Re: oooh fun... pt. 2 they cut me off :(boogerbumMay 2 2005, 06:42:20 UTC
I am rather torn between Mulan and Lilo and Stitch as my favorite films. I love Mulan because I can identify with this feeling of familial obligation and gender expectations, but they also have some things which are upsetting if you take a closer look. For example, I love Mulan because it is about a woman of color, but then again, she's not set in the United States, she's set in China (a foreign country). This perhaps implies that Chinese people cannot be seen as Americans, or even just that it implies that Mulan is not a threat because she is a woman a world away, from a time long ago. And I am still undecided about how I feel that her choice to fight for the country is to protect her father, as opposed to her family and her whole country (but then again, you can't change history). However, I do love that Mulan is intelligent, thinks on her feet, and works hard to be ready for war. What disturbs me is that song, "I'll make a man out of you." Obviously this is reinforcing the idea that China is a sexist nation that believes that only men can fight works and you must be a "real man." I think that this also closely tied to the heterosexism that exists. If you are not going to succeed in training, then you are a "sissy," a "woman," not a "real" man. I do like the ending where she is still the same strong woman she was and the male love interest does not know what to do about it. It takes the emperor to teach him that strong-minded women are rare and hard to come by.
This is perhaps why I like Lilo and Stitch because she is obviously a woman of color, although it is unclear what she is specifically. The main character is a little girl who feels alienated from the very person who is her only real connection to the world. Her alienation is felt through being isolated on one of the Hawaiian islands, and far away from the mainland, her deceased parents, and even from her sister (mentally). She deals with so many things even though she is just a little girl. She is dealing with the psychological and social effects of her parents dying and then being alienated by the community around her. She finds friendship in an unlikely place and learns to create a family. But how many girls can you say will find an alien friend who they will save and adopt into their families. Not very realistic if you ask me.
And with all the films, as far as their bodies. NONE of them have to worry. The early princesses naturally had a fabulous body where body image does not exist. They can fit into whatever was in the closet and never had to worry about being as overweight as the fairies (Sleeping Beauty) or the maid (Beauty and the Beast). Mulan had no problem because she had a stereotypical Chinese female's body, skinny as a stick. (Which I clearly do not fit into). And Lilo, well, she's too young to deal with that problem, but honestly, this body image problem is becoming more and more of a problem for little girls at a younger age. And I have a problem with all of the women of these films finding a prince charming (on exception to Lilo). There is not only this expectation of them to be heterosexual, but an unquestioning certainty that they will be heterosexual. What if a princess were to fall in love with a peasant woman... oh what a stir that would cause. None of them have issues with their sexuality. None of them are threatened by other women. None of them really see themselves in comparison to other women's bodies, even though they may compare their intellects or relationships. So Disney movies are in fact very problematic, but I still love them. That may be hard to believe, but when you watch them as a little girl, it's hard to just erase them from your memories as an adult. Even though I can now critically analyze the films, I can watch the film and believe all the gender norms and sexuality norms that are normalized in the films.
Well, my dear Elissa, I hope that helped. If not, I could possibly come up with more. Also, have you heard of this book called "From Mermaid to Mouse"? It might help you. I forget who the author(s) are, but yeah...sorry, occupational hazard of being a library intern. you start recommending random books to people :) Good luck!!
This is perhaps why I like Lilo and Stitch because she is obviously a woman of color, although it is unclear what she is specifically. The main character is a little girl who feels alienated from the very person who is her only real connection to the world. Her alienation is felt through being isolated on one of the Hawaiian islands, and far away from the mainland, her deceased parents, and even from her sister (mentally). She deals with so many things even though she is just a little girl. She is dealing with the psychological and social effects of her parents dying and then being alienated by the community around her. She finds friendship in an unlikely place and learns to create a family. But how many girls can you say will find an alien friend who they will save and adopt into their families. Not very realistic if you ask me.
And with all the films, as far as their bodies. NONE of them have to worry. The early princesses naturally had a fabulous body where body image does not exist. They can fit into whatever was in the closet and never had to worry about being as overweight as the fairies (Sleeping Beauty) or the maid (Beauty and the Beast). Mulan had no problem because she had a stereotypical Chinese female's body, skinny as a stick. (Which I clearly do not fit into). And Lilo, well, she's too young to deal with that problem, but honestly, this body image problem is becoming more and more of a problem for little girls at a younger age. And I have a problem with all of the women of these films finding a prince charming (on exception to Lilo). There is not only this expectation of them to be heterosexual, but an unquestioning certainty that they will be heterosexual. What if a princess were to fall in love with a peasant woman... oh what a stir that would cause. None of them have issues with their sexuality. None of them are threatened by other women. None of them really see themselves in comparison to other women's bodies, even though they may compare their intellects or relationships. So Disney movies are in fact very problematic, but I still love them. That may be hard to believe, but when you watch them as a little girl, it's hard to just erase them from your memories as an adult. Even though I can now critically analyze the films, I can watch the film and believe all the gender norms and sexuality norms that are normalized in the films.
Well, my dear Elissa, I hope that helped. If not, I could possibly come up with more. Also, have you heard of this book called "From Mermaid to Mouse"? It might help you. I forget who the author(s) are, but yeah...sorry, occupational hazard of being a library intern. you start recommending random books to people :) Good luck!!
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