By: Nyah Johnson (’26), Staff Writer
The scene is set. Under the sea, the water is glistening from the sun. The coral reefs are alive and well. The fish and other sea animals are swimming and playing around. An instrumental cut of “Part of Your World” plays in the background, gradually getting louder, reaching the main chorus when they introduce… her. At first, we can only see her emerald tail as it radiates everything in its path. She cascades through her home, the sea, greeting her friends. And suddenly, the screen turns jet black. Momentarily, we wait in anticipation, wondering what comes next. Then, there she is. Ariel.
Except, this time, she looks different from the 1989 Disney classic. This time she looks like me.
Melanated and with red locs, Halle Bailey, the actress and singer portraying the Disney princess, has turned heads after The Little Mermaid trailer premiered earlier this month. Across social media, mothers posted their children reacting to the new trailer. In every video, the kids excitedly squealing, “Momma, she looks like me!” or “She’s Black!” From Gen Z-ers to boomers, this upcoming movie means the world. Many of us grew up with The Princess and the Frog or Cinderella (with Brandy and Whitney Houston) as our sole sources of seeing Black princesses on screen. Some of us didn’t even have that.
For decades, Black people have been left out of the cinematic narrative. We would be lucky if we saw ourselves in a better light than portraying maids, the token Black friend, or “the one who dies first.” In 1937, the first Disney princess movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered. It was another 55 years before Disney produced Aladdin (1992), featuring the first princess of color, Jasmine. Fifteen years later, the first Black princess movie, The Princess and the Frog (2009) made its debut, showcasing Tiana. For many Black youths, this absence of positive representation on screen is beyond detrimental. It unconsciously instills into children that our beauty and worth do not deserve the stage– a myth far from the truth. For many of us, the new Little Mermaid trailer restores a missing part of our childhood. We finally get to see ourselves.
Frustratingly, many refuse to acknowledge this importance, blindsided by their prejudice. The backlash is appalling. From “scientific” explanations to expressing concern for the lack of preservation of the original, racist critics have pulled out every reason from the magician’s hat as to why Ariel should not be Black. Furthermore, right-wing Twitter has officially lost it, sharing #notmyariel across their socials and posting “fixed” versions of Bailey in which she is white. The backlash makes me wonder if we have truly made social progress. At the issue’s core is the fact they simply hate Ariel is Black. It baffles them that Black people, particularly Black women, are being introduced to the dinner table. In short, their misogynoir is unveiled. In this white male-dominated field, Black women cannot win in peace. Their accomplishments must be downgraded by prejudice holders. Why? Because to them, a Black woman’s success threatens their own.
But we aren’t going away. We are finally at a point in society where the importance of representation is acknowledged and implemented. For one of the first times, Black and other children of color are able to see themselves regularly on the screen, not just as the token Black friend but as the leader, the princess, and the warrior. For too long, we were made to feel worthless and unbeautiful. Past Black generations carried this harmful narrative. We are finally halting this generational cycle. And we will continue advocating for more Black representation… because it matters. I remember seeing The Princess and the Frog for the first time. I was six, petrified of the Shadow Man. My mom, sitting to my right, had tears streaming down her face as she reminisced on her childhood. She rarely saw herself growing up. Princess Tiana was monumental for both of us. In 2018, Black Panther premiered; I saw it a total of eight times in theaters. For months afterward, I unapologetically went around hollering, “Wakanda forever!” Still, as a college student, I got chills watching the new Little Mermaid trailer. The feeling is magical. And one that every person should be able to experience. The new Ariel did many things. But most importantly, it reiterated to Black viewers that we are beautiful, we are worthy, and that we are meant to be part of this world.
Image Source: https://dailyplanetdc.com/2022/09/10/disney-enchants-with-d23-expo-2022/
