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I watched the live action Mulan last night, in which our eponymous hero gifted with inordinate amounts of Chi (spell it how you like) disguises herself as a man and becomes a famous warrior, saving the Emperorâs life and saving the kingdom etc.
I was struck by the parallels to so many womenâs lives including my own.
Working in a âmanâs industryâ you avoid âfeminineâ clothes and dress âunisexâ if not in menâs clothes like I did so as not to âdistractâ the men or give them âthe wrong impressionâ.
Working in a âmanâs industryâ you avoid âfeminineâ clothes and dress âunisexâ if not in menâs clothes like I did so as not to âdistractâ the men or give them âthe wrong impressionâ.
I will add youâd have had to be blind to be fooled by Mulan in the film but hey, work of fiction.
Still - IRL - you have to blend into that Man Club and put up with the âbantzâ and the dirty jokes, the hard core porn being left on when youâre in the room as
Still - IRL - you have to blend into that Man Club and put up with the âbantzâ and the dirty jokes, the hard core porn being left on when youâre in the room as
a test to see if youâre âone of the ladsâ or a âcrybabyâ. You donât get any privacy or private washing facilities for women because there arenât any women normally. No sanitary bins, and itâs sneaking in the shower when the men have finished. Just like Mulan.
You have to have massive Chi and be 100 times as tough, good at your job as the men and above comment, 1 slip and theyâll be there saying women shouldnât be in the industry, they cause trouble, upset the men, are weak and a drag, etc etc - Mulan knew it.
Donât expect to be paid the same as the men or paid at all. Youâre there on sufferance even if they need your skills. Youâll make a few allies as Mulan did but unlike Mulan, you wonât be given a nice sword and the Kingdomâs undying gratitude.
If you go on to become a Captain in your industry as Mulan did in the Emperorâs army, youâll find relationships difficult as your status will upset the normal male-female power balance and men get funny about that - god help you if you earn more than them.
Your every move will be scrutinised and youâll be reviled as a ball breaker, a monster, a Queen Bitch. Other women will resent you and your family may well not understand why you canât just âsettle down and give them a grandchildâ.
Years later - and perhaps this happened to Mulan - you will be told youâre an inspiration, a role model. Youâll carry your battle scars, some of which never fully heal, like Mulan the Warrior will have done and look at your work and wonder if it was worth it.
It was. Because it was your work, and what you were destined to do. Just like Mulan.
I would rather like the sword, though
I would rather like the sword, though
