My favorite is Beauty and the Beast. Why is a loaded question, I just love it that much! I guess I might say that I really just love all versions (The Cocteau version, the Czech one, even the 80's TV series!), but this one is interesting and my personal favorite because Linda Woolverton really did make a Beauty and the Beast for the modern age no matter how many reductionistic takes online insist otherwise. Why? Well I'm glad you asked! 😅In other versions, the onus is really being placed on Beauty, to be less shallow. The conceit that the prince is answerable for a wrong is an invention of Disney's version, because in Cocteau's version for example, he was a victim of circumstance. Cursed due to pettiness. He's not the one who has to learn a lesson, Belle is. It's up to her to rise to the occasion. While I do love the movie very much because I do in fact think the world is shallow enough for such a message to hold a lot of value, that's a lot of pressure on a woman who *is* being held against her will. In Disney's film, there's no such illusion. Belle is already enough as she is. The Beast is the problem. He's the one who has to change. I just prefer that, because him holding Belle prisoner *is* relatively unaddressed in Cocteau's film that would otherwise have you think highly of him. The Disney version *knows* that this is wrong, and endeavors to teach the Beast this is wrong, which it does. Which is why people online misunderstanding the movie so badly makes me homicidal. 🙃But it goes beyond even this. Belle is made an outcast on a similar level to the Beast, but it's inverted: She has a "strange" personality so-called, for a woman to have. The Beast merely looks strange, and would otherwise perhaps be accepted in this culture that loves its confident assholes, i.e. Gaston. The movie is a great romance because the two find solace in each other for very real hang-ups society has. The story itself really attracts gay men to tell it: Ashman as far as Disney goes, and Cocteau himself and Marais for that version. This is a story anyone who doesn't fit into neat little boxes and craves acceptance can relate to. Like any great romance, it isn't really *about* the romance, it merely uses that as a side dish to inform people of a deeper societal ill, in this case judgement for some degree of difference and deviation. It's a film that has that classic fairytale feel, and a good dose of modern sensibilities. The perfect blend. Easily my favorite. ☺
I googled the term, "Good breeding", it turns out that it can mean polite and have good manners. So, women from childhood are expected to be nothing more than trophy wives that bear hundreds of sons and never correct the men and boys in their lives, especially their future husbands.
I'm not even sure what constitutes a Disney princess movie... I love Tangled, mostly for Rapunzel's character arc, and I have a favorable opinion of Princess in the Frog for the art design, the main leads and the villain. Mulan is pretty good, but it's very straight-forward in its story-telling.
I think the song “I’ll make a man out of you” kinda has one part where it does combat toxic masculinity, shown through HOW Mulan climbs the pole. It was excepted of the man to only climb that pole with their bare hands shackled with weights. But Mulan shows them that the pole can be climbed a different way, like saying there are multiple ways to be masculine. A lot of the man even saw how Mulan “cheated” the system, but still cheered for her, perhaps because they knew deep down the system was unfair in the first place, and Mulan practically said the quiet part out loud. Great analysis.
No.. Shang always intended them to use their heads to climb the pole, because he couldn't use robots to fight the Huns, he wanted the soldiers he was training to figure out that the weights he gave them were not shackles, rather tools.
What I love about "Mulan" is the fact that the main character needs to use her brains in order to get what she needs. This is something that doesn't change throughout the movie. Mulan is resourceful, witty, smart both as a woman and as a man. When she climbs the pole and retrieves the arrow she uses her brains instead of brute force. The other soldiers might have been bullying her until that point, but when she succeeds, they are celebrating her success. Speaking of bullying, during the song "Make a Man Out of You", when Ling and Yao are preparing to throw rocks at Mulan, one can clearly see that Chieng-Po actually looks sad about it and he is going along with it only because of his friends.
Exactly! We see her brains as early as the game between two old men (I think it’s Go, or maybe checkers? Hard to tell), and as late as her using a folding fan to steal Shan-yu’s sword from him and later to launch him into a bed of fireworks. It’s the combination of outside-the-box thinking, along with acknowledging how gruelingly hard the legwork is, that makes her such a compelling and likable character.
@@Anonymous-i8y The remake lost everything. Mulan was never a "strong woman" repressed. She was a normal dynamic woman a little lost in her society that doesn't value women. And that because she's normal that she had very struggle during her formation without never given up. And she finally discover her own way to success. By her brain and that will how she success until the end. No super power, no super strengh but enough knowedge to win in the end. Even with the fantastic part, the first Disney Mulan was more realistic than the "realistic remake".
So my takeaway from these songs is as follows "Honor to us all": what women expect out of other women. "Be a man" : what men expect from men. "A girl worth fighting for": what men expect from women. And "reflection": the struggle to conform to these expectations.
I personally really like "Girl Worth Fighting For," not because of the song itself, but because of how it ends. The song abruptly comes to a halt when they get to the village. A Tumblr post I saw somewhere already has broken this scene down, so I will paraphrase it here: "The soldiers thought their 'girl worth fighting for' would be one of romance, but the song stops when they find a different girl worth fighting for. A child who had been killed at the hands of the Huns. A girl too small, too weak, too young to be able to defend herself. That is their 'girl worth fighting for.' " I don't think I could have said it better.
Yup the moment you realize what you actually are here to do vs the image you had I'm your head is something most people who join anything because society and the media of the time said it was cool have to face and unfortunately scenes like this aren't as uncommon as you'd hope
@@XeorboomThe point this commenter is trying to make is that the men had an image of what it was they were performing “ultimate masculinity” for ie. the “perfect woman” when in truth, there were real, true things to fight for, a girl, one that has yet to be held to the performative standards of their society. In truth, they should have been fighting for that youth, innocence, potential and authenticity, not for the imaginary, shallow, unattainable perfection that society has convinced them they should value.
I love the way the character designs work in this movie too especially Yao, Ling and Chien-Po all three exhibit traits that are not typically considered desirably Masculine. Being Short, scrawny and fat. it's awesome seeing actual diversity in body types.
@@ajmccorristin1125 True. One thing I didn't get into much in the video was the comedy and how it potentially downplays/undercuts the power of the commentary. Like, one could argue that the whole drag saving China thing was a bit of a comedic scene and therefore might make men feel even more like they need to be masculine 24/7 or they'll be laughed at. Part of me wonders if that rule applies to the character designs too
@@brainless_mastermind It would probably be better if Shang would also wear a disguise and not be in his regular attire. Without it the scene does come across as more of a joke, since his character sticks with being so manly
@@xXarchitoXx maybe the producers just didn't feel quite comfortable portraying this movies equivalent of the Disney Prince that way. this might've been the most they felt they could get away with or they didn't want to rub the message in the viewers face that much. Also if Shang wore make-up etc he would've logically had to defend the emperor from Shan-Yu that way which would've turned the entire climax into a comedic scene
@@yoonahkang7384 I guess thats hard to say. for side characters you would be right. Female side characters are usually still attractive while male ones can occasionally be kinda chubby like the one friend of Peter Parker in the MCU. but when it comes to the heroes, the guys we are meant to look up to, they are all muscular with chiseled jawlines etc which is just as likely to give a boy body-dismorphia than a big curved supermodel will a girl
I always felt like the idea is that we never know the "true" Mulan. Very little of the film allows her the leisure to be herself, either conforming to the female image or the male image. I think that makes her the most flexible Disney princess. She can be a tomboy or a girly girl.
I would liker her to be a girly girl, because feminine girls can be strong and intelligent too, it would provide a good message to little girls who are feminine but practice more traditionally male hobbies like Mulans more exaggerated example of literally being a war hero
Sorry but what are you talking about? The true Mulan is revealed in the movie's climax where she uses BOTH masculine and feminine to defeat the villain. She disarms him with a woman's fan! If it wasn't a Disney movie she probably would have killed him with his own sword (poetic much) but instead uses it to pin him to the roof so he gets hit by the fireworks and dies that way (masculine). The entire palace sequence shows her using her brains (uniquely hers), her martial skills (masculine), and feminine symbols (the fan) to win. The true Mulan is the harmony of masculine and feminine traits that are embodied by her in her unique way. Yin and Yang, where each is co-constitutive of the other. As an aside, we see this in other characters too. When the emperor is first captured the soldiers try to batter down the door with brute strength (masculine). She tells them there's a faster way. They then use their brains to climb up the pillars the way Mulan did in the training camp, and even dress up as women to sneak up on the Huns. By the way, I'd be happy to code brains as feminine but the film honestly doesn't give us enough to go on regarding that. She's one of the only innovative and cunning characters and the other women don't do much so it's hard to say. The male Huns also demonstrate it when they sneak in and kidnap the emperor which is why I've left brains as gender neutral or a personal quality in my analysis.
I'm sorry, the "true" Mulan? What is that even supposed to mean? That she has to fit into a stereotype? Either tomboy or girly girl? Isn't the entire point of the movie that preferences and personality traits shouldn't be gendered? And that thinking of people in boxes is wrong? Real people don't work in media archetypes and I love how Mulan stands for that.
I was a shy, insecure, 15 years old teen. Some guy with the Word "loser" written in his forehead came to my highschool with a government pay to try and indoctrinate us over Disney movies. The moment he called Mulan sexist... The blatantly false arguments... "A girl worth fighting for is sexist!" DID HE EVEN WATCH THE MOVIE? I couldnt help but to debate him at that moment.
Mulan was always my favorite Disney princess as a kid and i didn't even realize how great of a movie it was and how it spoke about gender, best disney princess
Well it works irl too tho lol. All I have to do is not put eyeliner on and have some loose shirt/jacket on and people refer to me as sir xD Somehow i doubt though that Mulan was using makeup on a daily basis judging by her reactions to everything during "honour to us all"
@@TwisterTornado I’m more so talking about the “Disney art style” that gives every female princess (or female character in general) a natural curled eyelash. The character designers for Mulan made those slight changes in her character design so that her actually being a woman doesn’t seem like a dead giveaway
@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 Nope!Watch the ending scenes where she’s fighting the big bad (forgot his name) but during that whole scene she has eyelashes except for the point she puts up her hair to show him she is the “warrior from the mountains” or any scene in the beginning before she puts on make up. Even in the thumbnail she has eyelashes on the side she wiped her makeup off from.
