Naomi M.

Maldonado Pinto
Nickantony Martis Cruz
Eliseo J. Daz Rosario
Instructor. Morales
INGL 3103-061
9 November 2015
The Stereotypical Women
In our present-time, if you were to mention Mulan in a conversation, most people would
automatically think of Disneys animated film from 1998. Furthermore, it is originally a Chinese
poem compiled during the twelfth-century by Guo Maoquian, which is said to date back to the
sixth-century China( Feng 2003). Both of them however, do an excellent job conveying multiple
stereotypes of women in society at the time. Women, were expected to behave according to
parameters set by society. To be considered successful they were obligated to follow certain
rules, and if they dared to do otherwise they deserved to be punished.
Behavior was a factor that was heavily weighted in a womens social standing. Men
want girls with good taste. Calm, obedient, who work fast paced, with good breeding and a tiny
waist. Youll bring honor to us all (Disney Lyrics w/ Movie Stills, Honor to Us All- Disney
Lyrics). This quote taken from a song of the movie, clearly states that women were expected to
be submissive and delicate beings, who should be able to bring honor to their families. They
also had to be diligent in their work and do accordingly as they were ordered to without
complaint. Besides being refined they had one goal, to keep the family linage and bare as many
children as she could. However, these werent the only aspects required to succeed in life if you
were a lady.
In order to be successful, a womans greatest ambition was to marry a man from a
prominent family and preferably a wealthy one. According to Merriam Webster, a marriage can
be defined as the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a

Daz, Maldonado, Martis 2

consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (Merriam Webster Dictionary).
However, in that time and age, marriage was not consensual but more as a contract. Most of the
time this marriage was only meant to preserve a familys prestige, power, wealth, and secure
descendants. Also it was the wifes duty to dedicate herself in mind and body to her husband and
be loyal to him, even if it was not the same towards her. Not to forget, that they were supposed to
be excellent housewives and be responsible for the cooking, cleaning, laundry and the
upbringing of their children. A womens worth was determined on how well she was capable of
performing these tasks. Nevertheless, women suffered in greatly due to these expectations.
If a woman failed to fill any of categories aforementioned, and misbehave, she deserved
to be punished without further hesitation. You would do well to teach your daughter to hold her
tongue in a man's presence(Bancroft and Cook, Mulan). Women didnt have the right to
express themselves with freedom, much less in front of a man. They didnt have a voice of their
own and men did not bother to listen to them because they were the ones who had the last word.
In fact, women were treated merely as a possession or an object, whose life was on her husbands
hands and had the right to do anything with her, even killing her. In the end, women were
rendered powerless in a patriarchal and sexist society.
Stereotypes towards women were not an event that was reserved exclusively to China
from the sixth-century. These have always existed and can be reflected on multiple cultures
around the world such as in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran. In actuality, it is not as pronounced
as it used to be and women have been able to gain many rights, but there are still many countries
in which women are treated as inferior beings. The truth is stereotypes will never be eradicated
completely. They will continue to exist as long as the human race continues to live. However, we
can choose whether we control them or we let them take possession of our lives.

Daz, Maldonado, Martis 3

Works Cited:
Disney Lyrics w/ Movie Stills. Honor to Us All - Disney Lyrics, video. YouTube. Google, 30
May. 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
Feng, L. "The Female Individual and the Empire: A Historicist Approach to Mulan and
Kingston's Woman Warrior." Comparative Literature 55.3 (2003): 22945. ProQuest. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
Mulan. Dir. Bancroft, T. and Cook, B. Buena Vista Pictures,1998. Film.
Marriage Def. 2. Merriam Webster Online, Merriam Webster, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.