Movie Analysis : Mulan 's ' Mulan '

Imagine a distant post-apocalyptic future in which a group of researchers discovers a stack of DVDs of 20th and 21st century Hollywood movies of Asian American actresses. After watching those movies, what might the researchers conclude about the characteristics of Asian American women in the movies? Certainly, they will view Asian American women as sexual and erotic objects of the society that white men can score with ease. Why do I assume they will think that way? The answer is a simple, yet controversial one: mostly, the media, as the history proves, portrays Asian American women either as erotic sex slaves of white men or as insidious personalities who lure their prey into a trap with their sex appeal. If we look into the history,

“Slaying the Dragon” by Deborah Gee is a comprehensive look at media stereotypes of Asian and Asian American women since the silent era. From the racist use of white actors to portray Asians in early Hollywood films, through the success of Anna May Wong’s sinister dragon lady, to Suzie Wong and the ‘50s geisha girls, to the Asian-American anchorwoman of today. The movie also shows how stereotypes of exoticism and docility have affected the perception of Asian-American women.

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

Mulan, a tale of adventure and honor, is not only an engaging film to watch, but it also contains an amazing amount of historical accuracy concerning religions in China. The film Mulan is historically accurate in its portrayal of Daoist ideas, the expected behavior of women according to Confucianism, and Confucian relationships.

The Western world’s conquest and domination of Asia is the driving source of sexual desire for East Asian women. To understand how the objectification and fetishization of East Asian women is harmful, one must traced it roots and understand how it began. The stereotypes assigned to East Asian women are rooted from the violence of wartime. The stereotypes live through the mass media’s re-imagination by books, movies, musicals and operas. East Asian women will find no peace for as long as these hyper-sexed stereotypes live.

In conclusion, the film She’s the Man shows the audience how gender gets represented in films. It shows the traditional femininity as well as the traditional masculinity. This illustrates that gender has impacts on power and gender relations to contribute gender inequality. Gender norms are enforced in films which maintain the power inequality difference between both genders. These issues confine the way modern films represent gender and gives a direct effect to the

As explained in Judith Lorber’s excerpt from “‘Night To His Day’: The Social Construction of Gender”, gender is a socially constructed concept that everyone unconsciously adheres to (Lorber). As a socially constructed concept, representations of gender roles can reinforce or challenge the stereotypical images. In Killing Us Softly 4, Jean Kilbourne analyzed the advertisement industry’s representation of women and argued that the media plays a huge role in shaping gender formations (Kilbourne). Although objectification of women is still a prevalent issue, Kilbourne acknowledged that there are efforts nowadays that challenges the unrealistic representations of women and femininity (Kilbourne). Inspired partly by Killing Us Softly 4, the project is my way to reflect on how the Disney movies I had watched as I grow up represented gender.

Among the many issues that affect the Asian American community today, one that stands out to me is the hyper sexualization of Asian women. Unlike the depiction of awkward, asexual Asian men, Asian women are stereotyped as highly venereal beings. Both labels are problems, but this paper focuses on the issue facing females in this community. Their sexuality stems from depictions of “…being petite, exotic, and eager to please and serve men” (Fong 2007). Additionally, two big components for their sex appeal come from the “dragon lady” and “China doll” characters that Asian women have been portrayed as in media. However, the origins of the hyper sexualized Asian woman can be traced back to the first wave of Chinese immigrants.

In today’s mainstream media, there exists a visible lack of Asian American representation. When they are given roles in film and television, those roles often maintain the stereotypical ideology which has been dominant for decades. Asian American stereotypes in these media range from hard-working and servile to masters of the martial arts and often put forth a misguided or exaggerated impression of what Asian Americans are like as a group. I argue that these stereotypical representations of Asian Americans manifest themselves in viewers’ minds and affect the way they view the minority group far after the they power off their television sets. These stereotypes are challenged when individual Asian Americans emerge and do not fit the mold that Hollywood has created for them. The quotes “looking at independent media artifacts, we can see the difficulties of self-representation, the potential for changing and configuring problematic images from Asian American and the media”(Ono) gives us a understanding to what independent media is to Asian Americans. Along with the quote “Inspires the creative expression of “Asian Americans who have felt excluded by particular forms of racialization”(Ono). These quotes will illustrate the shifting paradigm within the media from mainstream media to independent self produced work becoming the norm and how it can change Asian American lives demonstrated in these two films WHITEWASHING & ASIAN REPRESENTATION | Diversity Speaks - 2017 LA Film

Women are deemed as a “minority” yet make up 51% of the world population and in 2014 made up only 12% of protagonists in films. And that is just on-screen, the percentage decreases as you go farther and farther into behind-the-scenes positions such as directors, cinematographers, and writers. Add race and ethnicity and those characters' percentages decline even more (Lauzen, 2015.) Women in film and television are often portrayed with emphasis based on their body type and in advertisement are largely objectified. The large objectification and misrepresentation of women in the media has led to an offset psychological view of women from growing up to adulthood.

