Our discussion about racist and sexist portrayal in Disney made me think immediately of the soundtrack for Mulan. Outright it seems that these songs are very sexist in that they reinforce stereotypical characteristics that are desirable in men and women (what kind of girl is worth fighting for, what being a real man is). While there remains some irony in these songs, the most obvious of course being the fact that Mulan is a woman disguised as a man and proves herself in the end, the ideas that are being perpetrated to children throughout the film are extremely stereotypical. We are shown at the beginning of the film during the matchmaker scene how Mulan is the black sheep of the girls in her village and it is clear that the elders look down upon her free-spirited ways (side note: has anyone ever noticed how the women are depicted in the movie? I have no idea what some of them are wearing...they look more like yukatas or Korean Hanbok than traditional Chinese clothing). The idea that girls should be perfectly obedient are reinforced in "Honor to us All" and "A Girl When Fighting For" through the descriptions of the "perfect girl" as beautiful (beautiful, specifically, means "paler than the moon"), able to cook, and adoring. In "Honor to us All" the ideal women that men want are "calm, obediant, who work fast-paced, with good breeding and a tiny waist." Mulan is also reprimanded for "speaking without permission" when she meets the matchmaker. When Mulan suggests "How bout a girl who's got a brain, who always speaks her mind?" in "A Girl Worth Fighting For" she is immediately rejected by the rest of the soldiers. Obviously, if you aren't a "perfect porcelain doll" you fail and you won't bring honor to your family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe3Y-nXHsFI
"Honor to us All"