I don't know... the more you talked the more I believed that the movie is not about masculinity or femininity at all. The movie is about being a hero. For instance, when Mulan returns the doll to the little girl during the song that's her being a hero which makes her the opposite of the villain who literally killed the little girl who was the owner of the doll he found. The movie is about Mulan doing more than what society expects of her which yes, does involve departing from gender norms but it's mostly about being a hero, being honorable, not letting the world define your place and simply taking it. It's a lot more than just "Mulan rejects societal norms." She rejects an entire belief system and an entire way of living finding a place in the army and becoming the most beautiful and rare flower of all. Remember when Mulan's father tells her "I know my place, it's time you learned yours." There's a lot more to that than just gender norms. It's a whole beliefs system. This video isn't bad though. Just thought I'd say my thoughts on the film.
Two things can be true at once. It is most DEFINITELY about gender even if it's also about heroism. Specifically how heroism can be embodied by either gender and either sex, regardless of the gender they are embodying in that moment.
I agree with the other reply to this comment. It’s definitely both. The movie also tells us how the society expects its people to be heroes: a man by baring arms, a girl by baring sons. But Mulan is a hero by doing neither of those things. She is not a mother who provides sons to go die, and she defeats the Huns without traditional weapons or combat. Instead of hitting the Huns with the rocket, she hits the mountain and buries them, and instead of defeating Shan Yu with a weapon, she bests him with a feminine fan.
@@Shoulderpads-mcgee Okay, I'd like to make another point about the belief system I was talking about. Remember the part before Mulan sends the rocket off? Li Shang says "if we die, we die with honor." The next thing that happens prevents them from having to die because of their beliefs about honor. Mulan doesn't think like them and because of that she was able to save so many men. It's not just about masculinity and I like that.
Mulan was my favorite Disney movie as a little girl; it isn't anymore, but what a thing to have existed when I needed it most. So speaking as someone who did love it best of all at one time, it's *always* bothered me when people wade into that "Mulan is the only valid princess, she's the only one with a body count!" discourse online. Not only is it becoming the thing you hate so much of insisting there's only one way to be a woman, but it also conveniently forgets why Mulan is badass. She's not one because she *loves* what she's doing, or because she would do it if she had a choice. She holds duty to her family higher than anything else. She would love nothing better than to "fit in." At the end of the movie, she doesn't girlboss her way to the top although she could when she's offered political power. Her work is done, and she just wants to return to her family. Mulan is a badass because she does the terrifying thing nobody in their right mind would want to, because it's the right thing to do. And it's NOT because she's brawnier and less frilly than other Disney women. God. People are so stupid.
What I love about Mulan is that she doesn´t want to be a man and she actually likes femininity. She doesn´t join the war to prove a point or because she feels more masculine or tomboy or identifies as a man. She actually likes her femininity. And she is open to be feminine, it´s just that the EXPECTATIONS of femininity are very outdated and oppressive. That is her problem, not femininity itself.
Is it bad to for women to be masculine or tomboyish? Do they HAVE to like femininity to be "good women" Is there smth wrong with having a diff gender expression or wanting to change it?
@@natasha5553 I never said that. But many people, especially women, portray her as this type of woman that wants to be tomboyish or masculine when that´s not the case. She didn´t go to war bc she wanted to be a man or bc she preferes to have a more masculine or tomboyish style. That´s not the case. She per se has no problem with "traditional" femininity, the only problem is that it comes with a lot of misoginy. merida on the other hand is the perfect example of someone who ACTIVELY prefers to pursue more typically "masculine" hobbies, activities and behaviour and mannerism
Mulan is probably one of the few films from before 2000 that I appreciate and continue to watch (Even though many movies and TV series are not the best in these last years but these are details) It's just a great movie, A woman's expectations of getting honor to the family if they get married and be perfect every moment. And men's expectations of receiving a woman if they will wear armor and win wars, So much so that when they are tired and fatigued they think of a woman to find motivation. And I'm extremely happy that they didn't use a sexist or patriarchal villain because these problems are not caused by a single person but they are caused by me, by you, by some lad named Jhonny or some lady named Stephanie
On a historical note that might help with your analysis of the song, in ancient society's, woman you spent more time in doors were often pale while the men who usually worked outside say on the farm had a tan, so a pale man was a man who worked in doors you know not outside with the tough labor a weak man a desk man not a working man, so that might be why being pale is bad in make a man out of you.
Honestly, I kinda like the early production version of Reflection more than the final version. It feels more complete and adds more depth to Mulan’s thoughts, as well as being more memorable imo.
I’ve always been shamed for being a tomboy ever since I was five years old by my parents, and yes, I also hate the “pick me” girl trend, I’m constantly afraid I’m gonna be called one for being myself
9:26 That goes back to more gendered expectations. Women had to be pale and men had to be tan as they were marks of virility and purity respectively. A tanned woman was considered a woman who worked too much, a masculine trait, while a man who was pale was a slacker or didn't like hard work, a feminine trait.
It's not entirely true. In East Asia, both men and women were expected to be pale, because it meant you were from the nobility and you didn't work in the fields. Paleness was more about classism than about "femininity". Tanned men were still treated like garbage.
I'm by no means an expert in China history, but I feel that "calm and obedient" suits more to express subservience to an emperor aka state hierarchy than actual gender expectation. (but again, its western cartoon depicting East, so dunno)
I have a lot of experience with Chinese history. Calm and obedient is most definitely a gender role for women in China. But in all honesty it's the same in the West, we just might not say it directly anymore.
Some comments struggle with Mulan being "nonbinary." I think it's clear the movie contains a critique of stereotypical gender roles, and it's clear Mulan doesn't fit neatly in any of those stereotypical roles. If that's all that is meant by "nonbinary," she meets that definition. Of course, as Lindsay points out, many if not most of the women and men in the movie and in life fail to fit neatly into stereotypical gender roles - at least they don't fit naturally; they have to work for it. So if the definition of "nonbinary" is failing to fit the standard role naturally, I would think virtually all of humanity meets that definition. A great many of us don't feel completely comfortable in the role society gives us... And we would do well to ignore those roles and requirements and just be us. Does that mean, however, that we are not "male" or "female," the binary genders? Or does it just mean we ARE male/female, but we don't always appreciate or fit into society's idea for that role?
Personally, I think it's less that she's non-binary and more autistic coded. A lot of her struggles stem from a difficulty of interpreting outside factors. With the matchmaker, for example, she successfully recited the final admonition because studying it made it an external factor she could control, but she wasn't prepared for the cricket in the tea, so she's relying on a knee jerk reaction. She does the same thing in the army. She had to rely on Mushu and the other men as external factors because she's never had the need to study masculine traits.
The issue is that non-binary is an identity, not a prescriptive label. One doesn't need to "meet" any quota of features to be non-binary. Likewise, a woman not strictly adhering to gender roles does not make her non-binary.
@@talkofchrist Personally, I see it less as her being non-binary and more autistic coded because a lot of her struggles stem from a difficulty in interpreting external factors. With the matchmaker, for example, she successfully recited the final admonition because it was a factor that she could control by studying it, but she didn't have that luxury with the cricket in her tea. She did the same thing in the army: she had to rely on Mushu and mimic the other men because it's an external factor she wasn't prepared for.
2:09 true but I think it’s ironic because the matchmaker would later say that she’s too thin for bearing sons. On top of that chubby was considered beautiful in the dynasties that Mulan is supposed to take place in.
Not exactly true. 1. Mulan is of the Northern Wei Dynasty. 2. Only reference anyone has, including in China, of people liking chubby women is from the Tang Dynasty and can be attributed to only one woman: Yang Guifei. She was so beloved by the emperor that the emperor forgot how to rule and a series of bad decisions later, sparked the An Lushan Rebellion that nearly brought down the Tang Dynasty.
Somehow I missed the display/critique of toxic masculinity in I'll Make a Man Out of You, I just saw it as a cool training song lol. Great video as always!
Saying that we should being strong are nothing toxic. And there is a context in more. They are soldiers. If they are not strong what will happen? The same thing as the village. And Mulan is here, the best soldier, a woman, exactly for making people understanding that not just men.
My favourite is Reflection. Even before I knew I wasn't cis, this movie really resonated with me. I was starting puberty and going through so many changes and wondered why I couldn't just fit into what I had to be, or what I was told I was. It wasn't just gender. It was my undiagnosed AuDHD, it was my interests, it was my sexuality, and it was my gender expression. I realised that the things I had been for so long just weren't me, they didn't feel right. And it frustrated me that I didn't know why. I can't recall how many times I cried to this song. It's a song that, to this day, has a special place in my heart.
9:47 btw if you take pale literally it could be saying they’re not strong Pale skin-> inside all day Tan skin-> outside all day (training, farming, etc)
I also love the idea to be who you are, and that's enough. You don't have to let society tell you how to be; you are already exactly enough as you are, and you should love yourself the way you are without needing to change yourself. Embrace yourself. We are all us. We are all a completely unique expression of creation, and that's enough.
I feel compelled to point out that you could have said "So let's get down to business" in the intro instead of 'Let's get into it', because I was expecting you to and then you didn't and it was a real cowabummer to my soul. Amazing video and discussion of Mulan, it's amazing how watching something from the 90's today would make modern parents wig out because it's too 'woke' or whatever nonsense they're on about now.
As a man who is very straight and sis: every man should do drag. I did it. It’s so much fun. So find yourself some friends who’ll make you up and buy yourself a dress and do some drag.
My brother did drag twice and I actually have pictures and surprisingly ( I say surprisingly because I live in a very religious and conservative area ) almost everyone was okay with it hell his girlfriend and him started trading clothes at one point before her father who was against anything not "Normal" found out about it
I usualy don't hate anything but if there is a one thing it would be gender roles. They expect every man to be either fully gay but I mean that in stereotypical way (you know that I mean) or fully macho man that is strong and silent etc. I like theatre, dancing and fashion so they automaticly assume that I'm gay. It's so annoying, people should just let others be they want to be. My great grandma said once long long ago to my grandmother that why do you care how the other person dresses or how they are. It's their business even if they want to run around naked.
