Gender Stereotypes In The Film Mulan

For my final paper where we had to pick a topic from current popular culture, I decided to write my paper with the focus on Disney movies. More particularly with the focus on the Disney princess movies. When it comes to the Disney movies they have always been and will always be such a huge part of our society. While growing up most children grow up watching these movies and get the idea that that is what they want to be when they grow up. When you ask a young girl what she wants to be when she is older there is a good chance that she will say that she wants to be a princess when she grows up. I have always been such a huge fan of Disney movies and I have a feeling I always will be. I found it very interesting this semester when we spend the short class period talking about the Disney female and male characters. It is rather interesting and something that I can say that I really never noticed before but the fact that the majority of all the female characters all had the same face shape. Whereas the males there were none two that were the same. However for this paper I will be looking into the relationship to cultural meanings about gender and other identity markers, such as race, sexuality, and cultural norms as seen in some of the more classic well known Disney movies.

Watch the movie Tangled and you’ll find yourself hooked, desiring the knowledge of what’s next. While watching this movie, two main literary themes became apparent. Disney's Tangled is the story of a stolen girl trapped in a castle with her captor as a mother. Throughout the story, Rapunzel wants nothing more but to leave her . Tangled’s plot employs many gender stereotypes and shows a large socio-economic divide.

Men, Women, or transgender we are all human. Each human can act in whichever way they please. However, does this break a traditional gender norm? A traditional gender norm is the types of behaviors which generally considered acceptable, appropriate or desirable for people based on their actual perceived sex or sexuality. Gender norms can be seen in various television shows, movies, and music. However, how do we know if these gender norms are okay to be seen in these forms of entertainment? In the movie Mulan directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook they illustrate how traditional gender norms can be broken by showing that Women can prove themselves as worthy as men, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Love them or hate them Disney princess movies, time and time again inspire little girls to want to be just like them. So many people criticize these movies and say they aren’t the best influence on little girls. Why do people criticize these movies so much? These movies have a very inspirational narrative for young girls. Every Disney Princess movie is telling a consensus narrative using a variety of cultures, of young girls coming of age.

Mulan, not knowing how to act as a man, is dumbfounded by the actions that these men take. Compared to Mulan, the men are much larger in size, more buff and fat. Men are shown clipping their toenails with chopsticks, picking their own boogers, and also fighting amongst each other. This portrays how men were depicted at this time, very unrefined compared to the women. Mushu, being a male dragon, explains to Mulan about what it takes to be man, how hitting each other is another form of greeting to men. Mushu defines men as rowdy, disgusting, and uncivilized and Mulan very much agrees due to the disgusting aspect she sees of men. Here, she then meets Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, who all are depicted to show stupidity in men. Mushu’s teachings on how to be a man causes conflict between Mulan and these three men. At the camp, Mulan outwits these three stooges many times when she is in harm's way. Here, not only does she meet Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, but also Captain Shang, who gives off a feeling of duty and pride. Shang trains Mulan and everyone else in the training camp on what it is like to be a

Cinema has been a part of our global culture for years,beginning in the late 1890’s with the Lumiere Brother’s short film “L'Arrivée d'un Train en Gare de La Ciotat” which had people so immersed they found themselves running for their lives (Cooper,2015). Commercial films have captured the hearts and imaginations of people of all ages,genders,creeds and colours. As such, an industry that’s so intersectional and cross-cultural should cater to every audience. Much has changed since the Lumiere Brother’s time, with the advent of the internet,the coming and going of the second World War, and the beginning of third-wave feminism. North American society as we know it is growing and changing as an increase in urban living and immigration draw new people towards city centers, and, consequently to the movies. This essay will analyse the gender representation in films released by Walt Disney Pictures, and will pose the question: Does the animated film industry- and the princess archetype -provide sufficient

Disney’s animated movie Mulan handles the topic of a female heroism. Throughout the 88 minutes of running time, Mulan suffers under the traditional gender roles and discrimination against females, but overcomes these obstacles to bring honor to her family. Disney’s Mulan tells the story of a young girl named Mulan who lives in Imperial China in the 15th century. Her country has been invaded by the Huns and the Emperor orders for one man from each family to serve for the Imperial Army.

