Mermaids — what is it about them that holds so much power? They are culturally revered as omnipotent ocean goddesses of ancient times, beloved for their emotional depth yet also feared for their alluring deception, reflecting the beauty and danger of the water that sustains us but can also pull us under its darkness to our deaths, if we disrespect it.
The Cultural Legacy of The Little Mermaid
Disney’s much anticipated 2023 live action rendition of the 1989 “The Little Mermaid” movie made a tidal wave in the mainstream zeitgeist, reigniting humanity’s fascination with mermaids once more.
The movie could not be more relevant in the heart of Pride month, faithfully honouring the animation’s queer roots at this present time when the LGBTQ+ community has suffered relentless attacks on their human rights.
Ariel, a mermaid, the youngest of her sisters, yearns to belong in the taboo human world and feels out of place in her environment. After saving the life of a human prince and falling in love with him, she rebels against her father, King Triton’s wishes, visiting the sea witch, Ursula, to swap her voice for legs and pursues her dreams in the human world above.
It is Ursula, the curvaceous, vaudevillian sea witch, who immediately comes to mind as the iconic, queer masthead for the animated movie.
Voiced by the late and great voice actor Pat Carroll, and now portrayed bewitchingly by Oscar-nominated Melissa McCarthy (who got her early start in drag), Ursula’s design was inspired by drag legend Divine, creative partner to John Waters (Pink Flamingos, and Hairspray).
I'm hearing a lot of crowing that Melissa McCarthy based her Ursula on Divine, but I'm here to tell ya, that inspiration first came from Howard Ashman. He asked me to try some designs and this is the first drawing ever done…#TheLittleMermaid #Disney #animation pic.twitter.com/TbnwugeozC
— Kevin Lima (@GoofyMovieDir) May 30, 2023
She was also characteristically infused with the campness and wit of old Hollywood queer icons (think Mae West and Norma Desmond) oozing unapologetic sexuality – the movie’s subtext of which indicates she has been banished from society for.
In light of the recent onslaught of legislative drag bans occurring in the United States and Florida Governor and Presidential hopeful Ron Desantis’ legal battles with Disney in Florida over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Ursula’s return to the big screen could not be more timely.
It's time to pay Ursula a visit… and pay up with your soul. See the sea witch herself in Disney's #TheLittleMermaidSG. In cinemas now. Book your tickets today: https://t.co/wDpv730SH7 pic.twitter.com/Mc3ZaDAcCz
— Disney Studios Singapore (@DisneyStudiosSG) June 9, 2023
However, Ariel — often mistakenly thought to be the embodiment of anti-feminist heterosexuality in giving her voice up for a man — is arguably the very heart and soul of the movies’ queerness.
“But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more”
The original Danish author of the The Little Mermaid himself, Hans Christian Anderson, thought by biographers to be bisexual and celibate, wrote a love letter to a man called Edvard Collin in 1837 in which he conveys deep passions, edged with anguish, suggesting queer underpinnings to his authorship of the tragic fairytale:
“I languish for you as for a pretty Calabrian wench … my sentiments for you are those of a woman. The femininity of my nature and our friendship must remain a mystery.”
For the entire LGBTQ+ spectrum, the mermaid has given a form of powerful representation in the feeling of being “othered.” Ariel wishes to be a “part of that world,” feeling like she was born in the wrong body, long before she met the Prince; her desires are reviled as unnatural by her father, who rejects her.
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Howard Ashman, the Oscar and Grammy-winning producer and song-writer for the original animation, and an openly queer man, along with his musical creative partner, EGOT winner, Alan Menken, is credited by his peers for saving Disney from bankruptcy and sparking the “Disney Renaissance” that led to the company’s current juggernaut status.
However, Ashman did not live to see his second movie, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” premiere. He learned he was sick with AIDs during the production of “The Little Mermaid,” and passed away in 1991.
The success of the original animation is anchored in Ashman’s creative direction, but also strongly informed by its historical (and in Ashman’s case, personal) context in the thick of the AIDs crisis as well as then President Ronald Reagan’s homophobic stance.
