its humour and little girls all around with its princess warrior.

See also: The Paper Tigers: How I Spent Six Years Making a Kung Fu Movie

Chinese Culture in Mulan

What I do see as one of the many explanations for the film’s failure is its position caught between two cultures. In being pulled in both directions, the 2020 version of Mulan is unable to please either side. 

Mulan pays homage to the 1998 westernized version of the story while adding elements from the original Chinese version. What we get is a half-assed story with cheesy dialogue, somewhat salvaged by great cinematography, but paired with incomplete characters arcs unredeemable by beautiful costumes. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the appearance of Fujian tulous in the same timeline as Rourans, in what is supposed to be northern China.

As someone who grew up watching remakes of Jin Yong’s Condor Trilogy and indulged heavily in the make-believe wuxia universe, Mulan’s ability to run up walls and do backflips off of a horse was of no surprise to me. It fits naturally in a movie with Jet Li and Donnie Yen. However, to many Canadian-born Chinese friends of mine, her magical powers ignited with an emotion akin to revulsion and confusion. Though I understand their frustration, as pointed out by a couple of friends who are familiar with wuxia-“yeah, but then, like, everyone should have chi, and it shouldn’t take a woman with special powers to save China.”

See also: Abominable: Animated film to set new Asian milestone

Final Thoughts

Like many who have expressed their honest opinions about the movie, the 2020 version feels surface level. It would be an enjoyable made-for-TV movie, but it is not the grandeur remake we all expected it to be. The Asian representation, much like the roles of Asians in the movie production, is only surface level. The desperation in trying to please both eastern and western audiences reduced the movie down to a confusing story riddled with inaccuracies.

Geopolitical controversies and lack of Asian representation behind the camera, this was subjectively not a good film. These controversies may have been avoided had the executives had formed a more diverse boardroom and a more knowledgeable writer’s room. Let’s hope that the white decision-makers at Disney learn their lesson and take responsibility for the laughable execution of what could have been a fantastic remake.

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Angie Tian Tian

Angie Tian Tian was born in China and grew up in Canada during her formative years. She identifies as bicultural and bilingual, and shares stories of family and identity from the perspective of a 1.5-generation Chinese immigrant through her podcast and her writing. Find her on Instagram @angietiantian or @shitwedonttellmom.

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The History of History in East Asia

MO3055 – University of St Andrews

Feminism in “The Ballad of Mulan” and Disney’s “Mulan” (1998)

The Ballad of Mulan (Ballad) has been retold and adapted into many different forms of storytelling throughout the years. Recently, this narrative has been transformed into films in a western context, specifically in the United States through Disney’s films Mulan (1998) and Mulan (2020). It is particularly interesting how the original Ballad was reimagined in an American setting with slight feminist messages to appeal to a contemporary audience. 

Although Lan Dong argues that the Ballad got readapted to give a “false feminist mentality to children” in the U.S, I believe Disney’s 1998 version of Mulan does highlight a slight feminist message to its young audience, despite inaccuracies between the original poem and Disney’s penultimate Mulan film (excluding the sequel to the 1998 feature). 1 More than that, I believe the original Ballad illustrates a feminist message as well. 

Firstly, I would define the term ‘feminism’ (or ‘feminist’) as a movement in which women strive to become equal to men in all aspects of society, politically, economically, and socially. It is the promotion of gender equality. Secondly, I will discuss how the differences between the Ballad and the film and ultimately highlight that both the Ballad and the film do highlight a slight feminist message to its young audience, despite it being limited by its cultural context.

The Ballad depicts the story of Mulan as a filial pious daughter who stepped into a male role (through cross-dressing) to fulfil her duties as a daughter to help her father who could not join the army. The Ballad reaffirms traditional family values and a sense of gender equality because it narrates a story of a woman being celebrated for being dutiful to her emperor and to her father, highlighting Confucian values. At the end of the Ballad, Mulan resumes her duty as a daughter. Although some may argue that this hinders the feminist message, I believe it still portrays a sense of gender equality because the ending shows no-one knew of Mulan’s true identity and she was still celebrated from her “messmates” for being a warrior. 2  

Moreover, the movie depicts a similar ending; Mulan joins the war in place of her father after failing to be a dutiful daughter and potential wife. She then goes to fight the war, but her identity is revealed. She goes against leaders and finishes the war, with her true identity as a woman being known, and the emperor accepts this and celebrates her. This difference of Mulan’s identity being shown before she finishes the war is fundamental in highlighting a feminist message to children. Although this does not make sense in the cultural context of the film, this fictional message is important because, in my opinion, it shows children that women can be warriors and can be celebrated for being more than a dutiful daughter or wife. Thus, it is not a “false feminist mentality”, but a heart-warming message to children. 

