Gender Biased Culture
History of ancient world have shown that gender biased cultures have been in existence for more than thousand of years. The movie Mulan is a perfect example for a gender biased culture by giving the power to the men and withholding it from women. As I grew up in a gender biased cultures like India and Middle East, I can relate this movie with the gender issues in my generation. For many years, woman in these cultures must be fully covered from head to toe when in public, are not allowed to work, and are not allowed to drive.
Mulan Fa, the main character in the movie, comes to her elderly fathers defense and refuses to let him go and fight in the Emperor’s army. She takes matters into her own hands and cuts her hair and puts on her fathers armor to become a man and take his place in the battle. When my father was immigrated to United States America, I and my mother have to stay in India until I finish my high school. In the movie, Mulan is an only child and her father has a physical disability, so Mulan and her mother ended up having to take on traditionally male roles in the house for their family to get by.
When I was little, I helped my mother with chores outside my home such as running to stores to buy groceries, pay bills, etc. In my culture, when a girl hits puberty, she is not allowed to go outside of home by herself or without covering from head to toe with hijab. So when I hit puberty I was stopped by my grandparents from going out of my house except for school. After I moved to United States, I started to work part time as I go to school. So, I was the first woman in my family to go to work and drive.
In the movie, Mulan feels that she should be able to do all the things males do and do them with pride and dignity. Likewise, it was hard for me as I grew up as a tomboy. If a female follows a male’s style of life are seen as tomboys and are outlawed in my society. Even my mother did not like to keep me in house but she was afraid of the society we have lived in. So, my parents have decided to move to United States as I can have a life with freedom especially from gender biased culture.
Like in the movie Mulan, in my culture, men traditionally have the rigorous and more physically demanding chores around the house as in; taking out the trash, mowing lawns, and working to provide for the family Whereas women traditionally have less physically demanding tasks such as having dinner ready and on the table when the husband comes home, they are supposed to clean the house and take care of kids and strictly forbidden from working. This movie came when I was 12 but I saw this movie when I was 18. I liked that movie so much and I thought I was like Mulan. I think this gender biased culture is unhealthy for both gender.
It is unfair for men as they must choose their true selves and it is unfair for women and girls as they cannot develop their own talent if its too masculine. The story of this movie Mulan seems to be known and told for more than thousands of years. The chinese in the ancient world wore the dress called Hanfu (“kwintessential”). When Mulan and the other girls go to see the matchmaker they are all wearing Hanfu. When every family is told that it must send a man to fight in the war her father prepares to go but Mulan decides to go in his stead In order to do this she has to cut her hair short and dress as a man.
The movie supports the Mulan story where women must cross-dress to achieve the same accomplishments as men. The movie Mulan summarizes all of the cultures beliefs and thoughts on gender myths and determination. Even now, in some asian countries like in India, China, killing female babies and fetus is still happening. It is because of belief in many cultures that a male can support a family but not female. In many cultures since the beginning of time have had the same attitude towards gender and sex; they are in favor of the masculine male.
