Feminism Advocates Equal Rights For Women

During the late 19th and early 20th century in America, the rise of Feminism challenged the traditional gender roles. The female authors of this time period represented realistic aspects of women’s struggles, which often reflected limitations from society and their own lives. The three female authors who advocated women’s struggles in their writings were Sojourner Truth, Willa Cather, and Edith Wharton. In the speech to the American Equal Rights Association, Truth reveals that women do not have rights to present their voices in the court. Cather addresses women’s devastating labor life after the marriage in “A Wagner Matinee.” Likewise, in “April Shower”, Wharton portrays men’s criticism upon economically successful women. American female authors of the late 19th and early 20th century demonstrates the ideas of Feminism by men objecting to representation in politics, prohibiting career over marriage, and criticizing economic self-sufficiency.

When Mulan returns home, she returns to the normal expectations of a woman which puzzles her comrades. “Traveling together for twelve years, they didn’t know Mulan was a girl. ‘The he-hare’s feet go hop and skip, the she-hare’s eyes are muddled and fuddled. Two hares running side by side close to the ground. How can they tell if I am he or she?’” (Frankel). Mulan relays the difference between men and women but also states that when both are faced with an obstacle like war, there really is no difference between them. Therefore, Mulan becomes a master of both the worlds of men and

In 1998 Disney released the action packed movie Mulan. Mulan is strong female lead that doesn’t fit the typical dainty Disney princess. How could it not be feminist? Hidden (or not so hidden) throughout the film, Mulan is littered with traditional gender stereotypes. Based on the premise, songs and other comments, I have determined that on the surface Mulan seems to be feminist, but underneath it is filled with damaging ideas to men and women.

In the movie, Mulan, she is caught between having to stay at home and become a wife, which is her proper role in society or go fight in a war in her father’s name. After a while, they discovered that she had been a woman the whole time. I feel like they were more angry that she was a woman and fought better than most of the men there. They kicked her out, of course, and later saved them and the emperor, but was still shunned. Chi-Fu told Shang, “Tis a woman. She will never be worth anything.” This shows that Chi-Fu wants her to be a woman, just like he thought she should be. He even admitted that she would not be worth anything or be a impacting role in society. This shows even if she did risk

Many people are often misinformed or given bad first impressions of feminism. However, feminism is equal rights for all people of different race, sex, gender, and sexuality. Many of the people that give feminism a bad name, include a self-proclaimed feminist that is running for presidency, and meninists who are satirical equal rights activists. In reality, feminism is pro-gender equality and opportunities for all types of people.

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.

To convey honor to your family as a young woman, being a wife "with great taste, [be] calm, faithful, work at a quick pace … and have a minor waist." The parts of men and women are unequivocally diverse: "We all must serve our Emperor, who monitors us from the Huns. A man by remaining battle ready, a young lady by bearing sons." Knowing that she can’t live up to society's expectations for a girl, being herself she began to cry. This is right before she take on her dad's defensive armor and leaves to join the armed force. Mulan breaks a rule by choosing not to be a "perfect woman" then moves straight to breaking another rule by putting on a show to take care of business, pretending to be a

As Mulan’s father is enlisted to fight in the war, Mulan rebels against her gender role and speaks out on the drafting of her injured father who would unquestionably die to protect his country. Noticeably having crossed a line, she is shamed for her outburst and is now determined more than ever to bring her family honor. Mulan sets off to fight under her family’s name portraying the male role of a man named Ping. Under this role, Mulan begins to find her true identity, which is not necessarily that of a man, but of a single individual who is strong-minded and brave. As she prepares for war, Mulan leaves behind a flower pin from her hair and this flower reoccurs throughout the film. The flower represents her leaving behind this societal view of femininity as she

The great Martin Luther King, Jr. once spoke in his famous speech the words, ”I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” (1963).

In Confucian thought, women had their purpose beside their men or within their households as mothers. However, the legend of Hua Mulan precedes Confucius. Mulan’s story had inspired early Chinese Feminists such as Qiu Ji to go against the society built to keep her space as a woman separate from the rest of the world. In modern times, Fa Mulan (from Disney) added more diversity to the usual Disney Princesses and gave westerners an image of Chinese culture.

Mulan is a Disney classic that depicts gender- stereotypes, socialization of gender roles, and the consequences of over stepping one's gender role. Like American cultural, in the Chinese society men and women have specific gender roles that they must follow. Mulan broke the gender roles and was brave enough to pretend to be a man to go to war with the Huns in the place of her father. Knowing that she would face major consequences if she was caught, Mulan still was committed to going to war. The Chinese society in Mulan exemplifies the typical gender roles of males and females, the consequences of displaying the opposite gender role, and showed what the society expected in males and females in characteristics and attitudes.

Emma Watson, globally renowned and beloved actor, is now a Global Goodwill Ambassador and has recently delivered a speech in which she introduced a new campaign, HeForShe, which has gone viral. Watson has chosen to focus her attention on the rising and complex topic of feminism and aims to help make it simple and easy to understand. Watson wants men to know that “gender equality is [their] issue too”, and that they too can and should stand up for the rights of both women and men (Watson). Watson believes if men advocate for feminism, the world can become better place for both men and women. Watson hopes that the advent of the HeForShe campaign will help to unify us and allow us all to step forward and speak up for gender equality. Watson makes many great points in her speech and her popularity helps to increase her message’s reach and effectiveness. However, Watson makes a few critical assumptions and slightly ignores some of the linchpins of gender discrimination. Nevertheless, Watson’s message is greatly needed to help to combat the gender discrimination that still pervades today.

When Disney Studios created Mulan, the original was changed to make it more exciting for movie audiences. Disney begins by showing that there is only one way a woman can

Throughout the last century, women have had to fight to have the same opportunities as men. Women have had to earn the right to vote, the right to have a career, and the right to autonomy. However, these are all rights that men have simply been given, which is why today’s feminists work to promote equality. Despite these efforts, feminism is often misunderstood and is interpreted with a negative connotation. According to a study conducted by Precopio and Ramsey (2017), “feminism is commonly recognized as a movement driven to grant social, political, and economic equality to both women and men.” The participation of others besides women is crucial to the spread of equality among the genders. Furthermore, the stigma and negative feelings surrounding feminism must be reduced in order for the ideals of feminism to have a greater impact.

In the movie there was a character named Mulan that went to fight in the war in place for her father. In Ancient China, women weren’t allowed to be in the war, making her ineligible for the task. In real life there may have been a person named Mulan, but she probably wasn’t that important, and didn't participate in the war.