Mulan’s Fashion (Cultural/ Historical Clothing)
Mulan’s fashion is a critical approach to analyzing ancient Chinese history. The Chinese cultural and historical heritage had specific outfits for different events and celebrations. For example, Mulan’s purple wrap dress was specifically worn during matchmaking appointments. Mulan also wore a red robe which fluttered in the wind as she rode her horse. The red robe symbolized the beauty and power attributed to the Chinese women. On the other hand, the battle armor was mainly worn by warriors such as the Hun invaders. When Mulan joined the military, she also wore military armor because it was professional attire for individuals who went to battle (Chen, 2018). The clothing designs portray rich Chinese history such as the sartorial choices of the Tang dynasty. During this era, Chinese women wore clothes with elongated sleeves with an emphasis on a high waist. Women’s clothing were generally long floating garments that touched the ground. The traditional gender roles expected women to present themselves in a respectful manner within society. Analyzing Mulan’s cultural and historical clothing is critical in appreciating Chinese history and cultural heritage.
Women in ancient China also wore colorful clothes beyond the battlefield and training camps. Before Mulan joined the military, she wore bright clothes with bold colors which symbolized a sense of joy and happiness that civilians enjoyed. Mulan’s clothes were made from bright colors and flowery materials. Similarly, female government officials during Mulan’s era also wore uniforms with a fusion of purple, cyan, green, and red colors. However, after joining the military, Mulan adopted a signature red robe that she wore during training. Her robe was adapted to her tasks during her service in the military (Dang, 2024). Unlike the colorful and floating garments that civilian women wore, Mulan’s attire included a light trouser and a red robe. Her attire was adapted to military training and allowed her to be comfortable during training. However, during battle, Mulan wore the official military armor that had unique designs depending on the type of mission. Mulan had a unique armor that she wore when she was engaged in battles in the sea, a unique armor when she was riding on her horseback, and an armor she wore when she was fighting in dry land. The different types of fashion were adapted for the different landscapes where the Chinese engaged in battle. The Chinese women mostly wore red robes because the red dye was easily accessible during the ancient Chinese period.
Mulan’s fashion is critical in analyzing Chinese history because different clothes were used during unique occasions. Red clothes were predominant in Chinese history and have remained a critical and official color in China. During Mulan’s period, soldiers wore red to symbolize their close association and respect for the throne. The tribe that controlled the dynasty wore red clothes to distinguish themselves from other tribes. Mulan’s matchmaking outfit is also an outfit that symbolizes the beauty of Chinese women. The matchmaking outfit was made using various types of wrap dresses. The wrap dresses were critical in portraying the women’s beautiful body shapes which symbolize their femininity (Lan, 2003). The matchmaking dress comprised about 12 meters of fabric to wrap. The ancient Chinese women also decorated their matchmaking dresses using colourful hand embroidery of butterflies and magnolias which require patience and skills to make. During matchmaking, the Chinese women also decorated themselves with earrings as portrayed by the culture of the Qing and Tang dynasties. The matchmaking outfit during ancient China history portrayed women as important and delicate individuals in society and should be accorded the respect they deserve. Mulan’s fashion achieved the roles of functionality and presentation because they spoke on behalf of Chinese women while helping them achieve the traditional gender roles and society’s expectations.
Lastly, Mulan’s fashion also portrayed her in the official military armor. Mulan wore her father’s military armor when she presented herself for recruitment on behalf of her father. The military armor portrayed the Chinese conflict history against the northern invaders and nomadic tribes. Mulan’s imperial troops wore red armor while the nomadic tribes wore black leather. Mulan wears his father’s military armor to portray the birth of gender equality in ancient Chinese culture (Wang, 2021). The traditional gender roles expected the male to participate in battles to protect the welfare of the ruling dynasty. Women were expected to take care of the home and the children. However, Mulan went against all odds and joined the military. Therefore, Mulan’s fashion has a critical representation of Chinese history and cultural heritage. Analyzing Mulan’s fashion is critical in the modern world to distinguish the purposes and inspirations behind different types of fashion. The analysis helps us appreciate the association between fashion and the economic and political developments within a specific region. Mulan’s fashion allowed her to achieve recognition in society and success in her military career because she adopted a functional fashion approach.
References
- Chen, X. (2018). Representing cultures through language and image: a multimodal approach to translations of the Chinese classic Mulan. Perspectives, 26(2), 214-231.
- Ding, F. (2024). Stories from the perspective of Eastern cultural complex: taking Mulan as an example. Trans/Form/Ação, 47(2), e02400181.
- Dong, L. (2010). Mulan: Disney’s Hybrid Heroine. Beyond adaptation: Essays on radical transformations of original works, 156-67.
- Lan, F. (2003). The female individual and the empire: A historicist approach to Mulan and Kingston’s Woman Warrior. Comparative Literature, 55(3), 229-245.
- Wang, Z. (2021, December). From Mulan (1998) to Mulan (2020): Disney conventions, cross-cultural feminist intervention, and compromised progress. In Arts (Vol. 11, No. 1, p. 5). MDPI.
Appendix
Mulan’s Red Robe
Mulan’s Red Robe
Mulan’s Matchmaking Outfit
