Princesses can define many different types of people and personalities. Bratty, messy toddlers are often called princesses because of their desire for everything. At the same time, regal, elegant daughters of noble birth are easily called princesses; some even consider a submissive, slim-bodied teenager a princess. Yet, even though so many people can be considered a princess, Mulan, on the other hand, cannot. Mulan does not fit any definition of a princess, as she is not noble, passive, or bratty. Because her father, Fa Zhou, was just a distinguished military figure, not royal or an emperor, Mulan has no royal heritage, nor does she marry a prince that would allow her to be considered a real princess. Mulan’s life does not even follow the typical princess …show more content…
Take Cinderella, for example. She represents the paragon of a princess, both real and animated. Her luxurious blue gown, large blue eyes with tiny feet and a slim waist creates a delicate image. And while Cinderella is thoughtful and hardworking, most people remember her for her glass slippers and fairy godmother (Orenstein). On the other hand, Mulan’s brave actions in protecting her country do not represent the typical portrayal of a weak and composed princess. Specifically, when meeting with the matchmaker, Mulan disliked dressing up, powdering her face, and acting prim and proper; instead, Mulan wore armor and carried a sword. (Coats) This brave character falls nowhere into the delicate image of a princess that Disney uses with countless other princesses such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Ariel. Princesses are not determined by their actions, but rather represented by their beauty and image; thus, because Mulan is not the most proper or girly, she does not relate with the dainty image of real Disney
Mulan goes through being rescued when she fights Shan-Yu on top of the roof of the Emperor’s palace and Mushu helps Mulan pin Shan-Yu down and blow him up with fireworks. Mulan‘s ego decreases when Mushu successfully tries to help her get rid of Shan-Yu. She considers herself a hero now and does not want Mushu to think she cannot fight her own battles. Mulan in the end disregards her ego in order for her to not die on the roof. Mulan crosses the final threshold when she returns to her home with the gifts from the Emperor hoping her family will forgive her for leaving the family to go fight in the war. Her father accepts Mulan’s new power and wisdom and told her that, “The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter.” Mulan’s return to the past is pleasant and safe knowing that nothing can change her family’s love and affection for her. In addition, Mulan enters into the final step in the hero’s journey: the freedom to live. Mulan shows her freedom to live when she invites her soul mate, Li-Shang for dinner. This event marks the end of Mulan dwelling on the past and makes her excited, but not concerned about what the future
Overall, the Disney movie, Mulan, demonstrates gender roles, socialization of gender roles, and consequences of breaking the gender roles. By Mulan going to war for her father, in China, many things were at risk, life, honor, and the country of China, itself. Displaying the characteristics a man had was the only way for Mulan to survive, granted, she was not great at displaying woman characteristics in the first place. Being caught in war, as a woman, meant death, but Mulan was lucky for her bravery when saving Captain Li Shang, for he spared her life, which allowed Mulan to help save China and the emperor in the end. Even though China had very strict gender roles, Mulan broke them to save her father’s life and became the person she was meant to be.
William Shakespeare once said, “[My] honor is my life; both grow in one; take honor from me, and my life is done.” The idea is touched upon in both the book Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston as well as Disney’s Mulan were family honor is more important than anything else. Mulan was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film Mulan retold the story of a woman warrior who took her father’s place in battle and became a savior of China.The movie uses many elements from the original story told in the chapter “White Tigers,” but adds many modern twists in order to make the story more appealing for a newer generation. In both stories of Fa Mu Lan the elements of sacrifice, silence and voice, cultural practices of ancestor worship and filial piety, and Chinese stereotypes are present.