Therefore, I believe that despite its inaccuracies, the film depicts a subtle feminist message to its audience and tries to pay homage to the original Ballad by depicting the same premise of the Ballad. To emphasise, Disney’s Mulan, as a product of transculturation, does not highlight a “false feminist mentality” (according to Dong), but an aspiring-feminist mentality. Moreover, the Ballad highlights notions of gender equality, which is incredible because of the highly Confucian context where women are deemed as inferior and have no place in wars. Yet, Mulan was celebrated through generations, thus explaining that feminism is apparent in all aspects of society, despite its subtly as Mulan was disguised as a man, and then transformed back into her duties as a daughter.

• Lan Dong, ‘Prologue’, Mulan’s Legend and Legacy in China and the United States (2011), p. 4. [ ↩ ]
• Robin Wang, ‘The Ballad of Mulan’, Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture: Writings from the Pre-Qin Period Through the Song Dynasty, (Cambridge, 2003), pp. 250-254. [ ↩ ]

24 Mulan (1998)

Difference, Power, and Discrimination in Mulan (1998)

By Andrew Arnold

Disney films are notorious for a repetitive and consistent outline and plot line for their animated films. Most often we see some characters have difficulties at home, and often at odds with their parent(s) or guardian(s), they strike it out on their own to prove themselves, and oftentimes, save the place or the people they love from certain demise. From the get-go, Mulan (1998), seems no different. Yet this movie, more fluidly and elegantly than any other Disney flick I’ve seen, captures that same idea but also captures a respect for the way things are, even if they’re not the way our protagonist wants them to be. It’s in this dichotomy of progression and respect that Mulan dictates a commanding and virtuous display of representing, interpreting, and championing issues of difference, power, and discrimination that the western world faced at the time of its creation, and even still today. The character Mulan displays an effort to recognize major areas of societal difference in gender roles, change the perspective of what power means, and challenge the forms of societally-based discrimination faced by women, and non-cisgendered people.

The story of Fa Mulan in the film Mulan is based upon actual Chinese legend. Film critic Roger Ebert, in his review of “Mulan,” writes, “The story this time isn’t a retread of a familiar Western children’s classic, but based on a Chinese folk tale about a plucky Chinese teenage girl who disguises herself as a boy to fight the invading Huns.” Lan Dong in his book entitled, Mulan’s Legend and Legacy in China and the United States , describes how our beloved animated Mulan stems from, “The Ballad of Mulan” in popular folklore. Disney was at the crossroads of upholding Chinese culture and meaning but westernizing the film to be digestible for the American family, and the expectations of a typical Disney movie.

With the Disney Revolution of the 1990s, and growing political processes to support minority group representation, this is especially true. How could Mulan follow this trend and also be a beloved children and family flick? Ebert said it best, “The outcome manages somehow to be true simultaneously to feminist dogma and romantic convention.” Mulan’s journey of taking her life into her hands, stepping into places she should not go, avoiding the traditional matchmaking process, and yet still falling for the charming, heroic, masculine man. Mulan does give the best of both worlds.

In terms of labeling differences of roles, gender, norms, and capability, Mulan hits all the boxes. In, “How Disney’s Mulan Brazenly Challenges Gender and Sexuality,” Soren Hough details this relationship, stating, “We saw non-traditional families, people of color in lead roles and a general break from the norms of Disney princess storytelling. This new art was an essential part of growth for a generation that is more fluid.” Mulan, as a Chinese woman, brings to the picture a different cultural system from what the western world understands and allows Mulan to challenge this culture. Yet, Mulan does not altogether reject this culture. She still respects and honors those who came before and those who are not her. Lan Dong writes, “Instead of being miserable victims or unusual radicals these women are agents ‘who embraced certain aspects of official norms while resisting others.’” This method of acceptant rejection is a new trope to Disney films, and a new trope in many ways to our own society. There is beauty in the past and tradition, but also courage and belonging in the brand new.

The symbolism of power within the film is uniquely displayed not only in its literary aspects, but also in the cinematography of key scenes. Mulan herself sought out power: to be seen as a man, strong and capable, and to bring honor. Even this concept of masculinity is challenged. Masculinity as a marker is redefined by Li Shang, her commanding officer of war, during the famous “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” track and montage. Shang transforms the burly, aggressive, “masculine” men into disciplined warriors: people willing to fight with honor and die for their people. Late in the film, however, Mulan once again adjusts this concept. Hough discusses this transition of power tropes by stating how Mulan used wit rather than raw might. She found power in herself, rather than the standards of power placed ahead of her. At the end of the film, Mulan concocts a plan that involves the raw, masculine warriors dressing femininely to outwit the opposition. This is clearly a bit of a reversal of roles in a comedic manner, but it works to perfection. There is no lost honor in this gender-blurring act, and no less power within femininity.

