Mulan (2020) – AYJW111 was a podcast hosted by “Are You Just Watching?” on December 22, 2020. The main topics discussed in the podcast are Disney film Mulan (2020), genders, and Christianity. The speakers believe that the 2020 version of Mulan provides an “underpinning plotline of misogyny” rather than feminism. One example that the speaker mentioned is the shot in which Mulan walks out of the snow. He suggests, “Mulan walking out of the snow with her hair out, reveal all the feminists that she has concealed” (51:10, Tim Martin). The film expressed how her feministic traits are so dishonored in the conscripted army. The other speaker of the podcast, Eve Franklin, also cites Fa Zu’s line that girls should be “Quiet and demure ... graceful, polite, delicate, refined, poised…” (Mulan(2020), 16:30). This dialogue explicitly states how females are expected to act to be considered appropriate. These stereotypical standards are not what is valued in contemporary society. This is also one of the reasons why the 2020 version of Mulan has a lower rating.
“Looking into the Magic Mirror: Disney's Impact on the Fairy Tale Genre”
“Looking into the Magic Mirror: Disney's Impact on the Fairy Tale Genre” is a scholarly essay focusing on Disney and social construction written by Lynda Haas and Shaina Trapedo. It analyzes how Disney films and characters serve as “public pedagogy” and the dynamics of female standards. As kids grow up, values in the films are deeply ingrained in their perceptions. For instance, Disney selectively constructs “the voice of a child” and “the body and movement of a dancer” to build a character (Haas & Trapedo). In other words, Disney characters are essentially “artifacts” created in the studio to establish flawless and unrealistic standards for beauty. This piece of evidence can be used as a response to one of the subtopics: How do gender roles of leading characters contribute to the construction of social norms. Rather than using real elements in the characters, they intentionally “piece” together a perfect character.
“Mulan: A Critical Look At Its Portrayal of Feminism and Chinese Culture” is a film review written by Angie Tian Tian. As a bilingual and bicultural writer, Tian has experience of both eastern and western cultures. As she suggests, Mulan (2020) is not as good as the 1998 animated version as a result of a failed attempt to please both Chinese and western costumes. In the review, she writes, “To be frank, my expectations going into a Disney film is not to see a story that challenges gender norms and modern feminism. What I saw, much to both my expectation, yet also my disappointment, was the reinforcement of a type of feminism that we need to abandon” (Angie Tian Tian, “Mulan: A Critical Look At Its Portrayal of Feminism and Chinese Culture”). This provides an example of how the female leading character establishes a type of social norm for females: misogyny. When Disney tries to promote bravery and loyalty in a female character, the outcome produces an opposite impact as it tries to suppress the traditional stereotypical form of feminism.
Comments