It was recently announced that Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disneyβs upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid.
Tons of celebs offered their congratulations on social media and many fans expressed their delight at having a woman of color take on such an iconic role.
However, shortly after the news broke, #notmyariel began trending on Twitter as many criticized the casting of a black actor.
And just like that @ Disney ruined the live action little mermaid. Fuck Disney #notmyariel
It's not a movie about mermaids ... it's about the 1989 Disney movie based on the story "The Little Mermaid" Written by Hans Christian Andersen where he describes white skin as blue eyes. Ariel is from DENMARK ... Nordic ... #NotMyAriel #Itisnotinclusive
I mean honestly Iβm not racist I want damn accurate actors that look like her. Itβs a live action version, meaning it should look like the film and she doesnβt.I honestly think this is hilarious that yβall canβt handle opinions. Pathetic tbh, like grow up. #NotMyAriel
@JadaDean15 No, wanting an accurate representation of Ariel's character in the big screen doesn't make anyone Racist or less accessible to those changes, leave the classics ALONE, if everyone wants princesses from different ethnicities and colors etc, make new tales. #NotMyAriel
Though neither Disney nor Halle have commented on the backlash, Freeform β a Disney network β wrote "an open letter to the Poor, Unfortunate Souls" who criticized the casting.
It said, "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 (even though that often upsets King Triton, absolute zaddy)."
"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."
Warm-up painting because I am SO INCREDIBLY HERE FOR IT #TheLittleMermaid @chloexhalle
"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. Black Danish people, and this mer-folk, can also *genetically* (!!!) have red hair."
quick ariel art π§πΎββοΈπ§πΎββοΈπ§πΎββοΈπ
"But spoiler alert β bring it back to the top β the character of Ariel is a work of fiction. So after all this is said and done, and you still cannot get past the idea that choosing the incredible, sensational, highly-talented, gorgeous Halle Bailey is anything other than the INSPIRED casting that it is because she 'doesn't look like the cartoon one,' oh boy, do I have some news for you...about you."
Not supporting diversity? In 2019?! Not today!
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