All of this speaks to Ariel’s narrative of being shunned as an outsider but then, finding belonging, acceptance, love and a happy ending — something that so many queer people were denied.
The way Howard directs the original voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson, in the recording booth for “Part of That World,” results in a performance charged with almost a whispered, but impassioned longing that would become known as a “queer anthem”:
Director of the live action “The Little Mermaid,” award-winning filmmaker Rob Marshall, carries the torch for the fairytale’s queer narrative into the present. He co-produced the movie with his male partner, John Deluca, noting the deep connection he felt to Ashman in creating it:
“He was the driving force behind this piece. And as an outsider himself, we all understand. I don’t know anybody who hasn’t felt like an outsider. His legacy was very important to us.”
The Power of Representation
Halle Bailey, of R&B musical duo Chloe x Halle, cast in 2019 as Ariel in a live action movie where the animated original was caucasian, was caught in the eye of a racist storm against her casting, due to her African-American heritage. Culprits included such figures as Daily Wire alt-right political commentator Matt Walsh and the #NotMyAriel campaign.
Further, despite becoming only the fourth Hollywood movie of the year to pass the domestic $200 million mark, and making history as the fifth highest grossing Memorial Day opening in history, “The Little Mermaid” is struggling in some international markets due to this racist backlash that has also lead to review-bombing on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.
Grossing only $3.6 million in its first 10 days of release in China, the government-affiliated tabloid, “The Global Times,” criticised the casting as motivated by “political correctness,” writing:
“The controversy surrounding Disney’s forced inclusion of minorities in classic films is not about racism, but its lazy and irresponsible storytelling strategy.”
However, Bailey leaves these racist assumptions in the dust, with her talent shining blindingly bright in the role, in which she so clearly embodies her character:
Reviews and Rotten Tomatoes’ verified Audience Score of 94% unanimously reflect this, as does Marshall’s own reasoning for casting Bailey:
“She was the first actor we saw for the film … And then we saw everybody else. She set the bar so high, and nobody surpassed that bar. We did a screen test with her, and it was just, well, this is it … She’s Ariel.”
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It is not just Bailey’s talent that captivates though, but the very fact of her casting that breaks new ground in significant, beautiful ways that cut through the racist backlash like a swordfish:
Bailey herself rejoices in these Black and Brown children’s reactions to the 2022 trailer, saying:
“I feel like, if I would have had a black mermaid, that would have been insane, that would have changed my whole perspective, my whole life, my confidence, my self-worth. You’re able to see a person who looks like you, when you’re young? Some people are just like, oh, it’s whatever, because they’ve had [representation] their whole life. It’s nothing to them. But it’s so important.”
🥹🥹💕💕who i do this for🥹💕💕 pic.twitter.com/pwKB8kft6z
— Halle (@HalleBailey) May 16, 2023
Coinciding with the lead-up to The Little Mermaid’s premiere, was the release of the Netflix documentary series, “MerPeople,” that explores the artistry of people who perform as merfolk for a living.
The Blixunami stars as a professional “merm” in the documentary, glittering with charismatic energy on the screen, telling their life story of growing up gay in a devout Christian Southern US family, experiencing disapproval and rejection from their family, but finding acceptance and chosen family in the mer-community.
Started watching that MerPeople show on Netflix (watched 2 episodes) — and it is really fascinating!
I like Blixunami. They seem a really fun MerPerson. pic.twitter.com/CPNwFlxzmn
— jina @ Config (@jina) June 12, 2023
They are also the creator of the first and most prolific Instagram fan page of the Live Action “The Little Mermaid” movie. Speaking to Impakter, The Blixunami says:
“For me this movie meant everything … The fact that Halle was called made running the page even more important. Being a black gay man who was in LOVE with Ariel since I was little never thought she was gonna be played by a black girl. This film now has Representation for everybody in every community and I’m so happy to be alive to witness it!”
Similarly, professional merman Isura, “The Jewel of the Sea,” also known as @thenaturalmerman on social media, expert in oceanic cultural history and creator of the E-course, “The History of Ethnic Mermaids,” praises the movie and its diverse casting.
