Culturally Diverse

       Something that I think is a valuable skill to have in life is being socially aware of different practices and cultures. Disney has done a good job in this area; racially diverse princess', geographically accurate to a specific region, historically correct mythological events, and even the food is factual. What makes Disney special is that they have done a great job in making the settings in movies, shows and books in different parts of the world with different kinds of people, places, species, and things! I think the most obvious and probably well known example would be of Mulan, throughout the movie I learned about spouse selection, gender roles, religious beliefs, and family values.
       In the first few opening scenes, you see Mulan getting ready to meet a "matchmaker" for Mulan to be placed with the man she would later call her husband. I learned that in Asian culture men look for certain aesthetic features that would normally be strange in America such as pale skin. You also see Mulan's mother and grandmother putting different fortuitous items on or under her clothing all in hopes that she will find, "the one." Her attire is loose fitting and traditional to Asian culture, face caked with makeup, and she carries an umbrella.
       Another old fashioned cultural difference that I noticed in the movie is a man and woman's role in society, and family values. The first and most apparent difference is that people are needed to fight in the war, but women cannot enroll, only men are allowed, restricting Mulan from stepping in place for her father who is elderly an disabled. This obviously did not stop Mulan, but her circumstance was not the norm. Mulan's family felt ashamed of her, and felt that her family would be dishonored because Mulan crossed the line into unknown and unwelcomed territory for a woman. In addition to men being the only people in the army, they were usually the bread winners of the family, while the mother stayed home to cook, clean, and take care of children and basic other household duties.
       Religion, or spiritual belief throughout this movie is very prominent in that Mulan visits her families tomb to talk to the spirits and pray and the start and the end of the movie. In the movie I learned that they do not believe in a God, but the spirits of their family, and great leaders, and their powers to protect and punish them accordingly. Mulan's deceased family protected her with Mushu, the dragon who helped her make great decisions, and face the unfamiliar.
       Disney has opened my eyes to cultural adversity, and allowed my interest to grow in learning of practices and beliefs all around the world!

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney