Gender Performativity in Disney’s "Mulan"

Gender Performativity in Disney’s Author: Sabrina Fiel Abade
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 334660702X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 8

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Gender Studies, grade: 1,0, University of Luxembourg, language: English, abstract: Gender and its meaning are often discussed by anthropologists, feminists, and other researchers. However, the way that each defines the word gender is very different and there seems to be no fixed definition as to when one identifies as man or woman. This problematic, that there are so many different definitions for gender, Judith Butler takes as the center of her work, and tries to explain what they understand behind the notions of sex and gender. I will therefore base my analysis on Judith Butler’s "Gender Trouble", published in 1990. Butler’s approach is very interesting, as it brings in the notion of culture as well. And because Butler brings in culture, and culture is the subject of anthropological research, I will take some ideas of Lila Abu Lughod’s "Writing Against Culture", published in Recapturing anthropology: working in the present. The anthropological approach will only lead to a better understand of how culture and gender are so similar, as they are both not innate. The fact that gender is not innate and has to be learned, or as Judith says performed, will be the key idea that I will represent in this paper. The idea that gender is performed and is a social construction, is clearly represented in Walt Disney’s "Mulan". I will, therefore, use this movie to prove the point that I am aiming to elaborate. My point is that any individual can perform different gender identities and that individuals are able to change their gender. So, gender is not related to the sexual organs or chromosomes one has, but gender is simply a behavior that adapts to its environment and is fluid.

Gender Performativity in Disney’s "Mulan"

Gender Performativity in Disney’s Author: Sabrina Fiel Abade
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 334660702X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 8

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Gender Studies, grade: 1,0, University of Luxembourg, language: English, abstract: Gender and its meaning are often discussed by anthropologists, feminists, and other researchers. However, the way that each defines the word gender is very different and there seems to be no fixed definition as to when one identifies as man or woman. This problematic, that there are so many different definitions for gender, Judith Butler takes as the center of her work, and tries to explain what they understand behind the notions of sex and gender. I will therefore base my analysis on Judith Butler’s "Gender Trouble", published in 1990. Butler’s approach is very interesting, as it brings in the notion of culture as well. And because Butler brings in culture, and culture is the subject of anthropological research, I will take some ideas of Lila Abu Lughod’s "Writing Against Culture", published in Recapturing anthropology: working in the present. The anthropological approach will only lead to a better understand of how culture and gender are so similar, as they are both not innate. The fact that gender is not innate and has to be learned, or as Judith says performed, will be the key idea that I will represent in this paper. The idea that gender is performed and is a social construction, is clearly represented in Walt Disney’s "Mulan". I will, therefore, use this movie to prove the point that I am aiming to elaborate. My point is that any individual can perform different gender identities and that individuals are able to change their gender. So, gender is not related to the sexual organs or chromosomes one has, but gender is simply a behavior that adapts to its environment and is fluid.

The Representation of Gender in Walt Disney's "Mulan"

The Representation of Gender in Walt Disney's Author: Sonja Blum
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 363894638X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 29

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Osnabrück (Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: Introduction to Gender Theory, 28 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 'How can they tell if I am male or female?' With this last line of 'The Ballad of Mulan' the (anonymous) author raises the gender question already in the 6th century. In this essay, I would like to analyse The Representation of Gender in Walt Disney's 'Mulan', using the structure of the movie to focus on The Protagonist Fa Mulan, the Treatment of Women and the Depiction of Men. Additionally, the inquiry concerning the Meaning of Song Texts in Disney's 'Mulan' appears useful as these always play an important role in conveying movie themes. In order to establish a connection to the seminar on which this paper is based, I will illustrate how the movie is a good example for Judith Butler's theory of Gender as Performance. Last but not least, I would like to show the Influence of Disney's 'Mulan' on Society because fairy tales and movies '[...] do influence the manner in which children conceive the world and their places in it [...]'. Drawing the 'Conclusion', I will try a careful approach to find out if Disney's 'Mulan' might even be considered as a feminist movie. (...)

Disney's "Mulan". Feminist Ideology in Animation

Disney's Author: Molly Nicholls
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668008841
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 14

Get Book Here

Book Description
Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Film Science, grade: 2:1, University of Portsmouth (University of Portsmouth), course: English and Media Studies Bsc, language: English, abstract: Animation holds the power to create a narrative of hidden connotations and therefore the ability to distort reality from fairy-tale. This power has led to animation becoming a key way to express ideologies that go against hegemonies. One of the revolutionary narrative discourses in targeting feminist ideologies is that which redefines traditional characteristics of femininity. In discovering the influences on media culture and its development we can be drawn to Disney, as a hugely influential and globally popular animation company, specialising in targeting children with the ability to draw adults into its deeper more sinister relations. Disney’s 1998 film "Mulan" (1999), is a westernised adaptation of the Chinese tale of Hua Mulan, a legendary figure from ancient Chinese culture about a girl who took her weak fathers place to fight in the army, as a ploy to save him from almost certain death.

