On the 9th of September, Walt Disney Studios released the Official Teaser Trailer of Little Mermaid, the new live action that will hit theaters in May 2023. However, as much as Disney productions are a positive success around the world, the teaser on Youtube did not please many users, who, so far, have already reached more than two million dislikes, in addition to posting thousands of malicious and racist comments.
Racism is a global problem that can be identified under different social and economic aspects. According to the UN, in Brazil, Black people are those who suffer the most from inequality, job offers and violence, and, in Europe, almost a third of Afro-descendants have already experienced racism, as reported by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.
The initial reason for the confusion was Disney's choice to star in the new Ariel with Halle Bailey, an American black actress.
Netizens who disagree with the decision claim that each character must be faithful to the original story, replacing her for a white actress. Hashtags like #notmyariel were created on social media, along with critics saying "it's like putting on a German Aladdin. Kids will scream and cry when they see her face on screen”, or "it's not a question of racism, it's a question of this actress not being physically attached to the character".
While there are attacks against choice, there is another other side of the internet that opposes the first. In this way, several users and artists were eager to watch the film, congratulating Halle Bailey on the achievement and denouncing others of racism against the actress, spreading indignation and showing that the choice is an act of representativeness in a mostly white industry, and, therefore, it is extremely important to occur. Jodi Benson, the voice of the 1989's Little Mermaid, praised the actress on her social media.
The new Ariel also did not fail to comment about the events regarding her film, showing the impact of representativeness in the lives of little black girls through a video made by Tracklist. The actress posted this compilation of reactions from kids watching Halle Bailey as Ariel for the first time. The reactions were diverse, ranging from shock to joy, but they were all directed at one common point: "the princess is black, just like me". On Halle Bailey's Twitter, she said that it meant the world to her.
Image Source: Walt Disney Productions
Comments