I just rewatched Mulan and it dawned on me the full meaning of her pretending to be a man. The song "Reflection" especially seemed to hint at her being FtM. It's an amazing movie and I totally recommend it, but would LGBT themes make sense for when it was released? Mulan 2 completely contradicts this, but everything about Mulan 2 was different from the original, so I'd say Mulan 2 doesn't really count. Thoughts?
Well the story at its core is about equality for women. I can't say if she was transgender but she definitely wasn't very effeminate. I just think she was sort of a tomboy
I don't think she was FtM, she looked more like a tomboy to me. The reason why she pretended to be a man was to save her father from being killed in battle. However, I do think she's someone who people who don't fit into gender roles, and trans people, can really relate to.
I don't think Mulan is necessarily a FtM/LGBT movie but it definitely has some interesting themes and settings. What I personally found very interesting was how Li Shang grew very fond of Ping and how he reacted to, and felt about, discovering Ping's true self. I'm not saying that it's hinting Li Shang is gay, but his reaction is just really... real? Other than hiding and creating this lie about her gender Mulan did nothing wrong, but how everyone just abandons her, and how she herself thinks she is of no worth? I don't know, it just gets me thinking about all types of questions.
Ping and Avigdor from Yentl have too much in common. In both movies I don't think there are any LGBT messages other than men's bisexual nature.
Yeah, I don't see her as FtM- just a little more on the masculine side. Note she doesn't actually identify as male while she's in the army nor after she's found out. But gotta give her credit. She saved mother fucking China while binding her chest. I have trouble walking up a couple flights of stairs.
In the original poem (yeah, written in ancient Chinese) I didn't sniff out anything that suggested that she's trans*. I guess she just really loves her dad and lil' bro.
I think it's entirely possible that Mulan is genderqueer, especially considering the time she grew up in. It was a time when mothers would break their baby girl's feet and bind them, just for aesthetic purposes. And feet don't even show! The fact that Mulan has so much difficulty conforming to these unquestioned and strictly enforced gender roles suggest that at the very least, she doesn't feel comfortable with the feminine lifestyle she has been forced into. You'll notice that even after she is outed, she still wears pants when she tries to warn Shang. This was unheard of in her time, of course. None of this is proof of her gender identity, of course, but it does hint at what it could be.
I feel like Shrek 2 has LGBT themes. An old-fashioned family having to deal with the shocking revelation that their once beautiful daughter is in fact something hideous. 'omg you're an ogre!' = 'omg you're gay!' But that's me looking into it too much.
I don't think the legend of Mulan was that recent. Foot binding started with the Qing Dynasty in 1644 and Mulan's time seems to be much earlier, perhaps around 300-600 A.D.