Wow! Expert analysis. I had no idea Mulan was such an intelligent, nuanced movie, with so much going into the lyrics and the drawings. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Something I thought about with the people who think gender expectations are bad or good is also about that they similarly fall on opposites lines as well for "you exist to serve your family/tribe/society/etc." vs. "your family/tribe/society/etc. exist to serve you." Like if you think you (as in people) exist to serve society as working towards a something greater than yourself, you'll more likely to support gender expectations that people should get married in a supposedly heterosexual relationship and produce children because societies require children to maintain themselves. If you think society exist to serve you than gender expectations like that would be negative because they can lead to negative emotional states for those who, by chance or by choice, are unable to meet those expectations.
I blame Disney for turning the title "Princess" into something lame-sounding. Princess Leia was also a heroine; Xena, who is a heroine as well, is known as a "Princess". There is nothing wrong with a heroic woman being known as a Princess. "Princess" is a honorable title.
Good video! You’re funny. Honestly, just focus your channel on whatever you want, it’s still your personality that’s the main thing which is kind of its own genre in and of itself. I do disagree with the whole ‘Mulan being nonbinary’ thing, as I prefer to interpret her as a woman to show that you can be fully a woman and use your intellect, like Mulan does. I think implying that she must be trans or nonbinary to achieve what she does is an insult to women, because it’s okay to be a woman who leans towards traditionally ‘masculine’ things (although I’d argue that Mulan’s strategy is not really masculine and instead portrays how one can go about achieving great things even if you lack ‘masculine strength’). But that’s just my opinion, lol
Personally, I see it less as her being non-binary and more autistic coded because a lot of her struggles stem from a difficulty in interpreting external factors. With the matchmaker, for example, she successfully recited the final admonition because it was a factor that she could control by studying it, but she didn't have that luxury with the cricket in her tea. She did the same thing in the army: she had to rely on Mushu and mimic the other men because it's an external factor she wasn't prepared for.
I'm so glad someone said it! Saying she must be nonbinary just because she dresses as a man to go to war is reductive of what women can be. One is still a woman even if she has difficulty being the graceful feminine woman that the matchmakers want. And you're so right about her not even being particularly masculine just finding other strengths to do what it takes
This is absolutely the best summary of what I’ve always appreciated about this movie. I’m a woman and I’ve never felt that my gender was non-binary; but I’ve never fully conformed to feminine archetypes and have felt punished by society at various times for that. I’m tall for a woman and extremely heavily-muscled for a woman (with no effort thanks to my farmer-peasant ancestry 💪🏼) and I’ve always been “tomboyish;” but I do appreciate a reasonable amount of femininity in my self-presentation and I’m definitely heterosexual. Today I’m happily married to a man who is clearly a biological male but who also doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes, and we have 2 children who are finding their own places but (like me) tend to think that “girls can’t ___ ” or “boys can’t ___” is silly. Also, I will always remember that I first saw this movie at the theatre on a (first and only) date with a normal 1990s era trad-masculine guy who, during dinner conversation afterwards, revealed that he had absolutely no idea what the movie was about and wouldn’t have approved if he did. Also during that same conversation he earned himself the enduring label for my dating stories: “incubator man.” Because it was clear that he was only dating to find a wife to be the incubator to his future chil-… um, sons. Please keep making content my kids can watch when they’re allowed on TH-cam!
I'll make a man out of you is just so iconic and fun, its got to be my fav. I really enjoyed this video, i really like analytical stuff lol. The cross section of film and societal issues is something that i cannot get enough of
Mulan made me realize I wasn't actually a girl and it did so when I was like 8 Like this movie broke down gender stereotypes so good that my childhood brain was like "hold on a sec"
I really liked your explanations!! mulan has always been a comfort movie for me since i was a curious child. listening to reflection always made me cry and it took me until i was older to realize that the reason it made me so emotional was because of how much i related to it and still do sometimes :)
15:48-15:55 That is an astute point. Mulan looks back at herself in her helmet, having just failed by being caught as a woman and remarks, “I see nothing.” Honestly this was a moment they could have possibly really expounded I , but considering this was a ‘99 Disney movie, they did a phenomenal job with the conversation in this movie.
I don’t blame them, it’s been 8+ years of deliberate shoehorning of identity politics making people hyper sensitive. I had my wave around 2016-2020 before I really came to terms that it wasn’t healthy. 1990’s Disney was a Pioneer in good representation, both in ideas and culture, and current year Disney is all remakes and color washing and it’s aweful
@@breyor1 A whole lotta yapping to say nothing but excuses. I do blame them for their obvious bigotry and sexism. The only thing you're right about, is the fact that these anti-woke snowflakes are hyper sensitive.
I've always appreciated the way the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that true power comes not by the toxic masculine traits of control, dominion, compulsion, or anger, but by persuasion, patience, gentleness, meekness, love, kindness, and knowledge - men have to work hard on their traditionally feminine traits to get close. Am I good at this? No! I'm one of the "almost all people" who exercises unrighteous dominion far too much.
Agreed it's why I pose the question to people of "If the God you worship wasn't some abstract concept but a real king , leader or person would you still follow them after everything they did , forced people to do or refused to do" and that's exactly why I chose to convert to Christianity because I could actually see myself following Jesus but non of the others , if you do more power to you but my moral compass matches best with Jesus
This is an interesting look at Mulan. Im not sure I fully agree with your analysis of Mulan, however I thought you articulated your points very well so Im giving your video a thumbs up.
i love how all the gorls in the procession are all saying how scary the matchmaker is to then because it shows the even girls who do follow societal expectations of femininity are still pushed. Its not just Mulan, all of them are being pushed🩷
Having been raised by uptight, strict/authoritarian parents & being around with narrow-minded relatives who still hold onto conservative views, i think we need more stories that explore traditional gender or social norms that break out of those expectations. Themes or message like those can be easily summarize into something as simple as just being yourself, regardless of what other people say. in today's society we are pressured to do things that is against our own will. Especially lazy parents that either take advantage or expect their own children to be smart or responsible to be able to take care of them. Social expectations such as having a job or raising a family is always brought up but life isn't always simple as it sounds. every person in this world are different. not everything has to be _"one size fits"_ all kind of deal. people tend to not give consideration about others. what their needs are or acknowledge others for their own strengths & weaknesses. so they end up giving bad advice wether intentional or not. life is full of choices & not every rule applies to everyone. vulnerable people especially, might get swayed to take others words or opinions as a fact & way of life. it's mostly those low self-esteem who can't think for themselves that usually fall victim into these social traps. my advice, especially to those who are struggling with stagnation is try to reassess your goals, embrace new challenges, work to change your mindset & surround yourself with inspiring and motivating people. try to remember that change starts with you. it's not easy but with enough time, patience & practice you can develop these skills overtime & can overcome any obstacles in life. (I hope anyone who reads this has a wonderful day. Never lose hope because life will get better. You're not alone in this journey too so i wish you all the best in life)
It is true that all Mulan songs are bangers, but I do listen to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" the most because it's an absolute bop and I love it. "Reflection" will forever have a spot on my "therapy" playlist, and I listen to "Honour to Us All" if I want to feel mildly depressed about society's standards for women. "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is also great, of course, but I feel like it shines the most in the context of the movie, since it shows off the boys bonding together and Mulan's non-conformity to the standard even after becoming a "proper" man. It also serves as a tipping point into non-musical territory because things are getting serious.
3:17 which technically already has happened since she’s an only daughter with no sons. In the perspective of ancient China family trees already upgraded. Her husband’s family will be her “true family”
I've always rejected the ideas of femininity in my culture, people call me brash and not womanlike. I still think femininity is beautiful But the way im supposed to be is not... Right. Oh well I'm also a closeted enby now so
The pale vs non-pale lyrics are actually mainly an east asian/antiquity cultural reference. Being pale was associated with being wealthy enough to avoid manual labor and field work, which would reflect well on a woman because it exemplifies her status, whereas being tan will exemplify martial virtue (to borrow a Roman term) in the army because it means you are going out to do hard work in the sun. It's making a contrast between the role of supposedly domestic. passive women and warrior, active men.
I remember hearing that after the avalanche scene they did not want anymore singing. It was done for a darker tone moving forward. And this could be why the reflection song is where it is in the movie, *maybe.
I’d like to add that the reason women sometimes tend to not like “femininity” is because it’s portrayed as all those hygienic and birthing and so on and so forth things. This makes especially young girls and women feel like having a hobby or actual traits ≠ femininity. Which makes sense when having fun and hobbies and like.. being human. Has always been for men. Women werent aloud to participate. Now it feels like for them that they cant have a personality & likings AND be a woman.
