Mulan and Cartoon Stereotypes

So I've watched a lot of cartoons throughout my almost 18 years. And I mean A LOT. Old ones, new ones, pointless ones, educational ones, and even stupid ones. I believe every cartoon has a lesson, whether it be big, small, or vague. It's always there.

Mulan was one of my favorite cartoon movies when I was little, and has a very important lesson. The overall lesson is basically that you can do whatever you want if you work hard at it and try your best, no matter what gender you are, or family you're from. And sometimes it's best to do what's right even if the rest of the world is against you.

The main character, Mulan, is a young woman who is trying her best to bring her family honor and not disgrace them. But her clumsy and awkward nature seems to be the root of all of her failure. She tries to pass as a "perfect bride" for a woman to matchmake her with a husband, but her "lucky" cricket causes a chain of chaos in the small room. The woman then stated that Mulan would never be a good bride and that she is basically a disgrace to her family.

So, when the military comes to send her father to war, Mulan decides to take his place. To protect her father's life and her family's honor, she sneaks off to join the army under the name of Ping. Her clumsy nature is a huge problem at first, and even almost gets her exposed, but she soon finds a way to exceed all expectations and find a balance. And eventually she saves China.

This movie was the beginning of cartoons giving women the respect they'd been denied before. Before Mulan, cartoons depicted women as helpless, useless, and annoying beings with no sense of direction. Mulan was the gateway for cartoons to branch out from the usual stereotypical image of women, to a more respectable, strong, and independent role. And if not for that, the cartoons we enjoy today would be much different.

Before Mulan, women were always either the "damsel in distress" or the "old hag". Men were always the heroes, or villains. It was unbefitting for a man to be in distress and a woman to be their hero. And it was most definitely unbefitting of a woman to dress as a man. When I first watched Mulan, I was amazed. The thought of a woman dressing as a man to do things a woman wasn't allowed to do was revolutionary.

I've always believed that anyone could do or be anything, as long as they really tried their best and had good intentions. I also believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and that anyone can be a hero. Gender, race, hair color, clothes. None of that matters. Anyone can be a hero. You may screw up a lot and make a mess of things, but you just have to keep trying. As long as you keep trying, you will prevail. Mulan was the movie that brought this all forward.