The most pivotal of scenes comes in the revealing of Mulan’s true identity. She is dragged out of her tent and cast aside by the consular. She is shamed and disregarded. As it is explained, the penalty for her actions is death. Herein lies the biggest moment of power transition. The camera completely flips from a very frontal, level, and bright atmosphere and focus, to a very dark, depth extending, angled picture. We see Shang tower over Mulan in a larger-than-life pose. In most frames we see Mulan huddled under the blanket and her own shame, with a slightly out-of-focus Shang, his back turned, and his respect and trust for her lost. The music transitions to dramatic, rhythmic, cadence. This all builds to the climactic moment of Shang casting down his sword before her rather than striking her down as would have been his duty. Whilst clearly he lost his respect for her as a liar, he respected her, still, as a human, and as a human, he was indebted to: “A life for a life.” We find Mulan has, even in her weakness, accessed power due to her courage and bravery. She has earned her life.

Discrimination is the most key social point to the film. In the final scenes, Mulan returns to Shang in the Chinese capital to warn him of the surviving Huns. This holds key dialogue for the nature of discrimination, not just diegetically, but non-diegetically too. Shang tells Mulan, “You don’t belong here.”

“Shang, I saw them in the mountains. You have to believe me.” Mulan replies. “Why should I?”

“Why else would I come back? You said you trust Ping, why is Mulan any different?” This is the major point Mulan and the film as a whole are making. Mulan stepped out of her place, even crossing gender lines, tradition, and literal Chinese law to do what’s right. Here she is once again doing her best to serve the people she cares about and is once more cast aside. How is she regarded differently than a man? Why should this be so?

Ultimately this comes full circle by the very end of the film. Mulan returns to her father with the emblem of the emperor and Shan Yu’s sword. These are the highest symbols of the highest accomplishments. These surely would bring her father honor as she so desperately desired to do. But he casts them aside with the closing line, “The greatest gift and honor, is having you for a daughter.” Finally, her value is seen. Not for being a man, not for her accomplishments, but for her value as a daughter. Simply someone who deserves to be loved. This is where the conjunction of Chinese tradition and honor, and western ideas and focuses find their meeting ground. Mulan has pushed these boundaries but ultimately finds her way back home once more. Even Shang returns to pursue her as a love interest. Now she is not only the progressive, independent, butt-kicking, woman, but the traditional romantic who still gets the guy in the end.

The messages and themes of Mulan did not strike so resonantly with every viewer, however. Johnson Cheu’s book,  an anthology with many other authors, entitled, Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability , discusses DPD issues and how they are portrayed in many Disney films. The section regarding Mulan is co-authored by Gwendolyn Limbach. An excerpt reads, “Rather than blurring the boundaries between genders, Disney’s Mulan continually differentiates men and women through ‘axiomatic’ concepts of what is female and what is male.” Cheu and Limbach felt that in an attempt to generate an acceptance for gender progression and non-traditionality, they inadvertently further deepened these defining lines. They go on to argue that a true blurring of these defined lines would not be layered in conjunction with several scenes: strictly defining man, woman, and their expected roles. In fact, in each moment of gender “swapping,” it is clear that this is a dramatic shift from one side to the other, and not a spectrum-esque leaning between. This does bring the perspective that in accordance with gender roles, the film does well to progressively adjust, but in gender-binary focused thinking, the film further solidifies more traditional ideas.

Mulan has always been a personal favorite Disney Princess movie. It avoids a lot of the sickly-sweet blind romance tropes of films like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella . Instead, Mulan offers a look into an interesting and new culture. While it is westernized in plot, there is very tangible and meaningful respect given to the origins of the film and the traditional Chinese culture it represents. While we might have a negative reaction to non-western themes like matchmaking, and conscription, Mulan challenges these themes but does not disgrace these ideas. In fact, it teaches that there is honor in these traditions, not shame. Mulan does not put disgrace on its origins. This is so refreshing for Disney. There are few things better than an action-packed, but character-focused, plotline with climax and meaning, not to mention some of the catchiest Disney tracks you’ll ever hear.

