Gender Stereotypes In Mulan

Mulan: Reinventing the Gender Stereotype

A stereotype is a, “widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.” The Disney film “Mulan” is an eminent example of gender stereotype and feminism reform. The movie is based on the main character, Mulan, a Chinese woman from China, during the invasion of the Hans, who willingly impersonates her fathers “son” (who does not exist) to fight in the war, so he won’t have to. Mulan was not the ideal image of a Chinese woman, she was afraid to not bring honor to her family by marrying a man and act like a “proper” woman. Mulan, actually redefines what it means to be a woman and man throughout the movie by playing both roles. In the army, she shows a woman is

She has no idea how to act like a man because she’s used to a girl tendencies. She changes her voice to sound masculine like a man and does small actions like spitting and poking out her chest to make herself seem more masculine, since that’s how men are supposed to act, so she believes. When the Captain begins training, he looks at his new recruits, and says “Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?” He wants to make a man out of all his recruits by turning them into young men with strength, intelligence, and bravery. However, Mulan shows them a man doesn’t have to be any of those things, you can be who you are and still get things done, it doesn’t matter what gender you are. She showed this by being the first “man” to climb the pole with the use of the coins of discipline and accomplish her training. As her training continues, and their on their way to a new camp to meet with the other soldiers, her other recruits are imagining what a perfect example of a woman is to them. A woman that can cook, that is easily charmed by their strength and dominance and their witty jokes. However, Mulan suggested what about a woman who is intelligent and always speaks her mind. Instantaneously, her recruits were not interested in that kind of woman because a knowledgeable woman who can hold a conversation and makes a man feel less masculine is not attractive. This

The leaders of the Hans army is insulted that a small woman would dare try challenge him and think she is equal enough to fight him, it was almost amusing to him actually. However, Mulan used her feminine tendencies to teach her former recruits how to fight some of the Hans. As she defeats the Hans Dynasty and saves the Emperor, the Emperor’s assistant insults her by saying, “She is a woman. She’ll never be worth anything!” However the Emperor did not believe that, she was rewarded the highest honor in China for saving her nation and the Emperor and was given a medal. When she comes home to reveal her accomplishment to her family so that she will be honored, her father was proud she was okay, not because of what others think of her. Mulan is a fitting example of gender stereotype because she goes against gender stereo type and was able to empower young females that you can be whatever you want and still be equal. A woman can be a “tomboy” and is perfectly capable of performing any tasks a man can do and the definition of a man is not to be strong and brave. Gender stereotype is used to belittle genders by how you should behave and appear because of the gender you were born with. However, Mulan made it known that as long as you be yourself, you can accomplish anything and you shouldn’t be judged for