Since 1937, Disney has been creating several animation movies for children, as well as adults, to enjoy. From Snow White to Cinderella to Tangled, Disney has produced household names and characters for children to look up to. Without disregarding the happiness Disney has brought to billions of children, it has also enforced multiple societal norms that are otherwise alarming. At first glance the typical Disney fairytale seems entertaining, but when examining closer they have portrayed patriarchy, unrealistic body images and racial stereotypes. For years Disney has portrayed woman as tall, beautiful and thin.

Disney’s animated film Mulan captured the hearts of many of the corporation’s fan’s hearts when it first arrived in 1998. The film is based on one of China’s most beloved poems entitled “The Ballad of Mulan,” which tells a similar story of a young woman dressing up as a male in order to enlist in the army to protect her father. Disney’s Mulan focuses heavily on the individual struggle of main character to find out who she is and where she fits into society, which deviates away from the original storyline drastically. The differences are formed due to the large differences between the ancient Eastern culture that is trying to be portrayed and the Western ideals that Disney incorporated to make the movie more relatable for the modern Western viewers. While this movie is full of imagery that paints a picture of a strong female lead that conquers evil by being her “true self,” it also contains many gender stereotypes that stem from the culture of the ancient Chinese belief system. Upon examining the movie further, it becomes obvious that the importance of accepting and conforming to gender roles that Mulan represents is not only rooted in Chinese culture but also finds origin in the cultural views of the West.

We all grew up watching the Disney princesses on screen being rescued by her Prince Charming or Knight in shining armor. However, not all Disney movies were about a princess being rescued. There was one where she did the rescuing . Mulan came out on June 5, 1998. Mulan best shows a character breaking out of the standard gender roles of society; therefore, Mulan shows that great things happen when we step out of the gender roles society has created.

The typical paradigm of a princess is to be gentle, nurturing, beautiful, and dependent upon somebody else to guide their fate and to also find their “one true love or prince charming.” Examples include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty. According to Orenstein (2011), she reinforces this model that “the first thing that culture told her about being a girl [was] not that she was competent, strong, creative, or smart but that every little girl wants – or should want – to be the Fairest of Them All” (p. 3). It was not until recently when the standards of social or gender norms have been challenged by modern princesses where the princesses wield a trait or some traits that exemplify strong attributes. Being a strong princess would be defined as a princess that controls her own actions and controls her own life, regardless of what is dictated by social or gender norms.

While much attention is given to the princesses and female roles within Disney films, there is still a need to examine the creation of male figures by the Disney Corporation. In my research I would argue that the male stereotypes and unachievable visions of masculinity devised in Disney films are just as provocative and inherently damaging as the stereotypes centered on Disney females. In doing so I ask, what is masculinity? How is a Disney man made in respect to choices about aesthetic, animation, vocal tones, and actions? How do particular Disney films create a journey of male stereotypes for a character? How has Disney altered its men over the years? How does Disney market to boys and girls? And what

From the minute one is born the division between genders is placed. The phrases “act like a lady” or “be a man” become everyday practices and lifelong slogans. Fairy tales are always focused on women who play the beautiful damsel in distress persona and on men who play the handsome knight coming in to save them. Whether you are female or male, it is important to remember that these fixed characteristics placed on genders are never to be reinforced. In a world full of gender stereotypes, the Disney movie Mulan challenges the societal construct of masculinity and femininity by proving that gender roles are not fixed traits, but socially constructed views that can be changed.

Disney is one of the most successful and largest companies in the world. They have their hand in nearly every form of entertainment as well as media, and broadcasting. Disney is best known for their animated films, unique cartoon characters, catchy musicals, and fairy tales that most of us were first introduced to as children. They are one of the few entertainment companies in the World whose primary demographic is children and teens. Nearly everybody is familiar with the Disney name and its brand, and its realistic to suggest that nearly everybody has experienced a Disney film and animated character at some point in their lives; which may have helped to influence them or their behaviors or even their

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary stereotype is a, “a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing”. Society puts out a certain set of standards and roles of men and women and the way in which they should act, known as gender roles. According to these behaviour stereotypes, the ideal man is intelligent, physically strong, heroic, in charge and is ultimately there to provide for his family. In comparison, the typical women is portrayed as beautiful, delicate, inferior to men and are viewed as the housekeeper; taking care of the children and putting food on the table while the men goes to work. These gender roles start to be enforced at a very young age as a result of society and the media. A prime example of this is Disney and the movies they create for young children. Almost all Disney movies are based