As a guy I was pleasantly surprised to see such an unbiased and poignant analysis of "I'll Make a Man Out of You!" The entire video was very well-written and presented. Nice job :)
To make a a feminist movie you have to show the true chauvinist and misogynist side of society and show how to fight it If you show the perfect world, there is nothing to fight, and people watching it think that chauvinism isn't a thing anymore, because they just keep ignoring real life; this is not a criticism to movies that show the society we want to achieve because the point of that kind movie isn't fighting ```that``` , which make possible for that world building to exist, like in Nimona having a lgbt supporting society that has other problems, making it not a movie about lgbt rights, because in that world that was already achieved Sorry for the long comment here is a botato~🥔
"A girl worth fighting for" is one i like. Its fun to hear their versions of a perfect woman and seeing how much they vary in what qualities. It shows that they truly just want a woman that loves them for themselves, even while exemplifying the not-so-great misogynistic ideals taught to them
my disney movies growing up where mulan (obvious) and the little mermaid (trans coded allegory af). unsurprisingly, i grew up being nonbinary and autistic
I use a Blue Yeti USB microphone, it's pretty popular with TH-camrs and you can get it cheap off of Amazon (I'm poor) Edit: it works pretty well for podcasts/TH-cam channels though I wouldn't really recommend it for anything requiring a higher audio quality, like music
As a trans person (nonbinary), Mulan actually really does have a trans undertone to it, and I've seen quite a few trans people comment on it. Not trans masc, so I can't really comment on that aspect, but the story being about a character required to conform to difficult gender expectations that they are not comfortable with, singing a song about not being on the outside what they are on the inside and how that causes them distress and pain (hello gender dysphoria), and then attempting to fit into a different kind of gender expectation, only to struggle further with those expectations. Mulan wins and succeeds when she forgoes both masculine and feminine standards and performs gender in her own way - as someone who's nonbinary, that means a lot to me! The answer wasn't mulan being a man or a woman, but taking traits from both and herself and becoming something different but in no way lesser, but in no way implies that either would be lesser if they were chosen, just that either forced makes it worse. To be honest, this is probably super relevant only to me, but I really do think that this analysis really honestly further adds to the trans discussion that happens around this movie, and I think it's awesome.
I want to give a shoutout to Lesson Number One from Mulan 2. It’s a little on the nose with its messaging but it feels like an evolution of the idea of Mulan blending masculinity and femininity and passing it on to others. It’s all about opposites (day and night, summer and winter) and how they are both needed and required. She teaches the kids to be tough, quick, and brave, but also to be soft, slow, and in touch with your emotions like fear. The song doesn’t mention gender but it’s pretty clear how it’s blending the things Mulan has learned about being a woman and being a man and how to use those traits together. And also something something yin and yang
I never thought about Mulan as non-binary, perhaps because I am cis and gender as a spectrum wasn't really ever something that crossed my path until more recently, but I think its actually a really good analysis especially when you think about the first song in Mulan 2. The entire movie is about balance and while I think it was originally meant to represent the balance between the feminine and masculine of Shang and Mulan you can also see that balance within Mulan herself.
The song Reflection originally was much longer but it was cut down. Some of the unused lyrics further stress societies expectations. Who is that perfect bride? It’s not me though I tried. When will my reflection show who I am inside? How I pray that a time will come I can free myself from their expectations. On that day I’ll discover some way to be myself and to make my family proud. They want a docile lamb. No one knows who I am. Must there be a secret me, I’m forced to hide. Must I pretend that I’m someone else for all time. When will my reflection show who I am inside? When will my reflection show who I am inside?
If you have no idea what you want your channel to be this video gives cinema therapy vibes if you haven’t watched their channel they are great highly recommend
0:52 For frick's sake! Mulan never wanted to be a man! She wanted to save her father. The only reason why she crossdressed was because she HAD to! Mulan is a faithful retelling of a Chinese folktale. WHERE MULAN WAS ALSO NOT TRANS!!!!!!!! There are plenty of other trans stories you can ask for, don't ruin a 1000 year old folktale!
someone’s headcanon or personal opinion/perspective of a folktale doesn’t “ruin” it. they have their opinions and you have yours. it’s really weird you think that way
@@Finity_twenty_ten then shame on you for not. you didn’t address anything i said. are you gonna read all the points i said, agree, but ignore it and keep being rude af?
@@cottagecore_rose Can't you be happy with "defying gender roles is not wrong"? Give Disney some credit. This was a HUGE step from what they made in the past. If you want more trans, make a campaign. (I'm actually not sure why Disney hasn't made a main character who is trans yet) Mulan is perfect just in the way the show is now. I'm kinda not a fan of arguing, so please just respectfully disagree with me. Thank you.
10:51 nah 11:18 true I guess? But I feel like it’s phrasing that way is saying if you don’t have it conform to the qualifications then you’re not a man. (Or a woman in honour to us all) which I think is also restrictive
I don't know, isn't Mulan just a girl but society's just telling her that girls should act a certain way? In saying she's trans, isn't that saying that girls should act a certain way and boys a certain way? Mulan acting more stereotypically masculine doesn't (necessarily) make her a man. I guess, when you think about it, we are all non-binary (as in not relating to just 2 things, rather than the gender identity) in some form as it is fairly impossible to completely fit gender expectations.
I see where you're coming from, but I think people read Mulan as trans because of the line "When will my reflection show who I am inside?" (at least, that's what makes sense to me,) rather than her how masculine she is. In my experience, being trans is more about people perceiving you as your chosen gender, rather than adhering strictly to the expectations of said gender. Trans people can (and often do) break the norms of their chosen gender just like cis folks! So, being trans isn't necessarily about matching up to the expectations of your chosen gender as well as possible. All that's to say I, personally, think people perceive Mulan as trans not because she's masculine, but because she expresses the feeling of her outsides not matching her insides until she changes her presentation. Though, I don't read her as trans myself. I see her arc as receiving appreciation for who she is, rather than how well she can perform her assigned gender. And of course, that's just my opinion :)
i see her as trans masculine for the exact reasons you shared. also that i saw her being a "boy" and thought "oh yes!" and then when she went back to being a girl i was disappointed (i was eight and had no idea trans people existed at that) so thats just how i felt always. it was "innate" to me. @@TallestShrublet
I’ll be honest, being a pick me is not being small, or really feminine, or a gamer girl, or any of those things. The phrase “pick me” has been used so much it has lost its meaning like other things, people see a tomboy and think their a pick me, they see a girl that likes gaming or anime as a pick me, they see a girl that might be the traditional feminine girl as a pick me, but none of these thing are inherently a problem, It becomes a problem when the person uses those things to act and/or seem as they are better than other women and girls. I used to be a “pick me” but not necessarily to put other girls down or to feel better but to prove I wasn’t just some girl that was only pink and pretty. Pick me culture has been muddy but in my own thoughts, be feminine, be masculine, be anything in between, just don’t act like it makes you a better woman and/or person if you act like that because it doesn’t. It’s a preference, gender is whatever YOU want to make it out to be for yourself, don’t force it on anyone but that definitely doesn’t mean you can’t embrace it. Love yourself and others and also, great video❤! (Sorry if this doesn’t make sense or is rude this is just my opinion. Have your own opinion as long as it’s not rude!)
I really liked Mulan as a child and I still like it today. When I was 5, I watched the film on VHS at my mother's ex-boyfriend's house every time we visited. The way they portrayed Chinese culture (yes, it's ancient China, I know, but it's Chinese culture nonetheless) fascinated me. I can't understand why the role of women in the film is supposed to be "problematic". For me, Mulan is and remains the "anti-princess", the "Joan of Arc" of the Far East, so to speak. China is also more traditional when it comes to femininity and masculinity, whether that's really bad is up to each individual to decide. I don't want to open a can of worms. PS I haven't seen the new Mulan film and don't want to see it, and I've never read the old Chinese original of the Mulan legend.
I'm interested to know, what's your guys' favorite Disney princess movie and why?
My favorite is Beauty and the Beast. Why is a loaded question, I just love it that much! I guess I might say that I really just love all versions (The Cocteau version, the Czech one, even the 80's TV series!), but this one is interesting and my personal favorite because Linda Woolverton really did make a Beauty and the Beast for the modern age no matter how many reductionistic takes online insist otherwise. Why? Well I'm glad you asked! 😅In other versions, the onus is really being placed on Beauty, to be less shallow. The conceit that the prince is answerable for a wrong is an invention of Disney's version, because in Cocteau's version for example, he was a victim of circumstance. Cursed due to pettiness. He's not the one who has to learn a lesson, Belle is. It's up to her to rise to the occasion.
While I do love the movie very much because I do in fact think the world is shallow enough for such a message to hold a lot of value, that's a lot of pressure on a woman who *is* being held against her will. In Disney's film, there's no such illusion. Belle is already enough as she is. The Beast is the problem. He's the one who has to change. I just prefer that, because him holding Belle prisoner *is* relatively unaddressed in Cocteau's film that would otherwise have you think highly of him. The Disney version *knows* that this is wrong, and endeavors to teach the Beast this is wrong, which it does. Which is why people online misunderstanding the movie so badly makes me homicidal. 🙃But it goes beyond even this. Belle is made an outcast on a similar level to the Beast, but it's inverted: She has a "strange" personality so-called, for a woman to have. The Beast merely looks strange, and would otherwise perhaps be accepted in this culture that loves its confident assholes, i.e. Gaston. The movie is a great romance because the two find solace in each other for very real hang-ups society has.
The story itself really attracts gay men to tell it: Ashman as far as Disney goes, and Cocteau himself and Marais for that version. This is a story anyone who doesn't fit into neat little boxes and craves acceptance can relate to. Like any great romance, it isn't really *about* the romance, it merely uses that as a side dish to inform people of a deeper societal ill, in this case judgement for some degree of difference and deviation. It's a film that has that classic fairytale feel, and a good dose of modern sensibilities. The perfect blend. Easily my favorite. ☺
Mine is Tangled and I have no reason why I just like it :3
I googled the term, "Good breeding", it turns out that it can mean polite and have good manners. So, women from childhood are expected to be nothing more than trophy wives that bear hundreds of sons and never correct the men and boys in their lives, especially their future husbands.
I'm not even sure what constitutes a Disney princess movie... I love Tangled, mostly for Rapunzel's character arc, and I have a favorable opinion of Princess in the Frog for the art design, the main leads and the villain.
Mulan is pretty good, but it's very straight-forward in its story-telling.
Cinderella gets too much of a bad rep. 💞
I think the song “I’ll make a man out of you” kinda has one part where it does combat toxic masculinity, shown through HOW Mulan climbs the pole. It was excepted of the man to only climb that pole with their bare hands shackled with weights. But Mulan shows them that the pole can be climbed a different way, like saying there are multiple ways to be masculine. A lot of the man even saw how Mulan “cheated” the system, but still cheered for her, perhaps because they knew deep down the system was unfair in the first place, and Mulan practically said the quiet part out loud. Great analysis.
True
I honestly thought the pole climbing was meant to be working smarter, not harder.
No..
