That's My Ariel

Halle Bailey, ½ of the R&B singing sister duo signed by Beyonce, has broke the internet due to her recent casting as Ariel in The Little Mermaid Live Action remake by Disney. Now, this is what I'm talking about, more Black Girl Magic and Black Excellence!

With critics and social media users stirring controversy by inquiring why should a black actress be chosen to play the role as Ariel, it was taken to social media that Ariel should be a white girl with red hair while using the hashtag #NotMyAriel. When Ariel first came into Disney's animated film, The Little Mermaid nearly 30 years ago, fans always remembered Ariel with her distinctive look. Her blue eyes dominated with her red hair, and lets not forget her purple bra top made out of seashells and her long green fish tail. But, in the new live-action remake from the 1989 animation movie, the undersea princess will depart from her original appearance. Disney has announced that Halle Bailey, a Black actress and singer, will be playing the role as Ariel in the upcoming film. The production will start to begin in early 2020. This casting marks the first time Disney has ever selected a black girl to play a traditionally white princess in one of its live-action movies. And, Halle Bailey will become the first black princess in a live action in 22 years. Now, joining Brandy Norwood, R&B singer and actress, who also starred to play in a live-action 22 years ago as Cinderella.

This big news was flooded with praises from many fans and celebrities such as Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Zendaya Coleman and Ryan Destiny. However, it started a huge protest from many who were not happy with the change of the character's image. In an Instagram post, the Freeform network wrote, " the original author of the fairy tale, was Danish… Ariel is just a mermaid and a fictional character. And even if Ariel is Danish, Danish mermaids can be black because Danish people can be black," adding, " Black Danish people and thus mer-folk, can also genetically have red hair." Once this fiery post was posted and many other celebrities have chimed in backing up Disney's choice in choosing Halle Bailey as Ariel, a lot of people still cannot get past the idea that choosing an amazing, highly-talented, and gorgeous actress to play to character is far more than just looks, it's talent. Now, let's get this straight, Ariel was remembered as a mermaid with red hair, not the color of her skin.

This is now an opportunity for little black girls to have something to look up to. The last time I checked, what black fictional princess were we able to look up to besides Tiana? None. Everybody else got Cinderella, Bella, Snow White, and even started to become more diverse adding Jasmine and Mulan. Let this be a moment for our young black girls to have something to be proud of, to imagine, and to be empowered like every other little girl. We need more of that representation. So, let's make this clear once and for all. Disney has made their decision and they're sticking to it. They've already posted the production date and found a beautiful actress who best fits and qualifies for the role as Ariel which so happens to be a black girl *flips hair*. There isn't an amount of protests and hateful comments that will ever stop this from happening. But on the other side, I'm all here for this !! And we cannot wait to see Halle Bailey murder this role because she already has the voice and the skills. Now this is something that I would pay every last ticket to go see.