Mulan is an animated film that was released in 1998 from Disney during third wave feminism, which features an Asian woman protagonist. She is a Disney princess, but at first glance you wouldn’t think so. Mulan is introduced as a clumsy tomboy who did not think she would ever bring honor to her family. In order to accomplish said honor, she would have to by being the perfect bride, in accordance with the matchmaker. The film has a great amount of feminist ideals, however, it doesn’t leave out stereotypical gender roles and several examples of overdetermined ideologies. Patriarchy is very prevalent in this film, from the woman characters positions, down to the songs they sing throughout the film, patriarchy is a theme that cannot be missed. This paper will discuss how feminine and masculine stereotypes are conveyed in the film, how gender stereotypes are portrayed, and of the patriarchal themes included in the film.

In a recent discussion of the media, an issue has been whether Hollywood writers and directors have a social responsibility to avoid stereotyping ethnic characters. On the one hand, some argue that the Hollywood writers and directors should not have a social responsibility to avoid stereotyping ethnic characters because they make movies that their audiences enjoy, connect, and relate to. The audiences cannot make a purchase if they do not feel interested in; therefore, it is the audiences’ personal responsibility. On the other hand, however, others argue that the Hollywood writers and directors should have a social responsibility to avoid stereotyping ethnic characters. According to the article “Asian Women in Film: No Joy, No Luck” by Jessica Hagedorn, the author discusses the stereotypical portrayals of Asian women in the movie. By analyzing movies, she shows that the women are seen being as victims in so many ways, such as sexual and physical because of their gender. The reason is the Hollywood filmmakers and directors create their films in that way through stereotypes. It is true since the media plays role in the society. Therefore, the Hollywood writers and directors should have a social responsibility to avoid stereotyping ethnic character because their products have a significant influence on children, adults, and colored actors.

The theories of Laura Mulvey and Bell Hooks share their views on how individuals who attend the cinema have the opportunity to gaze and interrupt the messages that are being portrayed. Based upon their views, spectators can have their own beliefs and views of life and not have to focus on societal practices of racism and sexism. The article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” critiqued by Mulvey, focused on how sexism and voyeurism were the main theme in terms of how males dominated society and how woman were subservient to males due to castration. In the article “In Black Looks: Race and Representation” Chapter 7, The Oppositional Gaze, Hooks mainly focused on black woman’s identity and touches on both sexism and male/white female dominance over them. Both Mulvey and Hooks help to focus ones attention on how the white male sexist and black racial domination is portrayed by Hollywood in cinema. An example of this portrayal is represented by the movie “The Help”, produced in 2011 and directed by Tate Taylor.

Society has placed this norm on women insisting that the only way to bring honor to the family is to marry off and live a life in the constant shadows of their prearranged husband. As Mulan fails this test of bridal readiness, she realizes that she does not fit the typical gender role that society has placed upon her. Her life was predestined to be simple just as Lieberman states, “the beautiful girl does not have to do anything to merit being chosen; she does not have to show pluck, resourcefulness, or wit; she is chosen because she is beautiful,” but this lifestyle does not fit with who Mulan is as a person.

Mulan can be applauded for being one of the few movies in which the princess isn 't a delicate character that needs saving. "Pocahontas, Mulan, and The Princess and the Frog, had princesses who displayed more masculine than feminine characteristics in their three most frequent characteristics. This suggests a chronological movement towards a more androgynous princess"(England). Mulan is a great step towards the advancement in the way gender roles are presented in movies, however; there is still major underrepresentation and misrepresentation of females in media. Rebecca Collins studies the effects of media on mental health. She states, "If young girls do not see themselves reflected in media, this diminish their sense of importance and self-esteem"(Collins). It is important to be critical of how Mulan represents women, because young girls look up to the female characters they see in Disney movies.