It is proof that representation in film does matter.
Lately, the giant Disney has been in trouble with some of its productions. It is still largely successful but at the same time, its stories fail to captivate audiences in the same way they used to. especially with all the live action remakes of his classic stories, as he tries to adapt them to current social trends and many find this incorrect.
It is often heard that the production house is “ruining” the animated classics (and other stories) with “forced inclusion”; taking advantage of the racial struggle or the LGBTQ+ community, for example. The most recent controversy around this matter is that of The Little Mermaid in live action because it will have the participation of an Afro-descendant actress for the leading role.
In this new version, which is expected to hit theaters in May 2023, Halle Bailey will play the curious mermaid Ariel, who leaves her life in the sea to live among humans. In the animated version we could see a 16-year-old girl, with white skin and bright red hair -which, by the way, does not exist naturally and is difficult to achieve with dye-. But this time, we will not see such features.
As first seen in the film’s official trailer, Ariel now has brown skin.
And we can not deny that it looks fabulous and in general, the aesthetics of the tape is very attractive. However, a great discussion arose on social networks about the color of the actress’s skin and how “it is wrong” that it be so; many reject this inclusion.
But while some see the glass as half empty, there are those who see it as half full and believe that this will bring new opportunities to the next generations. That is to say that, just as many of us in childhood saw Ariel and other characters and were able to identify with them; those who are now children are expected to do the same. The representation of different skin tones and features on screen is essential for children to identify themselves and know that despite physical differences, we are all the same.
That is why a mother wanted to show the importance of this with a tender moment in which her daughter sees the little mermaid with brown skin and bursts with emotion. Through her account TikTokNicky shared the video of her daughter Maya’s reaction to seeing the trailer for the first time The little Mermaid.
“She’s a brunette like me,” says Maya.
At first, when the little girl finally sees Ariel’s face and realizes that she has skin just like hers, Maya is simply speechless. For a few seconds, the girl can’t seem to say anything and just screams with excitement. Her mother, who read her thoughts, answers her and finally Maya, almost on the verge of tears, says that Ariel has brown skin, just like her.
The mother posted the video and it soon went viral. It currently has more than 300 thousand reproductions, 73 thousand likes and almost two thousand positive comments. And as Nicky stated in the video description, media representation does matter. Now Maya and so many other girls will see this movie and have someone to identify with on screen.
@nickyknackpaddywack Mayan reaction to #thelittlemermaid trailer. #representationmatters #representationinthemediamatters #blackgirls ♬ original sound – Nicki
Conservatives will say that the origin or ethnicity of the little mermaid is not being respected and that is why they defend tooth and nail that she stay with white skin. However, in many other films from many other production companies, the same thing happens but in reverse. That is to say, that indigenous or Asian characters go through a “whitening” because they are represented by Caucasian actors. Little or nothing is said about this fact, but anyway, the hypotenuse.