Shang always intended them to use their heads to climb the pole, because he couldn't use robots to fight the Huns, he wanted the soldiers he was training to figure out that the weights he gave them were not shackles, rather tools.
aceept shange says you need both of the weights to reach the arrow.
Such a good comment
What I love about "Mulan" is the fact that the main character needs to use her brains in order to get what she needs. This is something that doesn't change throughout the movie. Mulan is resourceful, witty, smart both as a woman and as a man. When she climbs the pole and retrieves the arrow she uses her brains instead of brute force. The other soldiers might have been bullying her until that point, but when she succeeds, they are celebrating her success. Speaking of bullying, during the song "Make a Man Out of You", when Ling and Yao are preparing to throw rocks at Mulan, one can clearly see that Chieng-Po actually looks sad about it and he is going along with it only because of his friends.
This is exactly why the remake is horrible she achieves everything by brute force/ her magical chee powers
Exactly! We see her brains as early as the game between two old men (I think it’s Go, or maybe checkers? Hard to tell), and as late as her using a folding fan to steal Shan-yu’s sword from him and later to launch him into a bed of fireworks. It’s the combination of outside-the-box thinking, along with acknowledging how gruelingly hard the legwork is, that makes her such a compelling and likable character.
@@azurelionheart In fact you can see it earlier than that: the way she feeds the chicken by tying the bag with the grain to the dog.
@@Anonymous-i8y The remake lost everything. Mulan was never a "strong woman" repressed. She was a normal dynamic woman a little lost in her society that doesn't value women. And that because she's normal that she had very struggle during her formation without never given up. And she finally discover her own way to success. By her brain and that will how she success until the end. No super power, no super strengh but enough knowedge to win in the end. Even with the fantastic part, the first Disney Mulan was more realistic than the "realistic remake".
So my takeaway from these songs is as follows
"Honor to us all": what women expect out of other women.
"Be a man" : what men expect from men.
"A girl worth fighting for": what men expect from women.
And "reflection": the struggle to conform to these expectations.
its actually expect! but your analysis on the music and its meaning is pretty sound
@@Nockgun ty, and thank you for noticing the typo.
I personally really like "Girl Worth Fighting For," not because of the song itself, but because of how it ends. The song abruptly comes to a halt when they get to the village. A Tumblr post I saw somewhere already has broken this scene down, so I will paraphrase it here: "The soldiers thought their 'girl worth fighting for' would be one of romance, but the song stops when they find a different girl worth fighting for. A child who had been killed at the hands of the Huns. A girl too small, too weak, too young to be able to defend herself. That is their 'girl worth fighting for.' " I don't think I could have said it better.
Yup the moment you realize what you actually are here to do vs the image you had I'm your head is something most people who join anything because society and the media of the time said it was cool have to face and unfortunately scenes like this aren't as uncommon as you'd hope
not to mention the movie stopped being a musical after that moment. CRYING
God, I love that scene too. The way it also zeros in on Mulan in that second.
It could also be romantic! It doesn't have to be a child, romantic or even female ...just whoever you feel is worth fighting for.
@@XeorboomThe point this commenter is trying to make is that the men had an image of what it was they were performing “ultimate masculinity” for ie. the “perfect woman” when in truth, there were real, true things to fight for, a girl, one that has yet to be held to the performative standards of their society. In truth, they should have been fighting for that youth, innocence, potential and authenticity, not for the imaginary, shallow, unattainable perfection that society has convinced them they should value.
I love the way the character designs work in this movie too especially Yao, Ling and Chien-Po all three exhibit traits that are not typically considered desirably Masculine. Being Short, scrawny and fat. it's awesome seeing actual diversity in body types.
@@ajmccorristin1125 True. One thing I didn't get into much in the video was the comedy and how it potentially downplays/undercuts the power of the commentary. Like, one could argue that the whole drag saving China thing was a bit of a comedic scene and therefore might make men feel even more like they need to be masculine 24/7 or they'll be laughed at. Part of me wonders if that rule applies to the character designs too
@@brainless_mastermind It would probably be better if Shang would also wear a disguise and not be in his regular attire. Without it the scene does come across as more of a joke, since his character sticks with being so manly
@@xXarchitoXx maybe the producers just didn't feel quite comfortable portraying this movies equivalent of the Disney Prince that way. this might've been the most they felt they could get away with or they didn't want to rub the message in the viewers face that much. Also if Shang wore make-up etc he would've logically had to defend the emperor from Shan-Yu that way which would've turned the entire climax into a comedic scene
Masculine bod7y types are always diverse in media. Female ones not so much
@@yoonahkang7384 I guess thats hard to say. for side characters you would be right. Female side characters are usually still attractive while male ones can occasionally be kinda chubby like the one friend of Peter Parker in the MCU. but when it comes to the heroes, the guys we are meant to look up to, they are all muscular with chiseled jawlines etc which is just as likely to give a boy body-dismorphia than a big curved supermodel will a girl
I always felt like the idea is that we never know the "true" Mulan. Very little of the film allows her the leisure to be herself, either conforming to the female image or the male image. I think that makes her the most flexible Disney princess. She can be a tomboy or a girly girl.
I would liker her to be a girly girl, because feminine girls can be strong and intelligent too, it would provide a good message to little girls who are feminine but practice more traditionally male hobbies like Mulans more exaggerated example of literally being a war hero
Sorry but what are you talking about? The true Mulan is revealed in the movie's climax where she uses BOTH masculine and feminine to defeat the villain. She disarms him with a woman's fan! If it wasn't a Disney movie she probably would have killed him with his own sword (poetic much) but instead uses it to pin him to the roof so he gets hit by the fireworks and dies that way (masculine). The entire palace sequence shows her using her brains (uniquely hers), her martial skills (masculine), and feminine symbols (the fan) to win. The true Mulan is the harmony of masculine and feminine traits that are embodied by her in her unique way. Yin and Yang, where each is co-constitutive of the other.
As an aside, we see this in other characters too. When the emperor is first captured the soldiers try to batter down the door with brute strength (masculine). She tells them there's a faster way. They then use their brains to climb up the pillars the way Mulan did in the training camp, and even dress up as women to sneak up on the Huns.
By the way, I'd be happy to code brains as feminine but the film honestly doesn't give us enough to go on regarding that. She's one of the only innovative and cunning characters and the other women don't do much so it's hard to say. The male Huns also demonstrate it when they sneak in and kidnap the emperor which is why I've left brains as gender neutral or a personal quality in my analysis.
@@IshtarNike Mulan using both skills felt reflective of what she's learned as a woman and a man, rather than her own interests. That's what I mean.
Isn't that called a Tomgirl?
I'm sorry, the "true" Mulan? What is that even supposed to mean? That she has to fit into a stereotype? Either tomboy or girly girl?
Isn't the entire point of the movie that preferences and personality traits shouldn't be gendered? And that thinking of people in boxes is wrong? Real people don't work in media archetypes and I love how Mulan stands for that.
I was a shy, insecure, 15 years old teen. Some guy with the Word "loser" written in his forehead came to my highschool with a government pay to try and indoctrinate us over Disney movies. The moment he called Mulan sexist... The blatantly false arguments... "A girl worth fighting for is sexist!" DID HE EVEN WATCH THE MOVIE? I couldnt help but to debate him at that moment.
well i wonder why he is written with that on his forehead
and everyone clapped
@@Carlos-bz5ooand you’re annoying
@@_BubblGum_ Sorry if I'm skeptical
@@Carlos-bz5ooyeah like what is this story? He had loser written on his head but was approved by the school and government??
Mulan was always my favorite Disney princess as a kid and i didn't even realize how great of a movie it was and how it spoke about gender, best disney princess
This film should be studied in Gender Studies!
Probably already is
Hopefully already is
It is
What you think we doing
The fact that Gender studies exists tho🤦♂️
“Mewlan” had me rolling🗿🗿
All the mulan songs are fire but Reflection is the most relatable to me unfortunately 🔥🔥😕🔥🔥
8:21 Not only her face shape, but Mulan also lost her eyelashes every time she cross-dressed.
I wish cross dressing made you look exactly like the other gender to everyone
Well it works irl too tho lol. All I have to do is not put eyeliner on and have some loose shirt/jacket on and people refer to me as sir xD Somehow i doubt though that Mulan was using makeup on a daily basis judging by her reactions to everything during "honour to us all"
@@TwisterTornado I’m more so talking about the “Disney art style” that gives every female princess (or female character in general) a natural curled eyelash.
The character designers for Mulan made those slight changes in her character design so that her actually being a woman doesn’t seem like a dead giveaway
Did she have eyelashes when she didn’t wear make up and before she joined the army?
@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 Nope!Watch the ending scenes where she’s fighting the big bad (forgot his name) but during that whole scene she has eyelashes except for the point she puts up her hair to show him she is the “warrior from the mountains” or any scene in the beginning before she puts on make up. Even in the thumbnail she has eyelashes on the side she wiped her makeup off from.
I don't know... the more you talked the more I believed that the movie is not about masculinity or femininity at all. The movie is about being a hero. For instance, when Mulan returns the doll to the little girl during the song that's her being a hero which makes her the opposite of the villain who literally killed the little girl who was the owner of the doll he found. The movie is about Mulan doing more than what society expects of her which yes, does involve departing from gender norms but it's mostly about being a hero, being honorable, not letting the world define your place and simply taking it. It's a lot more than just "Mulan rejects societal norms." She rejects an entire belief system and an entire way of living finding a place in the army and becoming the most beautiful and rare flower of all.
Remember when Mulan's father tells her "I know my place, it's time you learned yours." There's a lot more to that than just gender norms. It's a whole beliefs system.
This video isn't bad though. Just thought I'd say my thoughts on the film.
Two things can be true at once. It is most DEFINITELY about gender even if it's also about heroism. Specifically how heroism can be embodied by either gender and either sex, regardless of the gender they are embodying in that moment.
