I was babysitting my sister on saturday night and like every time I babysit her, we ordered pizza, got ice cream, and rented movies. My sister chose the 7th harry potter and I picked Mulan. Mulan is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I haven't seen it in a very long time because we don't have the DVD of it. Anywho, for those who don't know, Mulan is a Disney movie whose main character is a brave young woman in China during the Ming dynasty. She takes her fathers place in the army and pretends to be a boy and wins the war against the invading huns for China (pretty much the story of Deborah Sampson in China). Although I remembered how much Mulan kicked but in the movie, I had never paid attention to why she really had to in the first place.
Throughout the movie each character, except for Mulan, keeps saying how women need to be "Kept in their place" and need to be "obedient" to their husbands. This reminded me of the discussions we've been having about how class affects your social standing. In this movie, women are 2nd class citizens and aren't expected to do anything except pour tea and make food and children. It really impressed me that a company like Disney highlighted this fact and counteracted it by having an incredibly strong female protagonist. I was very impressed and watching this movie with more critical eyes made me enjoy it even more.
I love Mulan! I completely agree with your post Chloe. I always love to see a strong female character as the protagonist. I think Mulan helps show how society tends to create stereotypes and when people try to break them, it's always a social shock.
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