The Gender Bender

There is no denying that Mulan is the badass of the Disney Princesses. After a failed attempt to please her family by conforming to the cultural expectations of her gender, she disguises herself as a boy to fight for the Chinese army in place of her sick father. Mulan is the most progressive and acceptable Disney Princess according to the Third Wave Feminism movement. But many people argue that Mulan doesn't count as an official Disney Princess as she is not a princess at all. I disagree. Despite her Cinderella-less pedigree, Mulan should be considered a Disney Princess as she is a more appropriate role model for young girls. Many argue that the anti-feminist qualities of the movie, such as her family expecting her to get married, the disgust of her fellow men when her gender is revealed, and the overall suppression of the women and their roles, are backwards. But they are historically and culturally accurate. Unlike any other princess, Mulan is a 2,000 year old legend, not a fable, fairy tale, or loose depiction of a historical figure.

The problems that lay within this film do not exist in the portrayal of the female gender, but rather the male gender. While Mulan may be applauded for not conforming to the expectations that her sex requires of her, it appears that the men in this movie are not given the same freedoms. In the song, 'I'll Make a Man Out of You,' the young soldiers are challenged to 'man up' and prove their worth through aspects that clearly represent masculinity; strength, bravery, and physical fitness. They even bash the men by referring to them as girls due to their weakness when they say, "Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?"

Although Mulan is progressive and sends a positive message to little girls that it is okay to be independent and stand up to adversity, it lacks in portraying a more equal and fair representation of the male gender. What does this say to our little girls about how little boys are supposed to be? Or what does it say to little boys about how they should be?

The show 'Once Upon a Time' took it a step further and portrayed the strong and powerful Mulan as a lesbian. Although it is refreshing to see the LBGT community gaining representation in the media, it is unfortunate that it comes at the expense of Disney's more masculine princess. This unfortunate portrayal claims that Mulan's bravery, strength, and independence is a consequence of her sexuality rather than her gender.