Mulan's Portrayal of Masculinity and Western Ideals

Mulan’s Portrayal of Masculinity and Western Ideals

I’ve seen Mulan (1998) many times, but while watching it in class, I noticed the Americanized construction of masculinity and the western ideals displayed in place of the original story.  I thought this was interesting because Mulan is my favorite Disney movie yet I had never noticed these issues with the film.

In the scene we watched in class, Mulan portrays masculinity as todays expectations of western masculinity.  For example, in this scene Mulan slaps a soldier on the butt in an attempt to look masculine.  This draws directly from American culture and masculinity.  This action would not happen in ancient China as a form of masculinity.  Another example in this film where masculinity is constructed is in the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”  This song specifically says how to “be a man,” constructing male masculinity.  Some of the lyrics include, “[w]hy was I a fool in school for cutting gym.”  Clearly this lyric doesn’t belong in ancient China considering they did not have gym class.  This relates to the American construction of masculinity because it teaches young boys not to ditch gym.  Another awkward lyric is, “[d]id they send me daughters/when I asked/for sons.”  This is problematic relating to masculinity because it reinforces the idea that males are superior to females.  It says that women can’t be warriors.  Granted it is ironic in this film because Mulan is a female and the best soldier in the troop, but I think the people who are receiving the message that males are superior to females are too young to make the ironic connection.  In this single scene, Disney was able to skew audiences perception of masculinity in ancient China and reinforce it with America’s construction of masculinity.

This film also changes the original Ballad of Mulan to fit western ideals.  In the film, Mulan is portrayed as a rebellious teenager and runs away.  She does not tell her family what she is up to.  In the original ballad, Mulan’s family helped her make the decision.  In Sheng-mei Ma’s article “Mulan Disney, It’s Like, Re-Orients” says the original song portrays “Mulan’s substitution as a family decision rather than a solo performance” (157-158).  Clearly the Disney version portrays Mulan as a rebel, which is expected from teenagers in western culture.  With this, Disney has changed an overlaying tension within the film.  Another part of the original ballad that Disney changed is the reaction to Mulan being a female.  In the film, Mulan is kicked out of the army and left in the mountains to die.  Her peers are shocked and disappointed when they learn her gender.  In the original tale, when it is learned that Mulan is a female, the troops commend her for protecting her father.  In the original, it is honorable for Mulan to take the place of her father as a respect to her family.  This change by Disney changes not only the portrayal of the Chinese, but also reinforces gender stereotypes established by western ideals.  This change makes the Chinese look narrow minded or heartless for turning Mulan away.  It also reinforces gender stereotypes because it teaches young viewers to view cross dressing in a negative light.  It also reinforces the empowerment of males because it portrays women as being useless.  If Mulan was male, then she would be a powerful soldier, but because she is female, her actions go unaccounted for, rendering her useless.  The original tale of Mulan portrays her family deciding whether Mulan should go to war, and showing her as a hero when she is revealed.  In the Disney version, Mulan runs away fitting the “American rebel” label and is thought of as an impostor when her true gender is exposed, reinforcing western gender ideals.  Clearly Disney changed the original version to reinforce western ideals.