The Little Mermaid Slammed As Harmful To Young Women By Singer

Singer Paloma Faith criticizes The Little Mermaid’s message, calling it harmful to young women. The Little Mermaid opened last weekend, delivering a strong performance at the domestic box office. Despite its initial financial success, The Little Mermaid has received mixed reviews, garnering 68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Little Mermaid has found a new critic in singer Faith, according to her Instagram (via Metro).

While the singer praised Halle Bailey’s Ariel performance, she also noted that “as a mother of girls, I don’t want my kids to think it’s ok to give up your entire voice and your powers to love man.” She added that The Little Mermaid story is not what she wants to see for the next generation of women.

How Much Does the Live-Action Little Mermaid Update the Original?

Biting criticism of the live-action The Little Mermaid has been present ever since Bailey’s casting was announced. Racist reactions insisted that Bailey, who is Black, does not “look” like Ariel or what Ariel was written to be. Luckily, Bailey’s performance has received fairly consistent praise throughout the early run of The Little Mermaid.

Ariel’s casting also is not the only update that The Little Mermaid has made from its 1989 animated counterpart. Sebastian and Scuttle, played by Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina, respectively, take on starkly different looks from the original. While their fundamental character dynamic stays the same, the big-eyed crab and seagull are transformed into more realistic-looking creatures.

Like its other Disney live-action predecessors, however, The Little Mermaid plays it safe with its storyline. Even if small scenes may differ from the animated film, The Little Mermaid’s fundamental plot is the same: Ariel falls in love with the land-dwelling Prince Eric, and makes a deal with sea-Queen Ursula that takes away her voice in exchange for legs, so she can be with Eric. As Faith notes, this archaic plotline is no less problematic than it originally was. As The Little Mermaid continues its run, it will be interesting to see how this discourse continues.

Source: Paloma Faith / Instagram (Via Metro)