Mulan's Stereotypes
When Mulan finally meets the Matchmaker, the Matchmaker observes Mulan on how she acts and speaks. She makes Mulan recite the Final Admonition, which states “Fulfill your duties calmly and respectfully. Reflect before you act. This shall bring you honor and glory.” The only purpose for Mulan or any women is to bring glory to the family by marrying a person who will help the family, not destroy its reputation. Women are to act fairly and wisely and know how what actions they are acting. By following all these rules, glory will come to all women. This is also further proven in Alexander M. Bruce’s journal, “The Role of the "Princess" in Walt Disney's Animated Films: Reactions of College Students,” where he claims that the role of Disney Princess
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movies all tend to have some sort of gender role or expectations that are set up to portray what the perfect woman should be. Many critics, many of them being feminists, “believe that these films set up false expectations of womanhood, as each female protagonist takes little action and relies upon her own beauty (and in later films even more openly upon her sexuality) in pursuing her primary objective of finding and marrying her "Prince Charming” (Bruce 2). Through the lens of feminist views, Mulan could be considered as one of the many generic Disney princess movies, where the main heroine must use their beauty to meet their “Prince Charming.” They must not be ugly or plain but instead passive and beautiful. Males do not find a woman’s mind or wisdom to be necessary. Instead, they find their looks more appealing than what is truly inside. Mulan tries her best to be the ideal woman that men look for, visually and respectfully.
When Mulan’s father is called to war, Mulan rushes to stop the ambassador from taking him due to the fact that he has already participated in a war.
However, the man giving the scroll to Mulan’s father yells at her saying that she is being completely disrespectful, and should know when and how to speak in the presence of a man. Mulan’s father is greatly disappointed in her, telling her that she has brought dishonor to his name. In this article “Review: The Emperor's Old Groove: Decolonizing Disney's Magic Kingdom,” by Brenda Ayres, she describes how most of the Disney movies have some sort of underlying message to them. Many of these movies depict how woman should act or show the difference in social classes. Many critics who have watched most of the Disney princess movies “promotes any source of female empowerment as evil, and concludes by naming recent animated films such as Aladdin, Mulan and Pocahontas as sexist and xenophobic, declaring that the purpose of the Disney apparatus is that of swaying children to conform to Victorian Western notions of gender behavior. Confusing the readers by oscillating between reiterating the charges that she has already made [urges society] to remember that no man or corporation can depict a morality that is politically correct and acceptable to all of [society]” (194). This demonstrates how Mulan has no right to talk back to the men who have a higher standing than women. Men are superior over women, and they feel great dishonor when they
try to barge in on a topic between men. Mulan, being oppressed by society’s ruling, can not fight against the laws of the government or mens commands. Disney sets the standard of women in western societies and those around the world. Although children are not able to understand what sexism or feminism means, what they watch are imprinted into their minds. Disney princesses are skinny, beautiful, and extravagant thus making many of the girls to be just like them. When Mulan is brought back into the house, the women in the family all have the same thought, which is that the head of the household should not go and attend the war. Since the Mulan’s father is the head of the family, they cannot speak against him, yet Mulan disapproves of this and selfishly acts. She argues with her father explaining that he should not go due to his injuries from the previous war. Her father explains that he has to go because of his pride as a man and as the leader of the family. This portrays how Mulan, no matter what she says, cannot change the mind or actions of a man. She, being a women, has not been taught the ways to hold the family honor that most of the men have as their role. Mulan wants to participate in the place of her father, but Mulan’s father explains that what she is saying right now is out of her league and is only a role that men are responsible for.
movies all tend to have some sort of gender role or expectations that are set up to portray what the perfect woman should be. Many critics, many of them being feminists, “believe that these films set up false expectations of womanhood, as each female protagonist takes little action and relies upon her own beauty (and in later films even more openly upon her sexuality) in pursuing her primary objective of finding and marrying her "Prince Charming” (Bruce 2). Through the lens of feminist views, Mulan could be considered as one of the many generic Disney princess movies, where the main heroine must use their beauty to meet their “Prince Charming.” They must not be ugly or plain but instead passive and beautiful. Males do not find a woman’s mind or wisdom to be necessary. Instead, they find their looks more appealing than what is truly inside. Mulan tries her best to be the ideal woman that men look for, visually and respectfully.
When Mulan’s father is called to war, Mulan rushes to stop the ambassador from taking him due to the fact that he has already participated in a war.
However, the man giving the scroll to Mulan’s father yells at her saying that she is being completely disrespectful, and should know when and how to speak in the presence of a man. Mulan’s father is greatly disappointed in her, telling her that she has brought dishonor to his name. In this article “Review: The Emperor's Old Groove: Decolonizing Disney's Magic Kingdom,” by Brenda Ayres, she describes how most of the Disney movies have some sort of underlying message to them. Many of these movies depict how woman should act or show the difference in social classes. Many critics who have watched most of the Disney princess movies “promotes any source of female empowerment as evil, and concludes by naming recent animated films such as Aladdin, Mulan and Pocahontas as sexist and xenophobic, declaring that the purpose of the Disney apparatus is that of swaying children to conform to Victorian Western notions of gender behavior. Confusing the readers by oscillating between reiterating the charges that she has already made [urges society] to remember that no man or corporation can depict a morality that is politically correct and acceptable to all of [society]” (194). This demonstrates how Mulan has no right to talk back to the men who have a higher standing than women. Men are superior over women, and they feel great dishonor when they
try to barge in on a topic between men. Mulan, being oppressed by society’s ruling, can not fight against the laws of the government or mens commands. Disney sets the standard of women in western societies and those around the world. Although children are not able to understand what sexism or feminism means, what they watch are imprinted into their minds. Disney princesses are skinny, beautiful, and extravagant thus making many of the girls to be just like them. When Mulan is brought back into the house, the women in the family all have the same thought, which is that the head of the household should not go and attend the war. Since the Mulan’s father is the head of the family, they cannot speak against him, yet Mulan disapproves of this and selfishly acts. She argues with her father explaining that he should not go due to his injuries from the previous war. Her father explains that he has to go because of his pride as a man and as the leader of the family. This portrays how Mulan, no matter what she says, cannot change the mind or actions of a man. She, being a women, has not been taught the ways to hold the family honor that most of the men have as their role. Mulan wants to participate in the place of her father, but Mulan’s father explains that what she is saying right now is out of her league and is only a role that men are responsible for.