By Caroline Renas
On July 4th, as Americans celebrate their country, their freedom, and the idea that all people are created equal, a controversy struck the internet regarding the race of a singing mermaid. Yes, the internet has hit hard once again - this time at the casting choice for Disney’s upcoming The Little Mermaid live action remake, said to hit theaters in 2021.
Rob Marshall, set to direct the tale of a mermaid who meets a man, trades her voice for legs, and fights a sea witch, released his casting choice for the Disney character Ariel on July 4th, and the internet responded with varying points of view. Halle Bailey, known for her role on the comedy series Grown-ish and half of the singing duo ChloexHalle, has been chosen to play the beloved princess. Bailey, a black actress, has been facing harsh criticism from many Disney fans for not looking the part of the original Ariel--a pale skinned, red haired, blue eyed girl.
When information of the cast was released, Twitter took to deciding if it was okay for a black woman to play the role of Ariel, who was commonly viewed as a white woman. Those against the casting choice started using #NotMyAriel, tweeting sayings such as, “Us white girls, who grew up with The Little Mermaid, deserve a true-to-color Ariel.” People brought up the original book written by Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish writer from 1837, saying that he described her as a pale girl with bright blue eyes. Other arguments made included those related to the casting choices for the 2019 remake of Aladdin, stating that if Princess Jasmine, Aladdin, and the other characters of the movie couldn’t be played by a white person, why it was suddenly okay for Ariel, a white woman to be played by a black woman? The opposing side of the controversy argued that Danish people weren’t all white, it was just a made-up story and that a person’s acting and voice should decipher who gets the role, not the color of their skin. A key argument made for this side was that unlike Disney princesses like Mulan and Pocahantas, whose ethnicity and historical roots play an important role in the story, Ariel is not tied down to her story by her ethnicity.
In relation to this specific argument, director Rob Marshall stated, “Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role.”
Whether Halle Bailey is or is not your Ariel, at the end of the day, a casting choice is a casting choice, and a fish-girl is just another fish-girl.