The Story of Representation
A hot topic right now is the importance of representation on the television screen. The upcoming live-action film of the Little Mermaid is set to release in 2023 starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, and the trailer that came out at the D23 expo shows a glimpse of Halle perfectly displaying the character in the most anticipated song of the movie, “Part of Your World.”
In 2019, we saw a lot of backlashes on social media with the trending hashtag #NotMyAriel when Disney announced Halle Bailey. Soon after, we saw Disney’s Freeform come out to a response to the hashtag stating, “Yes. The original author of The Little Mermaid was Danish. Ariel … is a mermaid. She lives in an underwater kingdom in international waters and can legit swim wherever she wants,” the post began. “But for the sake of argument, let’s say that Ariel, too, is Danish. Danish mermaids can be Black because Danish *people* can be Black. Ariel can sneak up to the surface at any time with her pals Scuttle and the *ahem* Jamaican crab Sebastian (sorry, Flounder!) and keep that bronze base tight,” the text post continued. “Black Danish people, and this Mer-folk, can also genetically have red hair.”
In September 2022, the official trailer of The Little Mermaid was released and there was a spark of happiness in many people. It was the indescribable happiness of young Black children that are feeling seen and heard. The responses from social media were nothing short of inspiring. We saw mothers posting their children’s reactions on TikTok to watching the trailer and seeing the last final clip, with responses such as, “I think she’s brown,” “She’s a Black girl,” and “She’s like me.” The excitement on their faces is too cute to miss. Those are the expressions of representation and there needs to be more of that feeling. Is this not what we want more than anything, to have diversity and have young children feel the love of representation?
The movie and this story are not about whether people agree with Disney’s decision — it is about the understanding of having more diversity in the Disney industry, bringing about representation for everyone. Having all young children be able to look at the screen and see a prince or princess they relate to and who looks like them is the start of an era for Disney. Since the release of the first ever Princess, Snow White in 1973, Disney has continued to release animated and live action movies that star a more diverse cast. In September 2021, Disney created the Reimagine Tomorrow Initiative, for “amplifying underrepresented voices and untold stories as well as championing the importance of accurate representation in media and entertainment.”
This is just the beginning for Disney and diversity. The importance that so many young children are feeling right now, should be the ignition that Disney keeps for moving forward. That keeps Disney showing that we all can go down the same path, together and forever.
Caitlin Kersey is a freelance writer with a passion for making a difference, showing different viewpoints, social issues, making people happy, and other arts such as photography.