In “Escape from Wonderland” by Deborah Ross, the writer explains how the fictional characters are admired. Although they seem to be sending a bigger message to young girls. The writer talks about drawing a line between fantasy and reality. In the end Ross’s objective is to show how some Disney characters break the femininity and imagination tradition. Which can have an effect in children and how they value their own ability to have unique visions. By comparing Alice in Wonderland (1951), The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991) to heroines like Arabella from The female Quixote. “Charlotte Lennox’s (The Female Quixote illustrates both these conservative and progressive plot patterns, for it both draws upon and criticizes earlier romances, which themselves often both celebrate and punished female imagination and expressiveness. Therefore, like Disney’s movies today, which also use material from romance and fairy-tale tradition”, (pg. 473, Escape from Wonderland). Young women may not only begin to fantasize about a grandeur life more exciting than reality but to be disappointed with society in the workplace and relationships. For example, Meredith from Brave she is a princess that wishes to have a different life than what her mother has planned for her. She refuses to get married and have the duties of a princess. She wants to have adventures and be
...sh and adore. However, next time, do not let yourself be so easily grabbed by the catchy musical numbers and seemingly revolutionary story that is told. Yes, Mulan is an unorthodox heroine who changes all the rules, but she does so by conforming to a flawed system and affecting change from the inside, under the guise of a man. In lieu of doing it as a woman, it is not as girl power filled as many of us would like to believe. She, for the most part, affects all of this change as a man. Once she’s discovered, all her hard work in the training and the relationships she’s forged are all tossed to the wind and she’s quickly relegated back to her place as a lowly woman. However, despite its flawed execution in being a girl power story, it embodies a quintessential feel-good, be true to your heart film that will leave you wanting to affect change in the world around you.
In every society there are certain gender roles that men and women meet either because they are forced or because it is tradition. Mulan and Brave both show two very different teenage girls who are being forced into gender roles. Mulan seems to want to comply with her gender role within the Chinese society; however, Merida makes her point clear about not wanting to accept her gender role within the medieval Scottish society. Mulan is story about a young Chinese girl, Mulan, who runs off to join the army in place of her father and then brings honor to her family without following the traditional gender role she was almost forced into. Similarly, Brave is the story of a Scottish girl, Merida, who is forced into her traditional gender role. Even though both of these girls had gender roles that they would have to take on, both took different attempts to avoid them. Mulan did not know she would change the role of women in her society when she went to war, but Merida knew she would change the roles of women in her society. These girls both knew about the challenges that were ahead but they did not anticpate the impact the the challenges would have on them. Although both these movies show two very strong girls who surpass many obstacles to change destiny, they also send a negative message about women to the audience.
In the Disney film Mulan, the character for Mulan plays an important part to support the example of a woman not satisfied with her state of being and subordinated position in society and therefore, takes action to show others her true capabilities and qualities. This prototype is scarcely depicted in today’s cartoons and films so that children rarely identify with this image. “Mulan” helps to promote this role model of an intelligent woman and could be the first step in breaking gender constraints. In addition, it might teach children that they have to find their own state of happiness rather than trying desperately to fulfill society’s expectations.
Each Disney princess has different positive attributes that make her unique, the most recent Disney princesses are especially fitting in today’s society. In Jena Stephens’ analysis of the three most recent princesses, excluding Anna and Elsa, she describes Rapunzel by saying, “Her forward thinking, desire to prove she is just as capable as a man, and realistic dreaming make her a great role model for young girls”. Whether it is to become a princess and marry her true love like Cinderella or open a restaurant like Princess Tiana, all of the Disney princesses have aspirations. Jena Stephens says, “The words that Tiana sings about the necessary hard work it will take for her to reach her dream stand out as a message to young viewersone that does not covey that love is the only thing that will make girls happy”. Not only do Disney princesses have dreams but they make their dreams come true with hard work. As Liz Gumbinner described her trip to Disney World with her daughters, “The princess luncheon led to a great discussion later in our hotel room, in which we told our girls that it is okay to be strong, smart, hardworking and still dream of marrying a prince”. Disney princesses carry themselves in a humble and confident manner. The princesses are beautiful but they are not conceited. Lastly, they are never stuck up but rather loving and independent which makes their character so