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Each of Ariel’s sisters and their designs represent a different ocean and ethnicity, “paying direct homage to the waters and stories they are inspired from,” invalidating racist critics who singularly hold mermaids in their mind as caucasian. Isura tells Impakter:
“Tamika and Ariel, [represent] Yemoja and Olokun of African/Latin/Caribbean mermaid mythology. According to the recently released ‘TLM: Guide To Merfolk,’ Ariel rules over her part of the sea where the sunlight touches. This trait is a direct homage to Yemoja/Yemaya of Yoruba/Santeria tradition.
Tamika’s deep blue and strength embody Olokun, deep sea Orisha of Yoruba/Santeria tradition. Olokun and Yemoja are two halves of one whole. In African mermaid folklore, the deities are even used interchangeably. Olokun is often depicted as a masculine energy while Yemoja is seen as divine feminine and motherly, as her name means ‘mother of fishes.’”
However, Ariel is far from the only mermaid who creates a haven of inclusivity and representation.
A “Mertopian” World?
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SeaYoncè, known as @carrie_wata on social media, is a professional siren (also featured on Netflix’s “MerPeople”) who founded Afro Mermaid, a groundbreaking “aquatic themed corporation rooted in Black and African culture, [o]ffering products, services, and events” as well as engaging in ocean advocacy in order to “build and positively transform a community of diverse water lovers.”
SeaYoncè noticed the lack of representation in the way mermaids are depicted in retail, which for her, brought to light “the lack of ancestral diversity.” Speaking to Impakter, she says:
“Someone needed to make a change and I decided that it was going to be me.”
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Mermaid Chè Monique, (also featured on Netflix’s “MerPeople”), is another professional mermaid who has built a community, the Society of Fat Mermaids, to “[r]emind the world that FAT PEOPLE and FAT MERMAIDS are sexy, powerful, intelligent, capable, beautiful, free spirited, fun loving and worthy.” She tells Impakter:
“I started Society of Fat Mermaids to give adults the representation I wish I’d had as a child. It’s been a mermazing journey. Since we’ve gotten our start the biggest impact is accessibility. Most tail makers and other makers in the community have a wider size range than they did when we started. The community is incredibly powerful too. So many people have this mer dream and it’s amazing now that they can see hundreds of people with a similar body type living their best mer lives.”
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The Ocean Is Our Home Too
One of the most powerful pulls of the mermaid is that she outwardly represents what we know to be true — that water is as important to us as the air we breathe. And yet, we carry on polluting it. But mermaids are working to combat this.
Professional Floridian mermaid performer Michelle Colson, known as Guardian Of The Springs (also featured on Netflix’s “MerPeople”), is an environmentalist and water activist who uses her platform as a mermaid “to raise awareness about the issues our natural water resources are facing,” finding that mermaiding “allows me to connect deeper with the water and gives me the chance to inspire humans to connect deeper to it as well.”
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Speaking to Impakter, she tells us:
“I am involved with many conservations driven nonprofits and organizations throughout the state of FL. Always working to help push out their message and bring awareness to their efforts. One of my most recent appearances was for an organization fighting to restore the great Florida riverway.
We went to the Florida Capitol to present to the legislators and lawmakers why Reuniting three Rivers and restoring 50 springs is crucial for Florida. This is a cause near and dear to my heart so when the opportunity arose to help this organization spread their message, I jumped on the opportunity.”
On social media, you’ll find Michelle documenting a daily environmental clean up that started April 27, 2023 and will end April 27, 2024.
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“Bright young women, sick of swimmin’: Ready to stand”
Of all the qualities the mermaid represents, perhaps the most powerful is vulnerability. Their hybridity betrays a painful truth of being pulled in two directions and working to reconcile them.
They remind us of our watery origins in the womb of our parent and of the womb of the Earth. However, they are also a reminder of how far we have wandered from our life-source, and how in continuing to destroy it, we destroy ourselves.
What the world needs now is a mermaid to save us from drowning. That mermaid lies waiting in each of us.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen. Featured Photo Credit: reza hoque.