I agree with the other reply to this comment. It’s definitely both. The movie also tells us how the society expects its people to be heroes: a man by baring arms, a girl by baring sons. But Mulan is a hero by doing neither of those things. She is not a mother who provides sons to go die, and she defeats the Huns without traditional weapons or combat. Instead of hitting the Huns with the rocket, she hits the mountain and buries them, and instead of defeating Shan Yu with a weapon, she bests him with a feminine fan.
@@Shoulderpads-mcgee Okay, I'd like to make another point about the belief system I was talking about. Remember the part before Mulan sends the rocket off? Li Shang says "if we die, we die with honor." The next thing that happens prevents them from having to die because of their beliefs about honor. Mulan doesn't think like them and because of that she was able to save so many men. It's not just about masculinity and I like that.
@@avivastudios2311 I’m not refuting you bud, Mulan is also about the things you said
@@Shoulderpads-mcgee I know - you said that. I only said I was adding another point.
Mulan was my favorite Disney movie as a little girl; it isn't anymore, but what a thing to have existed when I needed it most. So speaking as someone who did love it best of all at one time, it's *always* bothered me when people wade into that "Mulan is the only valid princess, she's the only one with a body count!" discourse online. Not only is it becoming the thing you hate so much of insisting there's only one way to be a woman, but it also conveniently forgets why Mulan is badass. She's not one because she *loves* what she's doing, or because she would do it if she had a choice. She holds duty to her family higher than anything else. She would love nothing better than to "fit in." At the end of the movie, she doesn't girlboss her way to the top although she could when she's offered political power. Her work is done, and she just wants to return to her family. Mulan is a badass because she does the terrifying thing nobody in their right mind would want to, because it's the right thing to do. And it's NOT because she's brawnier and less frilly than other Disney women. God. People are so stupid.
What I love about Mulan is that she doesn´t want to be a man and she actually likes femininity. She doesn´t join the war to prove a point or because she feels more masculine or tomboy or identifies as a man. She actually likes her femininity. And she is open to be feminine, it´s just that the EXPECTATIONS of femininity are very outdated and oppressive. That is her problem, not femininity itself.
Is it bad to for women to be masculine or tomboyish? Do they HAVE to like femininity to be "good women" Is there smth wrong with having a diff gender expression or wanting to change it?
@@natasha5553 I never said that. But many people, especially women, portray her as this type of woman that wants to be tomboyish or masculine when that´s not the case. She didn´t go to war bc she wanted to be a man or bc she preferes to have a more masculine or tomboyish style. That´s not the case. She per se has no problem with "traditional" femininity, the only problem is that it comes with a lot of misoginy. merida on the other hand is the perfect example of someone who ACTIVELY prefers to pursue more typically "masculine" hobbies, activities and behaviour and mannerism
@@moritzmartini4132 I thought she joined the war cause her father wasn't capable of doing so.
@@acegameravery9488 yes. But that’s NOT being a tomboy or wanting to be masculine
Mulan is probably one of the few films from before 2000 that I appreciate and continue to watch (Even though many movies and TV series are not the best in these last years but these are details) It's just a great movie, A woman's expectations of getting honor to the family if they get married and be perfect every moment. And men's expectations of receiving a woman if they will wear armor and win wars, So much so that when they are tired and fatigued they think of a woman to find motivation. And I'm extremely happy that they didn't use a sexist or patriarchal villain because these problems are not caused by a single person but they are caused by me, by you, by some lad named Jhonny or some lady named Stephanie
On a historical note that might help with your analysis of the song, in ancient society's, woman you spent more time in doors were often pale while the men who usually worked outside say on the farm had a tan, so a pale man was a man who worked in doors you know not outside with the tough labor a weak man a desk man not a working man, so that might be why being pale is bad in make a man out of you.
Honestly, I kinda like the early production version of Reflection more than the final version. It feels more complete and adds more depth to Mulan’s thoughts, as well as being more memorable imo.
I’ve always been shamed for being a tomboy ever since I was five years old by my parents, and yes, I also hate the “pick me” girl trend, I’m constantly afraid I’m gonna be called one for being myself
Their opinions don't define you,so overcome your fears cuz you deserve a happy and free life❤
Yeah cis women aren't incapable of being awful to each other for their natural expression unfortunately
You don't have to be feminine just because you're afab if it really doesn't appeal to you! I wish that was said a little more often!
9:26
That goes back to more gendered expectations. Women had to be pale and men had to be tan as they were marks of virility and purity respectively. A tanned woman was considered a woman who worked too much, a masculine trait, while a man who was pale was a slacker or didn't like hard work, a feminine trait.
It's not entirely true. In East Asia, both men and women were expected to be pale, because it meant you were from the nobility and you didn't work in the fields. Paleness was more about classism than about "femininity". Tanned men were still treated like garbage.
I'm by no means an expert in China history, but I feel that "calm and obedient" suits more to express subservience to an emperor aka state hierarchy than actual gender expectation.
(but again, its western cartoon depicting East, so dunno)
If you want some cultural context, Xiran Jay Zhao made a video about the film discussing it.
I have a lot of experience with Chinese history. Calm and obedient is most definitely a gender role for women in China. But in all honesty it's the same in the West, we just might not say it directly anymore.
@@IshtarNike Well in all history and countries gender role was a really idiotic idea.
Some comments struggle with Mulan being "nonbinary." I think it's clear the movie contains a critique of stereotypical gender roles, and it's clear Mulan doesn't fit neatly in any of those stereotypical roles. If that's all that is meant by "nonbinary," she meets that definition. Of course, as Lindsay points out, many if not most of the women and men in the movie and in life fail to fit neatly into stereotypical gender roles - at least they don't fit naturally; they have to work for it. So if the definition of "nonbinary" is failing to fit the standard role naturally, I would think virtually all of humanity meets that definition. A great many of us don't feel completely comfortable in the role society gives us... And we would do well to ignore those roles and requirements and just be us. Does that mean, however, that we are not "male" or "female," the binary genders? Or does it just mean we ARE male/female, but we don't always appreciate or fit into society's idea for that role?
Personally, I think it's less that she's non-binary and more autistic coded. A lot of her struggles stem from a difficulty of interpreting outside factors. With the matchmaker, for example, she successfully recited the final admonition because studying it made it an external factor she could control, but she wasn't prepared for the cricket in the tea, so she's relying on a knee jerk reaction. She does the same thing in the army. She had to rely on Mushu and the other men as external factors because she's never had the need to study masculine traits.
The issue is that non-binary is an identity, not a prescriptive label. One doesn't need to "meet" any quota of features to be non-binary. Likewise, a woman not strictly adhering to gender roles does not make her non-binary.
@@talkofchrist Personally, I see it less as her being non-binary and more autistic coded because a lot of her struggles stem from a difficulty in interpreting external factors. With the matchmaker, for example, she successfully recited the final admonition because it was a factor that she could control by studying it, but she didn't have that luxury with the cricket in her tea. She did the same thing in the army: she had to rely on Mushu and mimic the other men because it's an external factor she wasn't prepared for.
@@DUWANGlai_kangyi Yeah, I think gender nonconforming is a better term here
@@TropicalBunny43 I agree
Didn't realize how smart and deep this movie was. I've a whole new appreciation for it now as an adult
2:09 true but I think it’s ironic because the matchmaker would later say that she’s too thin for bearing sons. On top of that chubby was considered beautiful in the dynasties that Mulan is supposed to take place in.
Not exactly true. 1. Mulan is of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
2. Only reference anyone has, including in China, of people liking chubby women is from the Tang Dynasty and can be attributed to only one woman: Yang Guifei. She was so beloved by the emperor that the emperor forgot how to rule and a series of bad decisions later, sparked the An Lushan Rebellion that nearly brought down the Tang Dynasty.
@@alexanderchristopher6237 1. I know that
2. I know that but no it’s not that reductive. Come on
Somehow I missed the display/critique of toxic masculinity in I'll Make a Man Out of You, I just saw it as a cool training song lol. Great video as always!
Saying that we should being strong are nothing toxic. And there is a context in more. They are soldiers. If they are not strong what will happen? The same thing as the village. And Mulan is here, the best soldier, a woman, exactly for making people understanding that not just men.
I rather like Honor To Us All because of the overlapping of the vocals
Great musicaly AND narratively!
My favourite is Reflection. Even before I knew I wasn't cis, this movie really resonated with me. I was starting puberty and going through so many changes and wondered why I couldn't just fit into what I had to be, or what I was told I was. It wasn't just gender. It was my undiagnosed AuDHD, it was my interests, it was my sexuality, and it was my gender expression. I realised that the things I had been for so long just weren't me, they didn't feel right. And it frustrated me that I didn't know why. I can't recall how many times I cried to this song. It's a song that, to this day, has a special place in my heart.
9:47 btw if you take pale literally it could be saying they’re not strong
Pale skin-> inside all day
Tan skin-> outside all day (training, farming, etc)
I have a pale skin because of genes from my mother and believing in myself,not because of that stereotypes
I also love the idea to be who you are, and that's enough. You don't have to let society tell you how to be; you are already exactly enough as you are, and you should love yourself the way you are without needing to change yourself. Embrace yourself. We are all us. We are all a completely unique expression of creation, and that's enough.
I feel compelled to point out that you could have said "So let's get down to business" in the intro instead of 'Let's get into it', because I was expecting you to and then you didn't and it was a real cowabummer to my soul. Amazing video and discussion of Mulan, it's amazing how watching something from the 90's today would make modern parents wig out because it's too 'woke' or whatever nonsense they're on about now.
I love that u also pointed out how this also affects men who are more femine
As a man who is very straight and sis: every man should do drag. I did it. It’s so much fun. So find yourself some friends who’ll make you up and buy yourself a dress and do some drag.
Agreed. It's unfair that just hating expectations for your asigned gender at birth will basically get you marked for death in where I leave.
Do you mean any man who wants to do drag should be able to do so? Which they can lol. Why is it something every man should do though?
