![]() In the process, it also distorted many of these borrowings into something unrecognizable to a Chinese audience. ![]() When Disney adapted the legend of Mulan, it borrowed linguistic elements, cultural ideas, and styles from China. On multiple occasions, we’d go around and say which Disney Princess everyone was. Armed with flashlights and extra blankets, we would huddle around, talk about boys, and speculate who our counselors were dating. I have college-age friends who have told me that Mulan was their only point of reference for what life is like in China. For some, the film is their first exposure to Chinese culture. It matters not only in children’s understanding of other cultures/ethnicities, but it also plays in self-conceptualization. In short, Disney’s representation of people of color and culture matters. In our current era of quarantine, the amount of time kids spend streaming from services like Disney+ has only gone up. Producers of these films have “almost unquestioned access to children” with little oversight. In Rosina Lippi-Green (Ph.D.)’s 2012 book, English with an Accent, she argues that the interrogating Disney’s linguistic and cultural messages are important precisely because they capture such a large share of the market. After the March 2019 Disney-Fox Merger, Disney owns a historic 36% of the movie market. Sherryl Graves, children use television to learn about ethnicity. According to this handbook on child development and media done by Dr. Which Disney Princess are you? (I’m always Mulan) Disney’s 1998 version of the story has come under criticism for inaccurately portraying Chinese culture. Over the years, this legend has been retold and adapted in literature, movies, TV, and even video games. ![]() The film aims to be more faithful to the Ballad of Mulan (AKA Ode of Mulan), a poem from the Wei Dynasty (386–534 AD) which details the story of 花木兰 (Hua Mu Lan), a girl who cross-dresses as a man to take her father’s place in the army. The song ultimately suggests that the soldiers will find the woman of their dreams once they return from war, reinforcing the idea that women exist to fulfill men's desires.Initially, I was disappointed by these changes, but I have since learned that they were made to rectify some cultural missteps from the 1998 retelling of the legend of Mulan. However, the soldier who suggests looking for a woman with a brain is immediately shut down by the other soldiers, emphasizing the traditional gender roles and expectations that existed at the time. Each soldier's ideal woman is portrayed as an object of desire rather than a person, and their value is based on their physical appearance or domestic skills. The song uses humor and satire to highlight gender stereotypes and the objectification of women. However, the soldiers' ideals are challenged by one soldier who suggests that they should look for a woman with a brain who can speak her mind. This leads to a discussion among the soldiers about their ideal woman, with each soldier mentioning their own preferences, ranging from physical attributes to culinary skills. The song starts by acknowledging the monotony and pain of war, equating soldiers with cattle, and stating their desire for something worth fighting for. ![]() The song "A Girl Worth Fighting For" from the 1998 Disney movie Mulan is an upbeat, humorous ode to the ideal woman for the male soldiers fighting in the war.
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