This Wednesday, Disney announced their casting choice for Ariel in the upcoming live-action Little Mermaid movie - and it was a surprisingly controversial decision. The nineteen-year-old actress and singer seemed highly qualified to play the childhood favorite - apart from one thing. Many are holding a prejudiced view about Ariel's appearance - more specifically, about her race. Bailey is an African American actress, which many don't see as the "correct" choice to play this fictional character.
Well, now some have taken to social media to try to prove their point about Ariel's Caucasian origins. And the best part? They're failing to make any valid points on the topic - and some mermaid experts are even fighting back.
The Little Mermaid is a beloved Disney cartoon.
And, on Wednesday, it was announced that the casting decision for Ariel in the much anticipated upcoming live-action remake had been made.Cast in the role?
via: Getty Images
Nineteen-year-old actress and singer, Halle Bailey. In many ways, she was the ideal candidate for the role - but some had a major issue.Because Bailey didn't look quite like Ariel "should."
dream come true... 🧜🏽♀️🌊 https://t.co/sndjYUS6wO— chloe x halle (@chloe x halle)1562184152.0
Most of the internet had a pretty positive reaction to the casting.
GRAMMY NOMINATED QUEENS AND HERE’S WHY https://t.co/1JZcvGCmAC— bey’s bucket hat ˣ (@bey’s bucket hat ˣ)1547135963.0
But there were, of course, some with particular issues.
May I just say that I have a HUGE PROBLEM WITH THIS!! Disney FINALLY comes out with a movie that has redhead as the… https://t.co/y8WnVztxKc— Rhiannon Cupps (@Rhiannon Cupps)1562553573.0
But some have taken things a step further.
@Skylerhxc @comicfan1516 Mermaids live in ocean. Underwater = limited sunlight. Limited sunlight = less melanin. Le… https://t.co/nfNAAaMQSR— gamer zach (@gamer zach)1562018559.0
Although this tweet quickly faced backlash.
@slicksliding @Skylerhxc @comicfan1516 lol I bet you felt super smart when you typed all this out too but anyway https://t.co/bYSKfGTLbX— Brooke Binkowski (@Brooke Binkowski)1562211418.0
But they didn't just rely on science.
Someone really tried to use the whole "There are no brown mermaids in the Little Mermaid" Aight, lemme give you a… https://t.co/9PTw8CEiu6— Nipah 🐣 (@Nipah 🐣)1562249575.0
Others pointed out this fact.
Fact box: the Little Mermaid lives on a TROPICAL CORAL REEF with a calypso-singing lobster with a strong Jamaican a… https://t.co/LCkAkHhczV— Caitlin Moran (@Caitlin Moran)1562224488.0
One Twitter thread was dedicated to taking down this racist view.
In Japan Ningyo are mermaids with beautiful voices who can be both beautiful or ugly depending on the story. Also t… https://t.co/StisWhC6GM— Sacha Coward (@Sacha Coward)1533891310.0
But that's not all.
Today I want to talk to you about mermaids that are NOT white. I want to share some awesome stories of merfolk from… https://t.co/gBddWBKkhk— Sacha Coward (@Sacha Coward)1533888116.0
Here are some of the highlights.
Let’s start with Africa. Mami Wata are water elementals, mainly (but not exclusively) female. They are powerful, pr… https://t.co/3tcBP1vAt6— Sacha Coward (@Sacha Coward)1533888980.0
And the evidence is clearly there.
West Africa also has a pantheon of deities known as Orisha. The deity Yamaya is known as the mother of the ocean. S… https://t.co/IkiGrE70x3— Sacha Coward (@Sacha Coward)1533889271.0
And they come from all around the world, too.
Oshun is also part of the Yoruba pantheon of Orisha deities. She is a god of rivers and freshwater. Sometimes she i… https://t.co/hiRu5me60G— Sacha Coward (@Sacha Coward)1533889542.0
Surely, this will be the end to the criticism.
These are a few from my limited time mermaid hunting. Western images supplanting, changing and masking preexisting… https://t.co/FqlpzJQr3s— Sacha Coward (@Sacha Coward)1533892379.0