Disney’s Mulan

On a whim, I just watched Mulan again for the first time in many years (yay for Netflix!), and it brought me back to some of the reasons why I loved that movie so much while growing up, especially now that I am comfortable recognizing myself as transgender.  Many Disney movies featured elements that appealed or spoke to the young transgender child that I was, from Belle’s inability to fit in in her “small, provincial life,” or the Beast’s ugly façade (not that I ever wanted to be a handsome prince, but he was definitely more feminine after the transformation), to Ariel’s longing to transform into something forbidden (her hidden stash of forbidden items is very familiar…I think most trans people can relate to having a hidden stash of items “unacceptable” for them to possess), but in Mulan, our title character goes beyond just not fitting in, she actually cross-dresses, despite it being taboo.  And that’s pretty cool on the surface, but at no point does Mulan associate herself as being trans-gender, or want to be a man, all she wants to do is prove herself.  However, the part that speaks well to me, being a trans woman, is the section of the movie where she is passing as a guy (oh, and the song Reflection, but I don’t think I need to explain that one).  Because, you know, that was THE ENTIRE FIRST TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF MY LIFE.

But, seriously, I can’t even count the number of times I could totally relate to her character.  A girl worth fighting for?  Sure, she can look pretty, or cook, or whatever, but the things I’m really interested in? A brain (and a good one) and being willing to speak her mind…which is exactly what Mulan says.  And then she is overlooked because of it.  Been there.

Or that part where she’s in the water and is embarrassed by all the nakedness…I mean, I got to a point where I was pretty comfortable naked (thank you, theatre), but my natural instincts were to hide the ugly parts of my body.  You know, the guy parts.  Because others seeing them made them that much more real, and I didn’t want them to be real.  Not to mention always having a feeling (no matter how much I tried to hide it) of being uncomfortable with my body around women (especially my naked, or partially naked body).  I always felt judged because I didn’t have the right parts (even though I’m sure that’s not what I was being judged on), and I looked so much less like a girl than they did, pretty much exactly the reason why Mulan hides her face from the women  in the rice fields as they’re marching.

And, of course, a trans-review of Mulan wouldn’t be complete without talking about the part where the three male soldiers cross-dress as women.  Not only do they do it to save the Emperor (positing it as a noble action in the movie), but they also don’t immediately rub off the makeup or otherwise “cross-back” for that whole scene with the Emperor after they defeat the Shan Yu.  This creates a great positive image that crossing gender lines is okay, and not something to be ashamed of.  While it doesn’t go all the way and posit that trans-ness is okay, it’s definitely a step in the right direction (unlike other steps that Disney has taken over the years).

Introduction

Hello,
This is just a quick post to introduce myself.  My name’s Natahlia, and I’m a transwoman.  For those who are unfamiliar, there’s a lot of good information on the internet talking about transgender individuals, but the simplified (very simplified) version is that I was born with a male body, while I’ve always had a female internal gender identity.  Currently I’m going through my “transition,” which is the process of altering my physical self to match my gender identity.  But that’s not what this blog is about.

This blog is seeking to look at media and other parts of our culture through my eyes, eyes that might just see things a little different than most of you.  Through the posts I hope to give a little perspective to things otherwise generally taken for granted.  But also remember that these are my thoughts, not the thoughts of every trans person.  Every person is different from every other person – and of course you know that – but I have often noticed that many assumptions are made about trans people, and I would prefer not to be the source of unfair assumptions made about others.

Also, just as a quick language note: people are either transgender or cisgender.  There are no “normal” people to compare trans people with, so please be respectful and use the prefix “cis,” when applicable.  Also, with both prefixes, you use them with the individual’s gender identity: “trans woman” refers to a transgender individual with a female gender identity, and “cis woman” refers to a cisgender individual with a female gender identity.  I know that can sometimes get confusing for those unfamiliar with the terms, so if you have a question about it, just ask politely and no one will take offense. 🙂