Heading towards Equality? An Analysis of the Representation of Ethnicity, Culture and Gender in Disney’s "Mulan" and "Moana" from Postcolonial and Feminist Perspectives

Heading towards Equality? An Analysis of the Representation of Ethnicity, Culture and Gender in Disney’s Author:
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3346532917
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 62

Get Book Here

Book Description
Bachelor Thesis from the year 2019 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Bonn, language: English, abstract: This paper aims to point out how the authenticity of Disney’s depiction of cultures differing from white American culture in Mulan and Moana can influence the perception of represented cultures by analysing raised criticism with respect to the postcolonial concepts of white supremacy, othering and cultural appropriation. At the same time it shall be shown if, by means of Mulan and Moana, Disney manages to promote gender equality with its representation of male and female roles in both films by examining it from a feminist perspective. In order to do so, this paper subdivides into four main parts. The following chapter will offer a brief introduction to feminist theory and gender roles by focusing on feminist theory and intersectionality, the role of women as members of society and family and the representation of women in media. The third chapter will concentrate on the representation of cultures and ethnicities in media and take a look at postcolonial concepts in order to critically analyse the authenticity of the representation of Chinese and Polynesian culture through an American film studio. Chapter four, the first part of the actual analysis, will be provided in three subchapters dealing with aspects of gendered representation. Thereafter, the fifth chapter will scrutinise the authenticity of cultural representations in the two films with the aim of pointing out what has improved and what aspects still require closer research by Disney. The final chapter will then synthesise the findings to draw a comparison of the two movies and find out how the representations of gender, culture and ethnicity in Disney movies have changed from 1998 to 2016. This shall offer a conclusion about the authenticity of the cultural representation and portrayal of gender roles for each movie.

Female Masculinity

Female Masculinity PDF Author: Judith Halberstam
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822322436
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 348

Get Book Here

Book Description
Masculinity without men. In Female Masculinity Judith Halberstam takes aim at the protected status of male masculinity and shows that female masculinity has offered a distinct alternative to it for well over two hundred years. Providing the first full-length study on this subject, Halberstam catalogs the diversity of gender expressions among masculine women from nineteenth-century pre-lesbian practices to contemporary drag king performances. Through detailed textual readings as well as empirical research, Halberstam uncovers a hidden history of female masculinities while arguing for a more nuanced understanding of gender categories that would incorporate rather than pathologize them. She rereads Anne Lister's diaries and Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness as foundational assertions of female masculine identity. She considers the enigma of the stone butch and the politics surrounding butch/femme roles within lesbian communities. She also explores issues of transsexuality among "transgender dykes"--lesbians who pass as men--and female-to-male transsexuals who may find the label of "lesbian" a temporary refuge. Halberstam also tackles such topics as women and boxing, butches in Hollywood and independent cinema, and the phenomenon of male impersonators. Female Masculinity signals a new understanding of masculine behaviors and identities, and a new direction in interdisciplinary queer scholarship. Illustrated with nearly forty photographs, including portraits, film stills, and drag king performance shots, this book provides an extensive record of the wide range of female masculinities. And as Halberstam clearly demonstrates, female masculinity is not some bad imitation of virility, but a lively and dramatic staging of hybrid and minority genders.

Deconstructing Masculinity: Interrogating the Role of Symbolism in Gender Performativity

Deconstructing Masculinity: Interrogating the Role of Symbolism in Gender Performativity PDF Author: Lauren Dundes
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2832554458
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 116

Get Book Here

Book Description
Progress towards gender parity is hindered by unconscious ways that hypermasculinity is valorized at a symbolic level. By deconstructing how social and textual phenomena as well as social structures contribute to gender performativity, we can elucidate hard-to-discern patterns that perpetuate hegemonic masculinity. The subliminal elevation of symbols of hypermasculinity excludes both women and non-gender conforming men. By delving into these symbolic meanings that operate subliminally, we can more effectively debunk beliefs that “real men” fall within narrow parameters of masculinity. There remains much to explore in terms of hidden pressures for men to constrain their expression of emotions, project an appearance of hardness, and equate violence with power, to name just a few persistent facets of toxic masculinity. While abstract forms of inculcating hypermasculinity are difficult to identify, interrogating their role in masculine performativity will result in a more comprehensive understanding of impediments to gender equality.

How can they tell if I am male or female? Gender stereotypes in Disney movies

How can they tell if I am male or female? Gender stereotypes in Disney movies PDF Author: Sarah Vogel
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668275807
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 20

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject Communications - Movies and Television, grade: 2,3, LMU Munich, language: English, abstract: If we look behind the “sparkling stars” and “memorizing magic” that is Disney, we might see that these Disney princesses are not the best role models for children. Therefore, this research paper aims at showing these role models in Disney movies and give an awareness of problems they bring with them. “How can they tell if I am male or female?” This last line of The Ballad of Mulan shows that the gender question was already raised in the 6th century. This research aims at analyzing the representation of females in Walt Disney movies: the appearance and intelligence, helplessness and the need of protection and domestication. Before doing so, there has to be a definition what gender role is, in general, but also in Disney movies.

