Reclaiming Agency: Mulan's Empowerment in the Post-feminist Era

Abstract

The following paper presents a post-feminist reading of Disney's animation film Mulan   (1998). It discusses how Mulan stands apart from other Disney princess films due to its Chinese origins and the potential appeal to viewers from that culture. It provides a comprehensive view of the three female characters in the film, including Mulan's mother and grandmother, expanding the analysis beyond the protagonist. The importance of the paper lies in its contribution to the understanding of post-feminist ideology in popular culture and its representation of female agency by focusing on Mulan, a character who defies societal expectations and challenges patriarchal norms. The key post-feminist concepts are post-feminist individualism, empowerment, and choice based on the theorists McRobbie and Grill. By exploring how Mulan handles her identity as a warrior and a woman in a patriarchal society, this study investigates how the film adheres to and challenges feminist ideals and the cultural shift from Chinese to American. Finally, this study highlights post-feminism as exemplified in Disney's Mulan. While the film depicts a progressive story of females being empowered, it also supports certain gender stereotypes and reinforces traditional understandings of femininity. The study contributes to the enduring debate about gender representation in popular media by investigating the relationship between feminist and post-feminist ideologies within the film. It additionally offers a comprehension of post-feminism in the context of Disney princess stories.