Arens1

Alyssa Arens
Dr. Kendra Parker
ENGL 113-03
26 February 2015
Be a Woman: Mulans Effects on American Women of the 21st Century
In Disneys 1998 animated picture, Mulan, the male soldiers of the Chinese army sing A
Girl Worth Fighting For as they march to battle against the Huns:
I want her paler than the moon
with eyes that shine like stars
My girl will marvel at my strength,
adore my battle scars
I couldn't care less what she'll wear
or what she looks like
It all depends on what she cooks like. (Mulan np)
In response to their song, Mulan, a young woman who chops her hair and puts on armor to take
the place of her father in the war, suggests, How bout a girl whos got a brain? Who always
speaks her mind? (Mulan np), in which the men reply, Nah! These soldiers, just like all men,
have their picture-perfect, idealistic woman. Although each man has his own preferences, there
are many common themes and characteristics that are shared amongst the majority of men, such
as beauty and obedience. These feminine traits affect the responsibilities and roles that women
have in society and create an evident division between genders for what is appropriate and what
is expected. The Disney movie Mulan strongly upholds the gender expectations that are existent
in the United States today. Although the movie takes place in ancient China, there are trends in

Arens2
current culture that mimic the historical premises of women, even in the United States. Disneys
Mulan characterizes the ideal woman as beautiful and obedient, thus creating a long-standing
division between gender roles, which 21st century Americans are beginning to bridge through the
empowerment of feminist movements aiming towards gender equality.
The portrayal and influences of idealistic women in Mulan establishes gender
expectations for a womans roles in society, which sets the attitudes for what a normal woman
acts like in twenty-first century American culture. At the beginning of the movie, Mulan is
preparing for her visit to the Matchmaker, in which it will be decided if she is suitable for a
husband. After a day of pampering and practice reciting The Final Admonition, Mulan finally
makes her appearance to the Matchmaker. Due to a series of accidents, the Matchmaker belittles
Mulan in front of her family and the rest of the village, proclaiming, You are a disgrace! You
may look like a bride, but you will never bring your family honor! (Mulan np). From this point
on, it is evident throughout the film that the sole purpose of being a woman is to become a bride.
It can be noted that the male does not need to go through a matchmaking process where he shows
his skills in order to be deemed a suitable husband. Rather, it is the woman who puts on makeup,
gets her hair done, wears a beautiful dress, and shows off her traits of obedience and wit, all to
achieve her worthiness as a bride. Although a matchmaking process is not typically a precursor
to an American marriage, there exist many similar attitudes of the bride-to-be. Many little girls in
the United States grow up fantasizing about their wedding days. They doodle hearts and boys
names on their notebooks, play with Barbie and her dreamy boyfriend, Ken, and are taught from
a young age that their goal is to find a man who will love them for the rest of their lives. That
goal is reflective of the tasks women perform on a day-to-day basis. Little girls grow up learn to
sew, do laundry, wash the dishes, and a multitude of other household chores-- tasks done by the

Arens3
typical housewife. It is the boys who partake in outdoor activities, get dirty, and use their macho
strength to get work done. When girls grow into young women, they get jobs as babysitters or
nannies, in which they receive practice caring for children, just as they are expected to do as
mothers raising strong sons. Men, on the other hand, take on different jobs, becoming
landscapers and mechanics. After marriage, if one spouse is expected to give up his or her job to
take care of the children, it will almost always be the woman. It can be argued that this is due to a
womans more nurturing side and the expectation that men should be the breadwinners of their
families, but it is not to say that women should have to forfeit their educations and careers to be
the obedient housewives for the rest of their lives. This theme is depicted in Mulan as army
general Li Shang sings, Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons? (Mulan np). It is
the men that are expected to come and fight for their families. It is also the men that have the
duty of bringing honor to the family name, a task that the ancient Chinese culture did not see
suitable for women. This theme is still prevalent in 21st century American culture, which can be
seen by looking at the motherly roles of the women and the manly roles of the men.
The possibility of changing attitudes towards womens roles and gender equality is
hindered by the historical factors that have contributed cross-culturally to the portrayal of the
idealistic woman in Mulan. Ancient Chinese philosophy is based on the concepts of yin and
yang. Yin and yang is a united symbol of harmony, each piece complementing the other. Yin is
passive and feminine, and is complemented by yang, the active masculine piece (Cartwright np).
Although the two balance one another, it is the female (yin) that is given the inferior and
obedient characteristics, as opposed to the male, who is given the dominant and firm masculine
traits (Shen and DAmbrosio np). This philosophy has contributed to producing gender
expectations for the roles of men and women in society. When Chi Fu enters Mulans village to