Behind the Magic. An Examination of Gender Representations in Disney Princess Feature-length Animations

Behind the Magic. An Examination of Gender Representations in Disney Princess Feature-length Animations PDF Author: Megan Hilditch
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668508771
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Get Book Here

Book Description
Bachelor Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Sociology - Relationships and Family, grade: 75.0, Keele University, language: English, abstract: This study offers an examination of gender representations present in the Disney feature-length animations incorporated into the Princess Collection. The import of such films has become increasingly relevant in recent years due to the increased anxiety around media representations and the development of the Princess franchise into a dominant aspect of Disney. In an attempt to test the claims of the existing debate and update the discussion through the inclusion of male protagonists, as well as female, the method of content analysis was adopted to conduct an in-depth analysis of: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Frozen (2013). This choice of films enables us to trace how these representations have changed over time to reflect the changing attitudes of gender in mainstream society, to answer the question of; to what extent do Disney princes and princesses represent traditional gender stereotypes? After data was collected the results of the content analysis were interpreted by drawing on literature and situating them within their historical context. The findings have shown that these princesses have evolved from passive damsels in distress to much more active, dynamic heroines. Whilst the male characters were found to have experienced less change but have become more feminised. However, both were found to still be influenced by traditional stereotypical ideas.

Mulan - A film review

Mulan - A film review PDF Author: Stephanie Wössner
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640471563
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 17

Get Book Here

Book Description
Literature Review from the year 2003 in the subject Communications - Movies and Television, grade: A, San Francisco State University (Ethnic Studies), course: AAS 693 Asian Americans and the Mass Media, language: English, abstract: Whenever a new Disney film is released, millions of people, children as well as adults, rush to the movie theatre to see it. Disney films are much liked by old and young people alike. Very frequently, they use already commonly known plots and give them a new shape. Their repertoire covers many fairy tales and legends. One of these legends to be found in the Disney film collection is the story of Mulan, the story of a Chinese girl, who, disguised as a man, takes her father’s place in the Chinese army and helps defend China against the Huns. She does this to preserve the honor of the family. This old Chinese legend has, as is true for most of the Disney productions, been changed and made suitable for the (white) American market of family entertainment. The China portrayed in the original version of the legend of Mulan, or rather the children’s book that was available to me in our course reader, is a pretty accurate description of what ancient China must have been like. However, for the audience this children’s book is probably aimed at, i.e. an audience with a Chinese background, Chinese culture is nothing extraordinary, so the culture is not highlighted in any way. In this book, Mulan has been trained in martial arts by her father from very early in her childhood. Moreover, she has a brother whose name she takes on when taking her father’s place in the war against the intruders. In other words, Mulan has been given her martial arts skills as well as a name from a man, she has not acquired or created them herself. When she leaves, she leaves her home with the permission of her parents. Due to her knowledge of martial arts and her intelligence, she is soon admired by all of the soldiers and becomes a commanding general during a war of more than ten years. There is no one there to either protect her or assist her with advices. In the end, this very strategically oriented general uses the superstition of her enemies, which are not the Huns but simply “enemies from the north,” against them and defeats them. She wins without failing first, and it is only in the end that everyone finds out that she is actually a woman, and no one feels offended about it. The possible message of this legend may be the importance of honor in ancient China, which has to be defended against the enemy, no matter who this enemy may be.

Mulan's Legend and Legacy in China and the United States

Mulan's Legend and Legacy in China and the United States PDF Author: Lan Dong
Publisher: Temple University Press
ISBN: 159213971X
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Get Book Here

Book Description
Mulan, the warrior maiden who performed heroic deeds in battle while dressed as a male soldier, has had many incarnations from her first appearance as a heroine in an ancient Chinese folk ballad. Mulan’s story was retold for centuries, extolling the filial virtue of the young woman who placed her father's honor and well-being above her own. With the publication of Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior in the late 1970s, Mulan first became familiar to American audiences who were fascinated with the extraordinary Asian American character. Mulan’s story was recast yet again in the popular 1998 animated Disney film and its sequel. In Mulan’s Legend and Legacy in China and the United States, Lan Dong traces the development of this popular icon and asks, "Who is the real Mulan?" and "What does authenticity mean for the critic looking at this story?" Dong charts this character’s literary voyage across historical and geographical borders, discussing the narratives and images of Mulan over a long time span—from premodern China to the contemporary United States to Mulan’s counter-migration back to her homeland. As Dong shows, Mulan has been reinvented repeatedly in both China and the United States so that her character represents different agendas in each retelling—especially after she reached the western hemisphere. The dutiful and loyal daughter, the fierce, pregnant warrior, and the feisty teenaged heroine—each is Mulan representing an idea about female virtue at a particular time and place.