My brother did drag twice and I actually have pictures and surprisingly ( I say surprisingly because I live in a very religious and conservative area ) almost everyone was okay with it hell his girlfriend and him started trading clothes at one point before her father who was against anything not "Normal" found out about it
I usualy don't hate anything but if there is a one thing it would be gender roles. They expect every man to be either fully gay but I mean that in stereotypical way (you know that I mean) or fully macho man that is strong and silent etc. I like theatre, dancing and fashion so they automaticly assume that I'm gay. It's so annoying, people should just let others be they want to be. My great grandma said once long long ago to my grandmother that why do you care how the other person dresses or how they are. It's their business even if they want to run around naked.
Wow! Expert analysis. I had no idea Mulan was such an intelligent, nuanced movie, with so much going into the lyrics and the drawings. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Something I thought about with the people who think gender expectations are bad or good is also about that they similarly fall on opposites lines as well for "you exist to serve your family/tribe/society/etc." vs. "your family/tribe/society/etc. exist to serve you." Like if you think you (as in people) exist to serve society as working towards a something greater than yourself, you'll more likely to support gender expectations that people should get married in a supposedly heterosexual relationship and produce children because societies require children to maintain themselves. If you think society exist to serve you than gender expectations like that would be negative because they can lead to negative emotional states for those who, by chance or by choice, are unable to meet those expectations.
Not quite but interesting attempt
Notice how Mulan (a female) is called a princess instead of a hero? She wasn’t a princess. She was a hero. Also, are any of the Disney heroes female?
I blame Disney for turning the title "Princess" into something lame-sounding. Princess Leia was also a heroine; Xena, who is a heroine as well, is known as a "Princess". There is nothing wrong with a heroic woman being known as a Princess. "Princess" is a honorable title.
The fact that this movie would have being slandered for woke propaganda and encouraging women not to be mothers or whether is insane
Good video! You’re funny. Honestly, just focus your channel on whatever you want, it’s still your personality that’s the main thing which is kind of its own genre in and of itself.
I do disagree with the whole ‘Mulan being nonbinary’ thing, as I prefer to interpret her as a woman to show that you can be fully a woman and use your intellect, like Mulan does. I think implying that she must be trans or nonbinary to achieve what she does is an insult to women, because it’s okay to be a woman who leans towards traditionally ‘masculine’ things (although I’d argue that Mulan’s strategy is not really masculine and instead portrays how one can go about achieving great things even if you lack ‘masculine strength’). But that’s just my opinion, lol
Personally, I see it less as her being non-binary and more autistic coded because a lot of her struggles stem from a difficulty in interpreting external factors. With the matchmaker, for example, she successfully recited the final admonition because it was a factor that she could control by studying it, but she didn't have that luxury with the cricket in her tea. She did the same thing in the army: she had to rely on Mushu and mimic the other men because it's an external factor she wasn't prepared for.
I'm so glad someone said it! Saying she must be nonbinary just because she dresses as a man to go to war is reductive of what women can be. One is still a woman even if she has difficulty being the graceful feminine woman that the matchmakers want. And you're so right about her not even being particularly masculine just finding other strengths to do what it takes
@@Maple_Breeze Glad you agree :)
While not really a part of the thesis, a "Girl worth Fighting For" would have been another good case study. It's also the most catchy lol.
This is absolutely the best summary of what I’ve always appreciated about this movie. I’m a woman and I’ve never felt that my gender was non-binary; but I’ve never fully conformed to feminine archetypes and have felt punished by society at various times for that. I’m tall for a woman and extremely heavily-muscled for a woman (with no effort thanks to my farmer-peasant ancestry 💪🏼) and I’ve always been “tomboyish;” but I do appreciate a reasonable amount of femininity in my self-presentation and I’m definitely heterosexual.
Today I’m happily married to a man who
is clearly a biological male but who also doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes, and we have 2 children who are finding their own places but (like me) tend to think that “girls can’t ___ ” or “boys can’t ___” is silly.
Also, I will always remember that I first saw this movie at the theatre on a (first and only) date with a normal 1990s era trad-masculine guy who, during dinner conversation afterwards, revealed that he had absolutely no idea what the movie was about and wouldn’t have approved if he did. Also during that same conversation he earned himself the enduring label for my dating stories: “incubator man.” Because it was clear that he was only dating to find a wife to be the incubator to his future chil-… um, sons.
Please keep making content my kids can watch when they’re allowed on TH-cam!
I'll make a man out of you is just so iconic and fun, its got to be my fav. I really enjoyed this video, i really like analytical stuff lol. The cross section of film and societal issues is something that i cannot get enough of
Mulan made me realize I wasn't actually a girl and it did so when I was like 8
Like this movie broke down gender stereotypes so good that my childhood brain was like "hold on a sec"
I NEED YOU TO DO ALL THE SONGS IN MULAN NOW PLEASEEEE THIS IS SO GOOD
I really liked your explanations!! mulan has always been a comfort movie for me since i was a curious child. listening to reflection always made me cry and it took me until i was older to realize that the reason it made me so emotional was because of how much i related to it and still do sometimes :)
10:50 As an agender person, big tank you
15:48-15:55 That is an astute point. Mulan looks back at herself in her helmet, having just failed by being caught as a woman and remarks, “I see nothing.” Honestly this was a moment they could have possibly really expounded I , but considering this was a ‘99 Disney movie, they did a phenomenal job with the conversation in this movie.
If Mulan came out today, it would 100% be slammed as "woke" and "feminist" for sure.
I don’t blame them, it’s been 8+ years of deliberate shoehorning of identity politics making people hyper sensitive. I had my wave around 2016-2020 before I really came to terms that it wasn’t healthy.
1990’s Disney was a Pioneer in good representation, both in ideas and culture, and current year Disney is all remakes and color washing and it’s aweful
@@breyor1 A whole lotta yapping to say nothing but excuses. I do blame them for their obvious bigotry and sexism. The only thing you're right about, is the fact that these anti-woke snowflakes are hyper sensitive.
@@revenge3265 Clearly, you have your own prejudices and aren’t worth replies if you think 2 paragraphs are yapping. Honestly, it’s pathetic
@breyor1 they are part of the comedic polarization of politics, don’t blame them
I've always appreciated the way the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that true power comes not by the toxic masculine traits of control, dominion, compulsion, or anger, but by persuasion, patience, gentleness, meekness, love, kindness, and knowledge - men have to work hard on their traditionally feminine traits to get close. Am I good at this? No! I'm one of the "almost all people" who exercises unrighteous dominion far too much.
Agreed it's why I pose the question to people of "If the God you worship wasn't some abstract concept but a real king , leader or person would you still follow them after everything they did , forced people to do or refused to do" and that's exactly why I chose to convert to Christianity because I could actually see myself following Jesus but non of the others , if you do more power to you but my moral compass matches best with Jesus
This is an interesting look at Mulan. Im not sure I fully agree with your analysis of Mulan, however I thought you articulated your points very well so Im giving your video a thumbs up.
i love how all the gorls in the procession are all saying how scary the matchmaker is to then because it shows the even girls who do follow societal expectations of femininity are still pushed. Its not just Mulan, all of them are being pushed🩷
This deserves so much more views
Having been raised by uptight, strict/authoritarian parents & being around with narrow-minded relatives who still hold onto conservative views, i think we need more stories that explore traditional gender or social norms that break out of those expectations.
Themes or message like those can be easily summarize into something as simple as just being yourself, regardless of what other people say.
in today's society we are pressured to do things that is against our own will. Especially lazy parents that either take advantage or expect their own children to be smart or responsible to be able to take care of them.
Social expectations such as having a job or raising a family is always brought up but life isn't always simple as it sounds. every person in this world are different. not everything has to be _"one size fits"_ all kind of deal.
people tend to not give consideration about others. what their needs are or acknowledge others for their own strengths & weaknesses. so they end up giving bad advice wether intentional or not. life is full of choices & not every rule applies to everyone. vulnerable people especially, might get swayed to take others words or opinions as a fact & way of life. it's mostly those low self-esteem who can't think for themselves that usually fall victim into these social traps.
my advice, especially to those who are struggling with stagnation is try to reassess your goals, embrace new challenges, work to change your mindset & surround yourself with inspiring and motivating people. try to remember that change starts with you. it's not easy but with enough time, patience & practice you can develop these skills overtime & can overcome any obstacles in life. (I hope anyone who reads this has a wonderful day. Never lose hope because life will get better. You're not alone in this journey too so i wish you all the best in life)
It is true that all Mulan songs are bangers, but I do listen to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" the most because it's an absolute bop and I love it. "Reflection" will forever have a spot on my "therapy" playlist, and I listen to "Honour to Us All" if I want to feel mildly depressed about society's standards for women. "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is also great, of course, but I feel like it shines the most in the context of the movie, since it shows off the boys bonding together and Mulan's non-conformity to the standard even after becoming a "proper" man. It also serves as a tipping point into non-musical territory because things are getting serious.
3:17 which technically already has happened since she’s an only daughter with no sons. In the perspective of ancient China family trees already upgraded. Her husband’s family will be her “true family”
PLEASE keep analysing how important topics are handled in media for the better or worse!
this movie made me transmasc
congrats
What does it mean?
I've always rejected the ideas of femininity in my culture, people call me brash and not womanlike.
I still think femininity is beautiful But the way im supposed to be is not... Right.
Oh well I'm also a closeted enby now so
Imma say this right now
Mulan is the best Disney Princess Movie
And there's no competition behind it
The pale vs non-pale lyrics are actually mainly an east asian/antiquity cultural reference. Being pale was associated with being wealthy enough to avoid manual labor and field work, which would reflect well on a woman because it exemplifies her status, whereas being tan will exemplify martial virtue (to borrow a Roman term) in the army because it means you are going out to do hard work in the sun. It's making a contrast between the role of supposedly domestic. passive women and warrior, active men.
reflection is my favorite mulan song. being trans makes that song hit so hard
Enby here, and same
I remember hearing that after the avalanche scene they did not want anymore singing. It was done for a darker tone moving forward. And this could be why the reflection song is where it is in the movie, *maybe.
So… because I’m a tomboy who likes black, comfortable clothing and sport- I”M A PICKME?! 😭let me be Agender in peace!