While Mulan is a family film, understandable and simplistic enough for the youngest of viewers, there is depth and meaning in the story. There is a harmonious intertwining of cultural and societal ideas. We see traditional Chinese culture meet modern, western romanticism. We see tradition and honor meet progression and courage. We see power in oneself and power in unity. Most of all we see truth, beauty, and meaning in the simplest of stories, and the most complex of moralities. Mulan offers the grand yet subtle displays of difference, power, and discrimination, through one character’s hard decision. How can you bring honor to who you are? How can we truly see who we are? How can who we are meet who we are meant to be? Fa Mulan has plenty to show us.

Cheu, Johnson. Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability . McFarland & Co., 2013.

Dong, Lan. Mulan’s Legend and Legacy in China and the United States . Temple University Press, 2011.

Ebert, Roger. “Mulan Movie Review & Film Summary (1998).” Roger Ebert.com, 19 June 1998, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mulan-1998.

Failes, Ian. “The CG Side of the Animated ‘Mulan’.” Befores & Afters , 29 Sept. 2020, https://beforesandafters.com/2020/09/26/the-cg-side-of-the-animated-mulan/#:~:text=The %20film%20was%20animated%20in,the%20free%20open%2Dsource%20software.

Hough, Soren. “How Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Brazenly Challenges Gender and Sexuality: Features.” Roger Ebert.com, 28 Dec. 2016, https://www.rogerebert.com/features/how-disneys-mulan-brazenly-challenges-gender-and-sexuality.

Rowney, Jo-Anne. “Is Disney’s Mulan Based on a True Story? Meet Hua Mulan, the Chinese Warrior.” Is Mulan Based on a True Story? Real History behind Disney’s Movie | Radio Times, Radio Times, 21 Sept. 2021, https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/mulan-disney-true-story-hua-ballad/.

Difference, Power, and Discrimination in Film and Media: Student Essays Copyright © by Students at Linn-Benton Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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The Woman Warrior, Ode of Mulan and The Mulan Film Essay

Introduction: feminism in the chinese culture and the role of art and literature in it.

In the 21 st century, social roles of women have changed greatly worldwide. However, in some states, the cultural traditions seem to have been hindering the progress. In Chinese society, the image of a woman is traditionally identified as the one of the keeper of hearth and home. However, under the influence of some works of literature and cinema, the stereotypical portrayal of Chinese women may change.

Thesis statement

Although each of the narrations ( The Woman Warrior , The Ode to Mulan and Mulan ) are linked to each other with a single theme of Chinese women emancipation and the introduction of feminism into the Chinese society, the time periods, in which the specified pieces of art emerged did not allow them to have an equal impact on and, therefore, significance for the Chinese society and the role of women in it.

The Ode to Mulan as the Starting Point of the Chinese Feminism: A Challenge to the Societal Standards

A seemingly simple poem, The Ode to Mulan , nevertheless, has had a tremendous effect on the representation of women in China. While the poem puts a very strong emphasis on the traditional family values, it outlines the courage and the resourcefulness of the young woman, therefore, offering a new female character to the Chinese society. From a certain perspective, the poem can be viewed as the introduction of the principles of gender equality into the Chinese society. As the first of a kind, the poem has a historic significance.

The Woman Warrior as the Link between Two Interpretations of the Story of Mulan: Repressions, Stone-Cold Traditions and the Related Issues

A nonetheless significant work of literature created in the 20 th century, The Woman Warrior is important to the culture of China in its own way. Much like the poem, the novel introduces the reader to the lack of equality in gender relationships in China (Yin 65). However, a more sophisticated manner of storytelling, the creation of three-dimensional characters and an incorporation of a range of social and political issues make the novel even more powerful than the poem. Unlike the author of the poem or the creators of the movie, Kingston renders both the necessity for the social change and, most importantly, the cultural implications of it. The author specifies that changing time-honored traditions in such a close community as the Chinese society is not an easy task, and that the transformation must occur on a personal level for the alterations to occur within the society.

The difficulties in changing the social role of a woman manifest themselves in Kingston’s novel as she creates a virtual world, where Maxine creates an idealistic image for her to mimic: “Kingston illustrates the imaginative side of Maxine’s personality as Maxine speculates about No-Name Woman” (Job 83). Otherwise, the author warns, the Chinese women will never be able to reconcile with the new responsibilities and challenges. The past will haunt the Chinese women until they realize the need for change: “My aunt haunts me – her ghost drawn to me because now, after fifty years of neglect, I alone devote pages of paper to her, though not origami into houses and clothes” (Kingston 19).

