The presentation of female characters in disney's film mulan (2020)

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the presentations of female characters in the Disney film Mulan (2020) and also the patriarchal concepts of the presentation of female characters. Theorizing Patriarchy by Sylvia Walby was adopted in this research as a framework. The findings showed that women were oppressed in a male-dominated system in which women were taught to be submissive and obedient. Hua Mulan and Xianniang were portrayed to challenge and refuse the traditional roles of obedient women. The findings also showed that there were three main areas in which women were under the control of men, which included household, paid work, and cultural institutions. With regard to these patriarchal aspects, the film revealed an asymmetrical gender relationship between the male and female characters. Even though the film revealed an attempt to challenge the notion of these patriarchal aspects through the portrayal of Hua Mulan and Xianniang, who pursued becoming a warrior. In the end, the film still presented Hua Mulan as following the traditional role of a woman who knew “her (female) place”, and killed Xianniang, who was a threat to the patriarchal system. Although both Hua Mulan and Xianniang did not change the system of male-domination, the challenge to the patriarchy of them will inspire more women to realize their value and to change the inequitable patriarchal system.

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