Mulan, a young woman from China, was born thousands of year ago. Mulan was taken to the matchmaker by her family. He commented on Mulan’s appearance and said that she was not fit for marriage. Mulan didn’t impress the matchmaker. She is disgraceful for her inability to be poised and dignified as a woman. Mulan struggles to discover her true self, and she is losing. Mulan disguises herself as a mean woman to help her father, an injured veteran. Mulan had difficulty fitting in with the soldiers, so she was forced to train first. Mulan is injured in a battle against the Huns. Mulan is discovered to have been a woman. She is expelled from army and sent home. When she returns home, she discovers the Huns were able to survive the avalanche. She goes to the imperial capital to warn them, but nobody listens. Mulan saves the emperor.

Mulan is an animated Disney film set in ancient China. Mulan is a young girl who pretends to be a boy to replace her father, a wounded veteran from World War II. It is her search for her true identity, and her place in society. The film explores sociological concepts like gender roles, conflict theory, and culture. Gender roles represent how men, women, and their society are perceived.

This film is filled with gender socialization. Mulan, on her way to meet the matchmaker, is first told by the man she sees that she’s too thin to bear children. He then explains to Mulan what it takes to be a good bride. In ancient times, women had to have children. Women were expected only to become wives and help their husbands with household work and domestic duties. Mulan, her fellow soldiers, and their journey to battle are discussing what the ideal woman is. Mulan claims she wants a woman who can think for herself. The other soldiers disagree. It shows that women weren’t judged solely on their beauty, but on their exterior appearance back then. This leads to young viewers who believe that the only thing that matters is the outer beauty, not the inner beauty.

Mulan teaches that men are the dominant gender in Mulan and are expected to provide for their family. Mulan was told by the general that her father should not fight in war. Women could not speak in public before men. Men were superior to women. This was clear evidence of gender inequality in society. The movie shows men’s superiority when the general clarifies this idea and allows only men into the war. Women, however, are seen as being less sexually active. Mulan attempts to replace her father in war but is stopped by the fact that she is a female. Mulan’s idea to pretend to be a man in Chinese culture was based on the sexism prevalent in Chinese culture.

The film’s second concept is culture. With the setting in ancient China, the movie features much of Chinese culture. In the film, there are two types non-material culture. Nonmaterial culture can be described as intangibles resulting from intellectual or spirituell development. It is represented by belief within the community. Material culture can refer to the tangible things people give meaning. For example, the Chinese culture shows the way people wear Kimonos (traditional Chinese attire) and wood slippers. They also show how they eat with chopsticks. Mulan’s father prays at the ancestors to receive protection and luck.

The movie also showed conflict theory, which shows unequal power distribution in society. Religion creates hierarchies which support the status-quo in conflict theory. This is a way of putting labels on people based upon their social status and appearance. Mulan’s words were ignored by everyone at first, as she was labelled a weakling women. Mulan found out that the Huns were heading towards the Emperor’s house. She tried to warn everyone, but nobody paid attention to her, not even a general. Fushu the Dragon asked her why she wasn’t listening. Fushu replied, “Remember you are a women again.” Mulan was finally able to sav China after this label had changed her mind. People began to respect her and changed their perspective. This transformation is demonstrated when Mulan acknowledges the Emperor and bows down at her end.

Mulan is a symbol of feminine power. Mulan can gain respect even though she is considered weak and inferior. Mulan is also an example of the impact culture has on individuals and how it can shape and change one’s view towards others. Mulan, through all this, discovers and changes her identity in order to be a respectable member of society.