On July 3rd Disney announced Halle Bailey will be playing Ariel in the live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid". Bailey is a singer and also plays Sky Foster on the show "Grownish." When the news broke out that she would be playing Ariel, there was a bit of controversy. Why? Because Halle Bailey is black. Dumb, right?
Trolls took to Twitter with things like "Ariel isn't accurate ginger", and "so, when she gets her legs, she's gonna turn into a white redhead right?". They all claim it isn't racism, but I don't know what else to call it. "It's about the fantasy remaining the same." Ma'am, you are watching a movie about a MERMAID, and you're worried skin color is going to ruin the fantasy? If you're putting enough trust into Hollywood to accurately portray a mermaid in a live action movie, don't you think you can put enough trust into them to purchase a decent wig? Oh, but this isn't actually about the hair, is it?
"Well, it's the hair and the culture. Ariel is a Danish girl." Last I checked culture and race are two completely different things. A black person can be Danish, right? Also, why do we keep forgetting the fact that this movie is about a mermaid? You're worried about accuracy in "culture", but this movie is based on a mythical creature. The only realistic thing about this movie Ariel being a rebellious girl who disobeys her overbearing father.
Here is some advice for those of you that have a problem with Disney's choice. Think back to when you first saw The Little Mermaid or any Disney princess movie for that matter. Was the first thing you noticed about the characters their skin color? The cultural inaccuracies throughout the film? Chances are you were probably a child the first time you watched any of them. I'm willing to bet none of these things mattered to you back then, just like these things aren't going to bother the young children who will be watching them today. So, when The Little Mermaid hits theaters, let's all try to watch it through the eyes of our inner child.