Love your little character that doesn’t at all look like ms frizzle whoever made it must be an amazing artist 🙏🏻
I’d like to add that the reason women sometimes tend to not like “femininity” is because it’s portrayed as all those hygienic and birthing and so on and so forth things. This makes especially young girls and women feel like having a hobby or actual traits ≠ femininity.
Which makes sense when having fun and hobbies and like.. being human. Has always been for men. Women werent aloud to participate. Now it feels like for them that they cant have a personality & likings AND be a woman.
I recentely watched a video about Kirishima from my hero academia and how he shows the good traits of masculinty and it was an interesting video.
Leaving a comment for the algorithm!! You desserve more views
Great video! Really interesting, and you're doing great in this direction :)
As a guy I was pleasantly surprised to see such an unbiased and poignant analysis of "I'll Make a Man Out of You!" The entire video was very well-written and presented. Nice job :)
To make a a feminist movie you have to show the true chauvinist and misogynist side of society and show how to fight it
If you show the perfect world, there is nothing to fight, and people watching it think that chauvinism isn't a thing anymore, because they just keep ignoring real life; this is not a criticism to movies that show the society we want to achieve because the point of that kind movie isn't fighting ```that``` , which make possible for that world building to exist, like in Nimona having a lgbt supporting society that has other problems, making it not a movie about lgbt rights, because in that world that was already achieved
Sorry for the long comment here is a botato~🥔
10:52 I READ ENBY AS EBAY AT FIRST AND I WAS SO CONFUSED HELP
Best Part of original Mulan Animation is the transformation of zero to hero part which this part cannot be seen in the Live action counterpart
I keep thinking the lenses in your glasses are eye pupils and it looks very funny to me.
"A girl worth fighting for" is one i like. Its fun to hear their versions of a perfect woman and seeing how much they vary in what qualities. It shows that they truly just want a woman that loves them for themselves, even while exemplifying the not-so-great misogynistic ideals taught to them
my disney movies growing up where mulan (obvious) and the little mermaid (trans coded allegory af). unsurprisingly, i grew up being nonbinary and autistic
0:44 "People who live in a society and have a gender" why is this so great 😂
What type of mic do you use?
I use a Blue Yeti USB microphone, it's pretty popular with TH-camrs and you can get it cheap off of Amazon (I'm poor)
Edit: it works pretty well for podcasts/TH-cam channels though I wouldn't really recommend it for anything requiring a higher audio quality, like music
8:27 *I hate you*
Besides that, this was actually a pretty cool video! I also like your OC :D
I keep continuing to think that the nose pads of those glasses are pupils
MS FRIZZLE GOIN OFF 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥
As a trans person (nonbinary), Mulan actually really does have a trans undertone to it, and I've seen quite a few trans people comment on it. Not trans masc, so I can't really comment on that aspect, but the story being about a character required to conform to difficult gender expectations that they are not comfortable with, singing a song about not being on the outside what they are on the inside and how that causes them distress and pain (hello gender dysphoria), and then attempting to fit into a different kind of gender expectation, only to struggle further with those expectations. Mulan wins and succeeds when she forgoes both masculine and feminine standards and performs gender in her own way - as someone who's nonbinary, that means a lot to me! The answer wasn't mulan being a man or a woman, but taking traits from both and herself and becoming something different but in no way lesser, but in no way implies that either would be lesser if they were chosen, just that either forced makes it worse. To be honest, this is probably super relevant only to me, but I really do think that this analysis really honestly further adds to the trans discussion that happens around this movie, and I think it's awesome.
I want to give a shoutout to Lesson Number One from Mulan 2. It’s a little on the nose with its messaging but it feels like an evolution of the idea of Mulan blending masculinity and femininity and passing it on to others. It’s all about opposites (day and night, summer and winter) and how they are both needed and required. She teaches the kids to be tough, quick, and brave, but also to be soft, slow, and in touch with your emotions like fear. The song doesn’t mention gender but it’s pretty clear how it’s blending the things Mulan has learned about being a woman and being a man and how to use those traits together.
And also something something yin and yang
18:11 I FEEL CALLED OUT GRRRRRRRRR
@0:45 (ish) “I’m going to talk about the people who have the gender and live in a society” OKAY JOKER
I never thought about Mulan as non-binary, perhaps because I am cis and gender as a spectrum wasn't really ever something that crossed my path until more recently, but I think its actually a really good analysis especially when you think about the first song in Mulan 2. The entire movie is about balance and while I think it was originally meant to represent the balance between the feminine and masculine of Shang and Mulan you can also see that balance within Mulan herself.
As an amab genderfluid, this video made me very happy
The song Reflection originally was much longer but it was cut down. Some of the unused lyrics further stress societies expectations. Who is that perfect bride? It’s not me though I tried. When will my reflection show who I am inside? How I pray that a time will come I can free myself from their expectations. On that day I’ll discover some way to be myself and to make my family proud. They want a docile lamb. No one knows who I am. Must there be a secret me, I’m forced to hide. Must I pretend that I’m someone else for all time. When will my reflection show who I am inside? When will my reflection show who I am inside?
If you have no idea what you want your channel to be this video gives cinema therapy vibes if you haven’t watched their channel they are great highly recommend
We need more people like you.
Can you do all Tangled songs that's my favorite Disney Movie
0:52 For frick's sake! Mulan never wanted to be a man! She wanted to save her father. The only reason why she crossdressed was because she HAD to! Mulan is a faithful retelling of a Chinese folktale. WHERE MULAN WAS ALSO NOT TRANS!!!!!!!! There are plenty of other trans stories you can ask for, don't ruin a 1000 year old folktale!
someone’s headcanon or personal opinion/perspective of a folktale doesn’t “ruin” it. they have their opinions and you have yours. it’s really weird you think that way
@@cottagecore_rose Thank you for respectfully disagreeing.
@@Finity_twenty_ten then shame on you for not. you didn’t address anything i said. are you gonna read all the points i said, agree, but ignore it and keep being rude af?
@@cottagecore_rose Can't you be happy with "defying gender roles is not wrong"? Give Disney some credit. This was a HUGE step from what they made in the past. If you want more trans, make a campaign. (I'm actually not sure why Disney hasn't made a main character who is trans yet) Mulan is perfect just in the way the show is now.
I'm kinda not a fan of arguing, so please just respectfully disagree with me. Thank you.
"there are plenty of other trans stories you can ask for [...]"
Ok, then I want a trans version of Mulan.
10:51 nah
11:18 true I guess? But I feel like it’s phrasing that way is saying if you don’t have it conform to the qualifications then you’re not a man. (Or a woman in honour to us all) which I think is also restrictive
This title sounds like it's going to be a horror movie
im commenting so this video gets shared to more people and more people know about this XD
This was great.
I don't know, isn't Mulan just a girl but society's just telling her that girls should act a certain way? In saying she's trans, isn't that saying that girls should act a certain way and boys a certain way? Mulan acting more stereotypically masculine doesn't (necessarily) make her a man. I guess, when you think about it, we are all non-binary (as in not relating to just 2 things, rather than the gender identity) in some form as it is fairly impossible to completely fit gender expectations.
Please note though, this is my personal opinion and I definitely can see some nuances.
I see where you're coming from, but I think people read Mulan as trans because of the line "When will my reflection show who I am inside?" (at least, that's what makes sense to me,) rather than her how masculine she is. In my experience, being trans is more about people perceiving you as your chosen gender, rather than adhering strictly to the expectations of said gender. Trans people can (and often do) break the norms of their chosen gender just like cis folks! So, being trans isn't necessarily about matching up to the expectations of your chosen gender as well as possible.
All that's to say I, personally, think people perceive Mulan as trans not because she's masculine, but because she expresses the feeling of her outsides not matching her insides until she changes her presentation. Though, I don't read her as trans myself. I see her arc as receiving appreciation for who she is, rather than how well she can perform her assigned gender. And of course, that's just my opinion :)
i see her as trans masculine for the exact reasons you shared. also that i saw her being a "boy" and thought "oh yes!" and then when she went back to being a girl i was disappointed (i was eight and had no idea trans people existed at that) so thats just how i felt always. it was "innate" to me. @@TallestShrublet
I’ll be honest, being a pick me is not being small, or really feminine, or a gamer girl, or any of those things. The phrase “pick me” has been used so much it has lost its meaning like other things, people see a tomboy and think their a pick me, they see a girl that likes gaming or anime as a pick me, they see a girl that might be the traditional feminine girl as a pick me, but none of these thing are inherently a problem, It becomes a problem when the person uses those things to act and/or seem as they are better than other women and girls. I used to be a “pick me” but not necessarily to put other girls down or to feel better but to prove I wasn’t just some girl that was only pink and pretty. Pick me culture has been muddy but in my own thoughts, be feminine, be masculine, be anything in between, just don’t act like it makes you a better woman and/or person if you act like that because it doesn’t. It’s a preference, gender is whatever YOU want to make it out to be for yourself, don’t force it on anyone but that definitely doesn’t mean you can’t embrace it. Love yourself and others and also, great video❤!
(Sorry if this doesn’t make sense or is rude this is just my opinion. Have your own opinion as long as it’s not rude!)
I really like the expressive glasses 😂 pretty cool
4:03 not like that … what?! No comprendo
I really liked Mulan as a child and I still like it today. When I was 5, I watched the film on VHS at my mother's ex-boyfriend's house every time we visited. The way they portrayed Chinese culture (yes, it's ancient China, I know, but it's Chinese culture nonetheless) fascinated me. I can't understand why the role of women in the film is supposed to be "problematic". For me, Mulan is and remains the "anti-princess", the "Joan of Arc" of the Far East, so to speak. China is also more traditional when it comes to femininity and masculinity, whether that's really bad is up to each individual to decide. I don't want to open a can of worms. PS I haven't seen the new Mulan film and don't want to see it, and I've never read the old Chinese original of the Mulan legend.
Know but what kind of place are people supposed to find in society? If you don't conform somehow your going to face rejection.