She proved to the people of China that if a woman's dream included being in the army than that could happen, and she had the ability to thrive. Revolutionarily proving that gender roles and stereotypes are nonsense and do not define you. Mulan was the first Disney princess that did not need a man to be her salvation. Even Mulan when she struggled, she never backed down. She brought out the best in others, during her training and when she got stronger everyone else got stronger, people fed off of her bravery and strength, which improved the state of the entire army. Mulan started at the bottom when she first got the to army, however as she became her best self, others did
Men throughout the movie control Princess Jasmine. Her dad has managed Princess Jasmine her whole life, as she has been stuck in the palace because he does not think she will be safe outside the walls. Her father, the Sultan, does not want her to get married to a prince because the law says so, but because as a female, Jasmine will be incapable of taking care of herself as a full functioning adult and must need a lake in her life to providing for her. An example of this is when her father says, “I am not going to be around forever. I just want to make sure you are taken care of, provided for.” Princess Jasmine, herself also says, “I’ve never done a thing on my own.” She has not been given the freedom and independence to make her decisions. There was always a male, as in her father to decide for her. Another example of this is demonstrated when she sneaks out to the marketplace and gets caught for giving away an apple without buying it. Instead of Princess Jasmine being punished for her mistake, she is shown being protected by the male, Aladdin, who is then depicted as the hero, who saved the female, as she is the damsel in distress. In another scene, there is a conversation happening between the Sultan, Aladdin (pretending to be a Prince), and Jafar in which the Sultan says, “Jasmine will like this one” and Aladdin responds with, “I hope she does.” Aladdin then continues to say, “I will win your daughter,” thus objectifying the female as a “prize to be won.” The males around her are trying to make decisions for the woman, once again showing she is incapable of making her decision and using her judgment. The only females shown through the animation are Jasmine and the belly dancers, depicting Middle Eastern women as all being kept women by men for the use of
The classic Disney movie, Mulan, is often praised as a film involving feminist empowerment, but upon closer look just the opposite appears to be true. The classic storyline includes Mulan, a young Chinese woman, taking over her fragile father’s place in the Chinese army, disguised as a man named Ping. She trains among the other soldiers, becoming one of the very best with her accompanying guardian dragon, Mushu and a cricket her grandmother gave her for luck for the matchmakers by her side. She ends up saving all of China by revealing that the Huns are back and invading the country, and is honored as a hero. This movie breaks away from the typical damsel in distress princess story by having a single woman save all of China. However, on Mulan’s journey she faced extreme female shaming, and experienced stereotypes attempting to belittle her; all
Imagine being a princess, but not the regular type of princess you might think of, not a
Disney and old fairytales threaten gender politics and ideal women roles by giving certain stereotypes for domestic and personality traits. Fairytales that have turned into Disney productions have sculpted domestic roles for women that consist of cooking, cleaning and caring for the children. Disney has also created these princesses with personalities that are shy, passive, and vulnerable. The cause of these stereotypes are making individuals obliterate their own identities and becoming clones from the mold that was prepared for
The movie Mulan tells the story of the legendary Chinese woman warrior, Fa Mulan. In the Disney movie, Mulan is the only child of a disabled veteran. When the Huns invade from the north, the Chinese Emperor sets a conscription saying that every family must provide a son to be a soldier in the Chinese army. Fearing for her father’s life, as he is the only man in the house, Mulan runs away and joins the army in his place, even though it is against the law for her to do so. She almost fails in her mission, but with renewed efforts, she manages to become one of the best soldiers in the company. Later in the film, Mulan saves the company from the Huns by cleverly shooting a cannon into the mountains and creating an avalanche. However she is stabbed
For instance, the first Disney princess Snow White is represented in a vastly different way to the more resent Disney princesses like Rapunzel which show the evolution of our society and feminism through the evolution of the Disney Princesses. Around 1940, Disney’s first princess was the 14-year-old Snow White. Her personality was considered somewhat simple and the concept of the film very one dimensional in the views of some feminists today. Snow White was the perfect embodiment of Westerns society concept of what a woman should be; well presented, kind and complacent. However, for the feminists at the time Snow White was not a perfect image of woman…later on Belle from beauty and the beast represented an evolution in personality by being unhappy with the prospect of marriage, this is significant as she is the first Disney princesses who doesn't want to marry, not because she loves another man but because she wished for more to her life than being a simple house