Arens4
deliver the order of war from the Emperor, he informs Mulans father that he will represent the
Fa family in the war against the Huns. Mulan, having sympathy towards her fathers knee injury,
just as her womanly instinct would tell her to do, objects to her fathers acceptance of the role. In
response, Chi Fu hisses, Silence! You would do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue
in a man's presence, (Mulan np). Her father solemnly replies, Mulan, you dishonor me,
(Mulan np). This scene depicts the superiority men had over women in ancient Chinese culture.
The man was the head of the household and was to represent the family name. Daughters are
raised to honor her family through obedience and maintaining peace. These themes are found in
the historical context of China. In TweenGirls'PerceptionofGenderRolesandGender
Identities:AQualitativeStudy,FannyM.Cheungisquoted,stating:
As a Chinese society, Hong Kong is paternal-oriented. The Confucian Chinese
tradition favors males as they are responsible to pass down their family names.
Chinese culture accords greater esteem, privileges, and status to males and there
are more restrictive prescriptions for the role of women. Women are expected to
submerge their individuality to the family, following the orders of their fathers
when young, their husbands when married, and their sons when widowed. The
virtues for a woman are defined narrowly in her role as wife and mother (Cheung,
qtd. in Chan et al. 68).
These trends can also be seen in the context of 21st century American culture. In 19th and 20th
century war times, the men would be called to battle as the women stayed home to raise the
children. They would cook, clean, and sew, unable to go to college or receive any further
education or job training. Although great strides have been made socially towards equalizing the
opportunities given to both men and women, men are still seen as the disciplinary head of the

Arens5
household. It is assumed that every punished child has heard from his or her mother, just wait
until your father gets home... Society often demonstrates that women do not exhibit enough
personal strength or power to be leaders in the home or in the workforce.
Mulans depiction of the idealistic woman has caused Americans to reevaluate the
standard mentalities for how a perfect woman should be, which has increased feminist
ideologies and strides toward gender equality. Mulan is arguably the first Disney princess to
break the typical damsel in distress role. In the song Reflection, Mulan questions her
identity, singing:
No one knows who I am.
Must there be a secret me, I'm forced to hide?
Must I pretend that I am someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show, who I am inside? (Mulan np)
Although Mulan is not the first Disney princess to question her identity and role in society, she is
the first to look beyond the division of gender norms. Mulans character demonstrates extreme
bravery and courage to break the barrier of what was expected of women in her culture and time
period. Looking beyond the danger she entered by being a woman in the army, Mulan willingly
fought to bring not only honor to her family, but also honor to herself. Her character shows that
women are not always fighting for men, but rather, for themselves and their own identities. This
can be seen in the United States today in the emergence of feminism. The work of both men and
women has contributed to great progress towards equal gender rights that would have been
deemed impossible in the previous century. Women have gained access to higher education,
which has resulted in women being sent into space, becoming doctors and lawyers, and
following other prestigious career paths. Furthermore, women have approached feminism in a

Arens6
light that is not diminishing to males. Rather than trying to outdo the opposite sex, women are
simply fighting for equal opportunities. In Religion and American Feminism, author Wendy
McCoy states:
Gender feminism embraces the theory of social constructionism: it maintains that
women are defined by the institutions surrounding them. Social construction
theorists argue that a woman--her sexual identity, her relationship to society, her
self-image, her very being-- is a direct result of the political and cultural
environment. To change women so that they are no longer the victims of men, it is
necessary to change or deconstruct the "male" institutions of society McElroy
29-30)
The domination of males in society is limiting to the power and influence of women. Social
constructionism proposes that a society will work best with the joint efforts of both men and
women. This structure is not only representative of the true gender makeup of society, but it also
provides the equal opportunities that are being fought for by men and women. Feminist
movements defend that being a powerful woman is not reflective of education, occupation, or
salary. Rather, it is a picture of a woman following her passions. If being a stay-at-home mom is
a womans dream and is where she finds her pride and joy, then so be it. The purpose of equal
rights is so that both men and women have the same opportunities to do as they wish. Due to the
long-lasting gender expectations that have been engraved throughout history, feminist
movements will take a prolonged effort to continue seeing results. However, women like Mulan,
who are willing to break down the gender expectations set before them for centuries, inspire
women exhibit the identity that they wish, not an identity that is expected of them.
The Disney film Mulan presents ideas of what an ideal woman should look and act

Arens7
like. These desirable womanly characteristics have been upheld for centuries, dating back to
early philosophy in ancient China. Although society has always maintained its norms for gender
roles and women have always felt the need to adhere to certain standards, 21st century American
opinions about gender equality are changing. Women like Mulan represent challenging the vision
between genders. This is an ongoing process that will take the work of many more, both men and
women, to achieve its goals of equality. Slowly but surely, strides are being made within the
feminist movement. Americans, after all these years of equality, are seeing that the divide
between genders is still evidently in place. After all, it was Mulan a woman that brought
honor to us all (Mulan np).

Arens8
WorksCited
Cartwright,Mark. YinandYang.AncientHistoryEncyclopedia,26Nov.2012.23Feb.2015.
http://www.ancient.eu/Yin_and_Yang/Web.
Chan,Kara,Tufte,Birgitte,Cappello,Gianna,andWilliams,RusselB.TweenGirls'Perception
ofGenderRolesandGenderIdentities:AQualitativeStudy. YoungConsumers 12.1
(2011):6681.Web.26Feb.2015.
McElroy,Wendy.ReligionandAmericanFeminism.Society42.3(2005):2831.Web.26Feb.
2015.
Mulan.Dir.TonyBancroftandBarryCook.Disney,1998.DVD.
Shen,LijuanandDAmbrosio,Paul. GenderinChinesePhilosophy. InternetEncyclopediaof
Philosophy,n.d.23Feb.2015.http://www.iep.utm.edu/genderc/Web.