If your childhood was anything like mine, then you probably grew up watching Disney Princess movies. Each princess had a quality that just lured viewers in. For instance, Snow White had her beauty, Cinderella had her beauty… Aurora had her beauty… I think I’m sensing a pattern here.
Let’s get real, growing up we may have preferred princesses like Cinderella and Snow White whose main goals were to teach young girls submissiveness and to serve the patriarchy. However, as we grew older (and grew some sense), we realized princesses who worked their way up to the top were more our speed. If you, in the words of The Cheetah Girls, “…don’t want to be like Cinderella,” then you should know that Mulan is the likeliest princess to “…rescue [herself].”
Mulan is the best Disney princess there is, and I would go to war over that Fendi fact. Off the bat, you could tell she wasn’t your average Disney princess. The dead giveaway you ask? It was that she didn’t want to be married off to a “knight in shining armor.” Instead, she had her cake and ate it too. Mulan became her own knight in shining armor and bagged Shang: a literal knight in shining armor.
In Imperial China during the time period in which Mulan lived, women were forbidden from going to war. War accolades were passed down from father to son, and household duties were passed from mother to daughter. However, Mulan was an only child, meaning her injured, middle-aged father went to war for the family. Mulan took it upon herself to steal her father’s armor and prized sword, and pretend to be his son to go to war for her family. That’s the most bad*ss thing a Disney princess has ever done. She still went to war knowing she could have died if officials realized she was a woman. The love she had for her family was more important than even her own life.
The Bops
We can’t look over the music! Mulan I and Mulan II had hit after hit, after hit. “Reflection” was one of the most relatable songs to come out of this movie series. Mulan (voice acted by Vanessa-Mae) sang her frustrations out and got real on this track. She couldn’t recognize the woman she saw in the mirror literally and figuratively. She was pressured into being what society deemed a “good wife” by her family and in return wanted to go back to her regular self.
You’ll get nostalgic feelings listening to “A Girl Worth Fighting For.” This war song gave us a deeper look into supporting characters Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao. We learned Chien-Po valued a woman who could throw down in the kitchen, Ling wanted a beautiful woman who would laugh at his terrible dad jokes, and Yao wanted a woman who would… admire his battle scars?
In conclusion, Mulan is the princess that was overlooked when we were younger, but her story was one of a kind. She taught us lessons that we could absorb as children, yet still, cherish as adults. This is why she is superior in every way, including her beauty.
All gifs provided by giphy.com.