Tuesday, April 15, 2014

M is for Mulan and Merida: Modern Maidens

Well A to Z Bloggers, we've made it to the letter "M" , the official halfway mark of the challenge. Feeling tired yet? I certainly am, but I'm also having a blast! I hope everyone else is as well.

But now, back to blogging.

Now, for those of you who are new to my blog, I've spent many years criticizing Disney for their backwards plots and un-feminist attitudes (which pains me greatly because I was raised on Disney and still know all the words to just about every Disney song ever written). But I've been thrilled with the recent shift toward more headstrong women that fight the constraints of traditional gender roles. In fact, the most recent princess movie  Frozen  is all about finding oneself and the bonds of sisterly love.

But today I want to talk about two Disney princesses who paved the way for this new trend. Two princesses who are both more interested in pursuing their dreams than finding a husband, despite the constant demands otherwise. Two of my favorite modern maidens, Mulan and Merida.

Mulan was definitely one of the very first Disney princesses to express any sense of modernity (and considering she hails from imperial China, that's impressive). She's a spirited tomboy who longs to bring honor to her family, and after the Huns attack when the Chinese military demands that one man from each family join the army, Mulan cuts off her hair (and as we all know, long flowing hair is the mark of a Disney princess), disguises herself as a man and takes the place of her ailing father. There she learns to fight, using her intelligence and quick thinking to make up for her lack of physical strength. Though she's eventually unmasked as a female and expelled from the army, she still finds a way to save China . . . as a girl. This is a far cry from her princess predecessors like Snow White and Aurora, who can't even manage to save themselves from a single adversary, let alone an entire country from invading forces. She's definitely a woman to look up to. 

And then there's the red-headed Scottish lassie. One of the things I love most about Merida is the fact that she is a young girl with hair problems rather than the tall, stacked blond with the tiny waste we see in so many Disney films. And more, I love how much people appreciate that about her. When the movie came out and Disney released an image of Merida in the Disney Princess Line, they "tweaked" her so she had longer legs and a more shapely (aka. womanly) figure. To which parents and Brave fans across the nation went absolutely wild. They felt very protective of Merida's youth, rejecting the new version and forcing Disney to remove the redesign from the website.

And may I say, "bravo"! It's about time we saw a Disney princess who looked her age. And what's more, it's wonderful to finally have a princess movie that completely avoids the romance plot line. Even Mulan, Pocohantas, The Princess and the Frog and Frozen – arguably the most modern and feminist of the princess films – can't get away with out a little romance. But Brave stands out as a movie about familial, rather than romantic, love. 


Mulan and Merida definitely take the cake as the most modern of the princess lineup. And I can't wait to watch as this trend takes inspiration from them and continues to grow more and more every year. 
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This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme (in case you didn't already guess) is Fairy Tales. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you'd like to check out the other participants, simply click here.

17 comments:

  1. I love Merida and I was really annoyed when I heard about the redesign, I'm so glad they got them to change her back. She is so very, very awesome as she was in the movie. I've only seen Mulan once, but I did really enjoy it too; she's a great character.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
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  2. I loved Merida. I kept thinking 'You go girl'. When I was young I was criticized for being headstrong and out-spoken, concentrating on being the best in school and at sports. I constantly was told to think about just finding a husband. Thank goodness for my teachers and my dad who supported my endeavors. Young women need role models in books and movies who set goals for themselves to enrich their lives, and I don't mean marrying someone 'rich'.

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  3. She may have had hair problems, but that animated hair was amazing to watch.

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  4. I have not seen either yet-I know! Bad of me but am glad that they are not whimpering and have some guts-love the red hair

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  5. The rise of strong female characters in Disney has revitalized the movie studio. It was in danger of becoming a relic S.L.

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  6. Love both characters, though I did have issues with Brave. :)

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  7. Like you, I grew up on Disney and love the worst of it (Sleeping Beauty really is not a good message and yet it was my favorite). I like the diversity with the two you mentioned, but I also like The Frog Princess since we got to see a girly-girl who still had a sense of agency. I'm all for variety, but I also don't want to see every princess a tomboy. Frozen was kind of a nice reflection of both worlds.

    Hope you're enjoying the A to Z Challenge! My theme is Memorable Characters. Glad to have met you!

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  8. As the father of two young girls, I appreciate the princesses who are not helpless. I teach my girls just like my son. Each will know how to repair and maintain a home and car, cook, clean, and take care of themselves without feeling that they *have* to depend on someone else just for survival.

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  9. I totally agree about Disney's "retelling" of some fairy tales not having strong women, unless they were evil... I have yet to see Frozen and have heard nothing but great things about it. It's on my list!

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  10. I love Merida. She's human, she's awkward, she makes mistakes and she grabs life with both hands :)
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
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  11. Has anyone here actually read the original legend of Hua Mulan (sometimes written as Fa Mulan)? I want to but have never been able to get my hands on a written copy. Anyway, if you like those characters, may I suggest a Chinese tale entitled "Li Chi Slays the Serpent"? Also, there's a whole book entitled Tatterhood and Other Tales that you might like.

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  12. I had a calendar that had great folklore women of china. Milan was one of them. The caption said she became a general in the imperial army.

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  13. Mulan is one of my all time favourites.

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  14. I loved Brave. It was so different. I wish they'd do a sequel.

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  15. Not only was Mulan one cool chick - Donny Osmond was in the movie too. Does it get any better? I just bought the Bluray of BRAVE. Looking forward to watching it. New follower here. Thanks for popping by my blog.

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  16. I think Merida is far superior representation of real feminism. Mulan is respected by pretending to be a man and their refusal to acknowledge her once she'd revealed to be female nearly spells the end of China. But Merida saves the day by using a set of traditionally feminine traits- her ability to calm the ridiculous brawling men through speech, her devotion to family, hell her SEWING ability is what ultimately undoes the curse! I haven't seen traditionally feminine tasks get that much respect in longer than I can remember.

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