Please Bring Honor To Us All…IF You Conform

A couple of weeks ago, I sat and analyzed Peter Pan while the music came through my Disney Pandora station, and believe it or not, as I sang my heart out during a stop light, a flash of understanding hit me (which could also have been the light turning green, but I digress): Mulan was all about conforming or ELSE. Let’s think about this a little bit. Mulan was a girl much unlike any other and while we feel bad for her, Disney is telling the rest of us that you must fit in or you won’t find a husband, you won’t have any honor, and you’ll basically be nothing but a nuisance on your family. Sure, Mulan gets to go on to save China and be the badass hero we know and love, but that’s not at all how it’s supposed to be for us ladies. As the Emperor puts it: “You don’t meet a girl like that every dynasty.” The rest of the girls in Mulan’s world won’t get that chance or perhaps don’t have the independent mind enough to take chances and be someone different.

Not convinced?

Let’s take a look at the first song of the movie, “Honor to Us All.” When the song begins, Mulan is rushing through town to reach her mother, where she will undergo a complete makeover so she is socially acceptable for the village’s matchmaker in the hopes she will find a husband and bring honor to her family.

This is what you give me to work with?
Well, honey, I’ve seen worse
We’re going to turn this sow’s ear
into a silk purse 

We’ll have you washed and dried
Primped and polished
till you glow with pride
Trust my recipe for instant bride
You’ll bring honor to us all 

Not only does this strange woman tut tut at Mulan’s disheveled hair, she pushes her into a tub of cold water which is a punchworthy action in my book. She also sings that Mulan won’t glow with pride until she’s primped and polished, but I think all young ladies glow with pride if they feel pretty and not put down by Miss Random Stranger Lady. I’m just saying.

Wait and see
When we’re through
Boys will gladly go to war for you
With good fortune
And a great hairdo
You’ll bring honor to us all 

A girl can bring her family
great honor in one way
By striking a good match
And this could be the day

Not only will a great hairdo make a guy wanna say, “Gee, I want to go fight in wars now!”, but it’s also the way to get his attention. I guess the old “I’ve been playing video games all day and didn’t fix my hair” bun isn’t enough to bring your family honor since you can’t get a good match that way. What happens if no one liked Mulan’s hair once she met her matchmaker husband? Does she automatically get no honor? Or does she get partial honor since she looks like everyone else?

Men want girls with good taste
Calm
Obediant
Who work fast-paced
With good breeding
And a tiny waist
You’ll bring honor to us all 

We all must serve our Emperor
Who guards us from the Huns
A man by bearing arms
A girl by bearing sons 

Oy. I don’t even know where to start with this bit. Basically, ladies have to shut the hell up, but listen to everything our perfect match says, do what he says quickly and look fucking excellent while popping out babies. In this way can we serve our country (in Mulan land, the Emperor and China) and bring honor. Wow. I guess we all gotta take our shoes off and get in the kitchen! Starting to feel bad for the girls in Mulan’s village yet?

When we’re through
You can’t fail
Like a lotus blossom
Soft and pale
How could any fellow
Say “No Sale”
You’ll bring honor to us all 

There – you’re ready
Not yet
An apple for serenity
A pendant for balance
Beads of jade for beauty
You must proudly show it
Now add a cricket just for luck
And even you can’t blow it 

First off, ladies are not items, so they cannot be for sale. While some of this can be explained away as being relevant to the time era…there are still people out there who believe this stuff and little girls don’t know any better. What if she’s darker skinned? How can she ever live up to this “soft and pale” business? Sure, Mulan is finally ready, but Granny gives her a few more items to help her out, items that help balance out her very apparent flaws.

Ancestors
Hear my plea
Help me not to make a
fool of me
And to not uproot
my family tree
Keep my father standing tall 

Scarier than the undertaker
We are meeting our matchmaker
Destiny
Guard our girls
And our future
as it fast unfurls
Please look kindly on
these cultured pearls
Each a perfect porcelain doll 

Please bring honor to us
Please bring honor to us
Please bring honor to us
Please bring honor to us
Please bring honor to us all

This last part is the best as not only do we hear the not so silent plea of Mulan who is well aware of how different she is, but we also get to hear from the other girls also meeting the matchmaker and what do they say? She is scarier than the undertaker. SHE IS SCARIER THAN DYING. I don’t know about you guys but dying is a tad bit higher on the scary scale than finding a husband. The last few lines speak for themselves and drive home the idea of conforming because the girls are compared to pearls which are all the same shape and size and then further compared to porcelain dolls, devoid of personality.

There you have it, my thoughts on Mulan. This won’t stop me from watching the flick, or listening to the fantastic music, but hopefully it at least provided some lunch time reading entertainment.

Leia Calderon
Editor
@ladyvader99