Mulan is a Disney princess. Courtesy | Flickr
There is a common and particularly egregious affront made to one of my favorite Disney characters. It goes like this: Mulan, the heroine of the 1998 animated Disney movie, is not a Disney princess since she was neither born a royal nor made one by marriage.
It’s an appalling accusation, and indicative of a lack of understanding of what a Disney princess is. Further, it is insensitive to the strong female inspirations that little girls need.
According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of a princess is “a woman of high rank or of high standing in her class or profession.” Mulan is praised above her fellow soldiers and her commander, honored with the seal of the emperor and the sword of her enemy, and offered a spot on the emperor’s counsel. A lot of people–including the emperor himself––bow down to her. That’s a level of power and influence almost approaching sovereignty that we never even see many of the “legitimate princesses” endowed with.
Urban Dictionary reveals the colloquial meaning of a princess as a woman who manifests beauty, character, and wit. Mulan does that as well as any of her peers among the Disney Princesses. Teaching a girl how to emulate a princess should be less about saying, “Go find a prince of some country still backwards enough to have a monarchy and seduce him once you’re a teenager” and more about “Be good, and brave, and kind, and you’ll have every trait that matters in a princess.” For this, Mulan belongs.
Yet a Disney princess is not the same thing as a princess that is owned by Disney. Princess Leia of “Star Wars,” Giselle from “Enchanted,” Anastasia, Kida from “Atlantis,” and even Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” are all not considered Disney princesses for various reasons. Loosely, a Disney princess has these characteristics: she’s a female human, is the protagonist, has an animal sidekick, is beautiful in appearance and character, has a musical number, and is a royal family member or a national hero. The first two rules have their own exceptions, and Mulan fits the final broad qualification.
Ultimately, though, it’s a business decision about who will make money for Disney by being included in the lineup. Esmerelda from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” used to be a Disney princess, but got removed for not selling well enough. Tinkerbell moved on to head up the Disney Fairies. Jane from “Tarzan” apparently clashed with Belle, since both wear yellow. Anna and Elsa make too much money on their own.
Still, Mulan ought to be included for more than just checking off qualifications and making Disney money. She provides an important subset of representation. There are girls–I was one of them growing up–who just don’t relate to the perfect-princess-type of a Cinderella or a Snow White. Sure, there are others, like Pocahontas and Jasmine, but Mulan is unique. She’s a warrior. She doesn’t come from privilege, yet obtains, without the help of a prince who has power by the luck of his birth, a country’s worth of honor. So far as Disney may be attempting to give royal-level role models to children, Mulan is a Disney princess in every way that matters.
