Mulan and feminism
Jun. 2nd, 2009 06:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
joiedecombatI found this article about female roles in film via ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
a_white_rain. It is worth a read, but I am particularly struck by some of the comments, in which several people complain about the ending of Disney's Mulan being anti-feminist.
These make me go "huh," because I was never struck by any sense of feminist dissatisfaction on any of my viewings of the film, and my first impulse was to protest that describing it in terms of "I kick so much ass and beat all the boys, but now I'm going to stop all that so I can get married and have babies, tee hee!" really isn't fair.
On second thought, however, I can sort of see their point. Mulan is presented with the opportunity to take a political position, an opportunity which she turns down in favor of returning to her family. The movie doesn't really go into what other options are available for the rest of Mulan's life or whether or not she is returning fully to the traditional role of a woman in her society, but it does strongly imply that she'll begin a romance with Shang.
So now I'm a little torn. Would the ending of the film have been better if Mulan had accepted the emperor's offer of a council position?
Upon contemplation, I'm going to stick with my original assessment and say I'm reasonably satisfied with the resolution as it stands. It works on a narrative level: the story proper begins with Mulan leaving home and ends with her returning there, a tradition of storytelling which has probably been around as long as storytelling itself has.
And then there's Mulan herself. She starts out in conflict with the traditional feminine ideal of her society, which she fails to live up to; she has a mournful "I gotta be me song." Fair enough. But she joins the army not because of this directly - not because she personally wants to be a soldier - but because she sees it as a way of protecting her father. Once she's joined the army, she adds the additional goals of doing the job well (rather than failing at not only the feminine ideal but also the masculine one), helping her comrades-in-arms, and protecting her country.
She not only accomplishes all four of these goals, she does so only after she's been exposed as a woman, kicked out of the army, and is back in a skirt again. Which is to say, she pulls it off on her own terms, as Mulan rather than as "Ping." And, having done so, is recognized by the Emperor of China (and, by extension, the rest of the country, except for Chi Fu, but no one likes him) for her worth. When she goes home, she is similarly recognized by her own family, whose opinions are arguably more important to her.
Also worth noting is that Mulan does not pursue Shang, Shang pursues Mulan - and when he does, he expresses his admiration for her actual strengths and accomplishments ("You - you fight good.") rather than her feminine qualities.
So really, I'm okay with it. I'm curious as to what the rest of my friendslist thinks, though.
Comments, anyone?
a_white_rain. It is worth a read, but I am particularly struck by some of the comments, in which several people complain about the ending of Disney's Mulan being anti-feminist.These make me go "huh," because I was never struck by any sense of feminist dissatisfaction on any of my viewings of the film, and my first impulse was to protest that describing it in terms of "I kick so much ass and beat all the boys, but now I'm going to stop all that so I can get married and have babies, tee hee!" really isn't fair.
On second thought, however, I can sort of see their point. Mulan is presented with the opportunity to take a political position, an opportunity which she turns down in favor of returning to her family. The movie doesn't really go into what other options are available for the rest of Mulan's life or whether or not she is returning fully to the traditional role of a woman in her society, but it does strongly imply that she'll begin a romance with Shang.
So now I'm a little torn. Would the ending of the film have been better if Mulan had accepted the emperor's offer of a council position?
Upon contemplation, I'm going to stick with my original assessment and say I'm reasonably satisfied with the resolution as it stands. It works on a narrative level: the story proper begins with Mulan leaving home and ends with her returning there, a tradition of storytelling which has probably been around as long as storytelling itself has.
And then there's Mulan herself. She starts out in conflict with the traditional feminine ideal of her society, which she fails to live up to; she has a mournful "I gotta be me song." Fair enough. But she joins the army not because of this directly - not because she personally wants to be a soldier - but because she sees it as a way of protecting her father. Once she's joined the army, she adds the additional goals of doing the job well (rather than failing at not only the feminine ideal but also the masculine one), helping her comrades-in-arms, and protecting her country.
She not only accomplishes all four of these goals, she does so only after she's been exposed as a woman, kicked out of the army, and is back in a skirt again. Which is to say, she pulls it off on her own terms, as Mulan rather than as "Ping." And, having done so, is recognized by the Emperor of China (and, by extension, the rest of the country, except for Chi Fu, but no one likes him) for her worth. When she goes home, she is similarly recognized by her own family, whose opinions are arguably more important to her.
Also worth noting is that Mulan does not pursue Shang, Shang pursues Mulan - and when he does, he expresses his admiration for her actual strengths and accomplishments ("You - you fight good.") rather than her feminine qualities.
So really, I'm okay with it. I'm curious as to what the rest of my friendslist thinks, though.
Comments, anyone?
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no subject
Date: 2009-06-03 12:47 am (UTC)I think Disney did it right. Mulan stands as a strong female character, both because of all she accomplishes and because in the end she doesn't need to be anything but who she is to be happy with herself.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-03 01:55 am (UTC)Mulan accomplishes what she sets out to do, and in the end makes the choice she wants to.
Done.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-03 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-31 09:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-17 06:48 pm (UTC)