[Film] Mulan, 1998
Mulan: a Disney icon for Women Empowerment
Abstract
The Walt Disney company is one of the leading companies of the entertainment business. According the IMDb, the company has already produced over 66 animation films. The main audience of their animation films is the younger generation. However, instead of taking children through their films to a peaceful and educational trip, they’re using this medium to pass their ethnocentric and sometimes sexist ideas. In an attempt to clear their image, Disney produced the Chinese myth of Mulan in 1998 portraying the female character as the savior and not the usual weak princess. Nevertheless, the film still embodies a degrading exoticism of the Far East and very stereotypical elements.
Mulan: a Disney icon for Women Empowerment
Walt Disney, an innovative company founded in 1923, is famous for targeting their films to the younger audience. However, years later, many cinema critics and media literacy experts realized the negative messages embed within the films and they highly criticized them for their apparent racism, sexism and ethnocentrism. In 2018, the company produced the film “Mulan” that portrays the Chinese myth of Hua Mulan. The myth takes place in the 4th century AD in China when the Empire was facing a dangerous attack from their neighbors and decided to send one man from every family to fight. Mulan decides to save her father and replace him in the army as his son.
Gender Norms
The film showcases the clear differences between male and female as per the stereotypical gender stereotypes. In the first part of the film, Mulan has to follow the rules imposed by the society to deserve becoming a wife. She had to put make-up, wear a dress and always stay delicate and ethical. The woman that had to train her, draws a beard by mistake on her face as if it represented the fact that even though this is a custom transmitted from woman to woman, it is being constructed for and by the patriarchal dominance.
The army has many male figures: the bulky grumpy guy, the tall and obese stupid guy and others. However, they all were unhygienic and extremely violent. This is a common stereotype in media of men and the portrayal of the ideal cis-gender conforming male. Mulan had to learn how to conform to these norms in order to fit in the army. Moreover, the effeminate character, who’s the emperor’s assistant, has a very mean and annoying behavior which is a steriotypical portrayal of a non-conforming male.
Despite their attempt to defy gender roles, they are falling in the same mistake again. Some nice elements were the distinguished male characters in the story. The person being rescued is the male emperor not the princess and the father is represented in a weak situation. Also, at the end of the story, Mulan saves the empire thanks to her Chinese fan, the purest symbol of femininity at that time. In other words, Mulan could save them as a woman not as the transvestite soldier.
Exoticism
Disney in this film are trying to prove that they aren’t ethnocentric by talking about a Chinese hero. However, they failed in their representation of China. We couldn’t really know any detail about the historical era and background which gave the story a more fairy-like ambience. Thus, it didn’t teach kids anything about China. The location had all of the stereotypes the occidental world could imagine for the Far East eliminating any resemblance to the occidental world.
Moreover, the myth of Mulan takes place in the 4th or 5th Century AD (Klimczak, n/d). Nevertheless, the movie mentions that the enemy attacked because China had built a wall to defy them. The Chinese wall was built in 770 BC and re-built in 220 AD (Appendix 1) but it was never built in the 4th or 5th Century which represents a historic inaccuracy (China Highlights, 2018). Disney might have wanted to integrate the wall as a sign that China is known for.
Some elements are never missing from any Disney movie despite the will to make improvements. The hero is always skinny and beautiful and in between all the bulky, obese and unhygienic men, we can always distinguish the lover, a muscular and fit guy.
Conclusion
The American production company is constantly working on its image to clear sexist or racist accusations. The gender normative parody in their film Mulan and the portrayal of an iconic woman empowerment is impressive. However, they failed in their representation of China in the 4th Century by including stereotypes such as the Chinese Wall to empower the image of China as an imaginary exotic location very far from the advanced occidental society.
References available upon request
