Cross-dressing as Self-discovery
Aug. 1st, 2011 10:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilI haven't been writing much (either here or in my current work in progress) because I managed to mess up my wrist somehow - either tendonitis or an occult ganglion cyst. (Look it up. It stinks.) Until I can get the orthopedist to call me back and have a look at it, I'm pretty limited in my hand usage. But I'd like to write up a quick entry anyway.
I mentioned Mulan last time, which is one of my favorites. It's not because it's about a girl dressing as a boy and doing better than all the boys. I've actually read a bunch of books with that plot lately, and I'm getting a little tired of it. Because the protagonist usually has the rather petulant attitude that boys are idiots and she can do much better than those doofuses - while also despising most of her own gender, and pretty much everyone in general. When in historical or pseudo-historical settings, it's anachronistic as well as irritating.
Now I'm sure there's plenty of anachronisms in Mulan, and I'm sure Disney took broad liberties with the original tale, as they always do, but Mulan herself is not a "modern woman" inserted into medieval China. Most importantly, she has a powerful motive for disguising herself as a boy - to save her father. (Interestingly, like nearly all Disney heroines, her actions are largely motivated by her relationship with her father, and her relationship to her mother is almost irrelevant. But that's a thought for another time.) The scene in which she makes her choice, cuts her hair, puts on the armor and rides off never fails to give me goosebumps. It's not a defiant, girl-power moment - it's desperate and terrifying. The fact that her deception puts her life in constant danger lends the film a surprisingly dark tone, thankfully lightened by some fun moments.
Mulan's low point occurs when she questions her motivations, fearing that her father's safety was just an excuse she used to try to prove her own worth. It's a nice moment of introspection, because we know her concern for her father is absolutely genuine, and if it's led to a journey of self-examination on her part, well, that's hardly the obnoxious sort of contempt for the world that has led other girls down the road of cross-dressing. She's all too aware of the potential for selfish, inward-thinking behavior, and the very fact that she worries about it lends her character a warmth and depth that's all too rare.
There is a touch of "Ew, boys are gross," but never an indication that Mulan can do everything better. More realistically, she struggles painfully just to keep up, and only succeeds when she relies on her one area of true strength - cleverness. She climbs the pole by using the weights as braces, turning a burden into an asset. In a similar way, she defeats the bulk of the Hun army by cleverly using the power of an avalanche, rather than the traditional methods of fighting that would have them massacred because of the enemy's superior numbers. Mulan's ability to think outside the box is perhaps the best symbol of her Otherness, the advantage she gains from being an outsider in a man's world. It's illustrated most explicitly when she uses femininity (or cross-dressing, anyway) to get herself and her friends into the palace.
No, she can't really hold her own in a sword fight against a massive Hun warrior. So she doesn't try to - she relies on her cleverness, her inventiveness, once more. It might seem absurd to demand plausibility in a cartoon, but within the world the movie presents, it would strain credibility to transform Mulan into a master warrior. And they never push it in that direction. They give her other skills. She triumphs by creating a synthesis of the two worlds she inhabits, and doesn't let her success go to her head. When all is said and done, she just wants to go home.
Most Disney heroines earn a happy ending by getting married. While there is an implied, understated romance for Mulan, that's not the point. The point is finding her self-worth and protecting her family. And that's a quest I'd like to see more girls, and women, undertake.
I mentioned Mulan last time, which is one of my favorites. It's not because it's about a girl dressing as a boy and doing better than all the boys. I've actually read a bunch of books with that plot lately, and I'm getting a little tired of it. Because the protagonist usually has the rather petulant attitude that boys are idiots and she can do much better than those doofuses - while also despising most of her own gender, and pretty much everyone in general. When in historical or pseudo-historical settings, it's anachronistic as well as irritating.
Now I'm sure there's plenty of anachronisms in Mulan, and I'm sure Disney took broad liberties with the original tale, as they always do, but Mulan herself is not a "modern woman" inserted into medieval China. Most importantly, she has a powerful motive for disguising herself as a boy - to save her father. (Interestingly, like nearly all Disney heroines, her actions are largely motivated by her relationship with her father, and her relationship to her mother is almost irrelevant. But that's a thought for another time.) The scene in which she makes her choice, cuts her hair, puts on the armor and rides off never fails to give me goosebumps. It's not a defiant, girl-power moment - it's desperate and terrifying. The fact that her deception puts her life in constant danger lends the film a surprisingly dark tone, thankfully lightened by some fun moments.
Mulan's low point occurs when she questions her motivations, fearing that her father's safety was just an excuse she used to try to prove her own worth. It's a nice moment of introspection, because we know her concern for her father is absolutely genuine, and if it's led to a journey of self-examination on her part, well, that's hardly the obnoxious sort of contempt for the world that has led other girls down the road of cross-dressing. She's all too aware of the potential for selfish, inward-thinking behavior, and the very fact that she worries about it lends her character a warmth and depth that's all too rare.
There is a touch of "Ew, boys are gross," but never an indication that Mulan can do everything better. More realistically, she struggles painfully just to keep up, and only succeeds when she relies on her one area of true strength - cleverness. She climbs the pole by using the weights as braces, turning a burden into an asset. In a similar way, she defeats the bulk of the Hun army by cleverly using the power of an avalanche, rather than the traditional methods of fighting that would have them massacred because of the enemy's superior numbers. Mulan's ability to think outside the box is perhaps the best symbol of her Otherness, the advantage she gains from being an outsider in a man's world. It's illustrated most explicitly when she uses femininity (or cross-dressing, anyway) to get herself and her friends into the palace.
No, she can't really hold her own in a sword fight against a massive Hun warrior. So she doesn't try to - she relies on her cleverness, her inventiveness, once more. It might seem absurd to demand plausibility in a cartoon, but within the world the movie presents, it would strain credibility to transform Mulan into a master warrior. And they never push it in that direction. They give her other skills. She triumphs by creating a synthesis of the two worlds she inhabits, and doesn't let her success go to her head. When all is said and done, she just wants to go home.
Most Disney heroines earn a happy ending by getting married. While there is an implied, understated romance for Mulan, that's not the point. The point is finding her self-worth and protecting her family. And that's a quest I'd like to see more girls, and women, undertake.