Disney’s Mulan as a 21 st Century Interpretation: Introducing New and More Challenging Ideas to the Chinese Culture and the Image of a Woman in It

Though Mulan the movie did not have a stellar box office success, it did represent a unique interpretation of the Ballad of Mulan through the lens of the American culture. Dismissing the obvious pop-cultural references in the movie, as well as some of the inconsistencies with the actual Chinese culture, one must admit that Disney’s Mulan raises a range of issues other than the role of a woman in the Chinese society. While the latter subject clearly is the focus, Mulan also offers the audience a range of other debatable issues in a rather subtle manner. For example, the line “Your great-granddaughter had to be a crossdresser!” ( Mulan 00:22:12) taps on such topical social and cultural issues as gender identity and the acceptance of people, who belong to an alternative sexual orientation. It is remarkable, though, that the specified topic, which became a concern in the late XX century and still remains a major social issue in Europe and the U.S. (Blackwell, Ricks, and Dziegielewski 29), has a long and quite peaceful history in China, with its own tradition of non-heterosexual relationships (Gerkin 57).

Naturally, the focus of the movie remains on what the poem revolves around, i.e., the portrait of a woman in the Chinese society and the changes that the role of a Chinese woman had to undergo under the pressure of new environment and new challenges. However, unlike the poem, the movie also puts a very strong stress onto the family relationships. While in the poem, the author mentions the relationships between Mulan and her parents: “They ask Daughter who’s in her thought, / They ask Daughter who’s on her memory.” ( The Ode to Mulan lines 5–6), the movie devotes a lot of attention to the communication between Mulan and her family, particularly, Mulan and her father: “My, what beautiful blossoms we have this year. But look, this one’s late. But I’ll bet that when it blooms, it will be the most beautiful of all” ( Mulan 00:14:00–00:14:03). In a way, the movie represents the relationships between the members of a Chinese American diaspora, as it was created in the United States and, therefore, through the lens of the American culture. Thus, the animated movie seems to have had little effect on the actual portrait of a Chinese woman in the Chinese society, yet has affected the portrayal of the one among the American audience and touched upon a range of topical social issues.

Conclusion: The Tremendous Effect of The Woman Warrior , Mulan and the Disney Interpretation

It would be wrong to claim that each of the works of art mentioned above holds the same value for the Chinese culture and the representation of a woman in the Chinese society, even though the three of them tackle the same topic and address similar social issues. Created in different epochs, they were meant for different types of audience and, therefore, conveyed different messages. Even though the significance of the animated movie can match neither the Ode to Mulan , a “pioneer” in heralding feminism in China, nor The Woman Warrior with its complex plot and a unique perspective on the life in the American Chinese diaspora, each of the three works deserve being mentioned as a step in changing the image of a woman in the Chinese society towards a more democratic and liberating one.

Works Cited

Blackwell, Christopher, Janice L. Ricks, and Sophia F. Dziegielewski. “Discrimination of Gays and Lesbians: A Social Justice Perspective.” Journal of Health and Social Policy 19.4 (2004), 27–43.

Gerkin, Kody. “The One-Child Policy, Gay Rights, and Social Reorganization in China.” Human Rights and Human Welfare. 2014. Web.

Job, Jessica. “The Woman Warrior: A Question of Genre.” Journal of the CAS Writing Program 6.1 (2013–2014), 79–89. Print.

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York City, NY: Vintage International. 1975. Print.

Mulan. Ex. Prod. Pam Coats. Burbank, CA: Buena Vista Pictures. 1998. DVD.

The Ode to Mulan . ca. 386. Web.

Yin, Jing. “Popular Culture and Public Imaginary: Disney vs. Chinese Stories of Mulan.” Javnost – The Public 18.1 (2011), 53–74.

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IvyPanda. (2024, March 20). The Woman Warrior, Ode of Mulan and The Mulan Film. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-woman-warrior-ode-of-mulan-and-the-mulan-film/

"The Woman Warrior, Ode of Mulan and The Mulan Film." IvyPanda , 20 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-woman-warrior-ode-of-mulan-and-the-mulan-film/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'The Woman Warrior, Ode of Mulan and The Mulan Film'. 20 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "The Woman Warrior, Ode of Mulan and The Mulan Film." March 20, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-woman-warrior-ode-of-mulan-and-the-mulan-film/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Woman Warrior, Ode of Mulan and The Mulan Film." March 20, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-woman-warrior-ode-of-mulan-and-the-mulan-film/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Woman Warrior, Ode of Mulan and The Mulan Film." March 20, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-woman-warrior-ode-of-mulan-and-the-mulan-film/.

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