While Ping/Mulan is training to be fit for war the masculinity stereotype is brought up many times and shows that only the men can be strong or fight for themselves, which is another limitation put on women due to gender. Mulan reinforces the stereotypical ideas of masculinity in the scene where shang sings the song, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”. Masculinity is mostly defined in the movie by power, strength, and activity, which Mulan surely reinforces. The lyrics, “Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns. Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?” shows the stereotypical representation of men because it upholds the fact that they are the only gender who are worthy to fight. Captain Shang's goal is to, “make a man,” out of the …show more content…
Mulan reinforces the idea that, “being a woman,” constitutes being useless and unimportant. While men are seen as powerful and strong, women are portrayed as vulnerable and weak. This is exemplified in an argument between Shang and Chi-Fu, when Shang says, “she’s a hero” and Chi-Fu responds with, “she’s a woman. She will never be worth anything.” (Mulan). While Mulan may seem like a progressive film because in the end she is seen as a hero, you have to remember that she was only successful because she dressed up as a man, emphasizing that success is a predominantly male trait. Mulan reinforces stereotypical female gender roles in the song, “You’ll bring honour to us all”, in which Mulan is getting ready to meet the man who will turn her into a bride. This scene portrays the message that a woman’s goal should be to find a husband, marry him, and take care of the home while he is away. Watching this film may discourage girls from trying to pursue a dream, and instead makes girls think that finding love is more important than doing what they want in their life. Another example of how the film highlights how society values women is when they sing, “A girl worth fighting for I want her paler than the moon with eyes that shine like stars, My girl will marvel at my strength, adore my battle scars”(Mulan),therefore emphasizing that a “woman worth fighting for” should be beautiful and ready to