The recent teaser trailer for Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey, has received a disturbing 1.5 million dislikes on YouTube as a result of our nation’s hatred toward Black women.

As a kid, I loved Disney princesses, but I couldn’t help but notice that I looked nothing like them. To be a young girl unable to dress up as a pretty princess without feeling like an imposter was damaging. Their skinny noses and silky hair reminded me that I could never be like them. I was conditioned to believe that royalty was associated with Whiteness. To have a Black Disney princess paints the image that Black people are a beauty standard. 

White people can put their logic to the side to sit through a movie with dragons, giants, trolls, and zombies, but the presence of a Black mermaid is just “too unreasonable”. One thing that each eristic has in common is racism and bigotry; White people just hate to see Black women on the screen playing roles other than The Mammy or Jezebelle.

Historically, Hollywood has been known to completely lack diversity in their casting. Roles based on real-life Black men and women have been given to White actors. For example, the 2007 film “A Mighty Heart” utilized blackface to make Angelina Jolie look like African American journalist Mariane Pearl. Blackface is dehumanizing and offensive, stealing the spotlight from real Black voices. Racist caricatures in Disney animations have mocked and humiliated the Black community, perpetuating racist stereotypes and prejudices. Halle Bailey playing The Little Mermaid cannot be compared to blackface, because Ariel is a mythological character whose race is irrelevant to the plot.

White supremacy is the foundation of our nation and Whiteness has forever been the norm. White people are consistently catered to in media, while Black people are underrepresented and misrepresented; lack of fair representation controls the perceptions and behaviors of young Black girls growing up. Representation is power and what Black children grow up watching matters to create positive futures. To see that only White women are fit to be princesses impacts the self-esteem of young Black girls and creates an inferiority complex. It took Disney 90 years to come out with the first Black princess, Princess Tiana, who was depicted as a frog for the majority of the film. Growing up, Black girls were forced to look up to an animal.

Media outlets need to realize their role in the future of developing Black children. Our negligence as a society to become more inclusive is harmful and upholds our horrific past as a country. A Black mermaid is key to straying away from our Eurocentric ideals and racist standards. It is essential to teach young Black girls that they are princesses, capable of compassion and ambition. 1.5 million people need to reevaluate their prejudices and accept that the diversity train is up and running at full speed.