As kids, we all dreamed to do those fun things we saw in the movies and TV shows. At that time, we didn't really understand or pay attention to the real world because we just saw what was really going on...we just loved what we loved.
One of the biggest things kids loved, and still love, is Disney. We love Disney World, the Disney movies, everything. However, Disney can be problematic. There are usually some hidden meanings in their movies, and obviously, we don't understand some things when we're kids. Two examples of this are gender inequality and double standards. A perfect example of this happening in one of their movies is "Mulan."
Throughout both of the Mulan movies, there are a number of different songs and scenes in which these two themes are displayed. Honestly, throughout the entirety of the first movie, it shows how men are held in such a high place in society. Feminine traits are almost shunned in most instances. Like for example, in the training scene of the movie, they are trying to "create a man" out of her. In fact, they literally sing a song called "I'll Make A Man Out Of You." The whole song is basically about how men have to work hard and how tough they have to be to really be a "man."
I will say that in the second movie, the women are viewed better than in the first movie — however, it seems that they are still only viewed as important because of their looks and the things they do, rather than their value as just a person. For example, there's a scene in this movie where the soldiers are walking and talking about how discouraged they feel and how they just want someone to love them back. This is where the song "A Girl Worth Fighting For" comes from.
For anyone who hasn't seen these movies, I will tell you that she definitely proves herself to be worthy of the royal army. She proves that women are more than just wives who take care of the house and the family. She proves that women are just as capable as men.
The movie shows a lot of the problems with society because gender equality is a real problem today, but there's a positive take away from this movie. Mulan is a strong role model for the young girls watching the movie. Mulan did things that women weren't "capable" or "allowed" to do.
My point is that we raise our kids watching these kinds of Disney movies. We let the ideas from the movies fill their brains, and we never really explain to them the good and the bad things of the world. Gender inequality is a battle that women all over the world are still fighting every single day. It is more than just not saying certain things or things like that. It is about changing the way we think and act around women. The way that we treat them and even the way that we live our daily lives. Mulan is a perfect example of what a strong and independent woman looks like and how even then sometimes it is not enough. People will still judge you solely on the fact that you are a woman and it is time that things changed.
