After Halle Bailey's Ariel Casting, Moms Are Sharing #ColorMeMermaid Pics

Disney is on a roll with its live-action remakes of beloved favorites (The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and so on). But its casting announcement for the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid was met with vile racist reactions when the company shared that Halle Bailey (A Wrinkle in Time, Grown-ish), who is black, was cast in the title role.

But just when we thought the world had completely lost its damn mind and any sense of decency, blogger Courtney Quinn created a hashtag that gave us hope: #ColorMeMermaid. She launched the hashtag on Instagram, inviting parents to share photos of their children dressed as Ariel and any other beloved Disney characters — no matter the color of their skin — to demonstrate (beautifully) why inclusion is so powerful and so important.

Quinn captioned a photo, “Disney recently announced their casting of Ariel for 2020’s ‘the little mermaid’. The studio cast a talented & beautiful young actress with an incredible voice, who happens to be black … and the internet wasn’t too happy. I grew up in a predominantly white town and have been hurt by racial comments before, so reading those comments brought back a familiar pain. I didn’t understand how people would want to ‘bully her into quitting’ or could claim that she’s ‘not their Ariel’ because she didn’t fit some 30-year-old mold of a mythical creature.”

She continued, “…instead of letting those words sting I decided to do something about it & infuse some positivity into your feed!”

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Why cant we all be mermaids !? ??‍♀️??‍♀️??‍♀️ You know I LOVE a crazy disney group shot so I gathered a few of my favorite gals together to make this mermaid look, our way! Swipe for the reference of Ariel & her sisters … ✨ Disney recently announced their casting of Ariel for 2020’s “the little mermaid”. The studio cast a talented & beautiful young actress with an incredible voice, who happens to be black … and the internet wasn’t too happy. I grew up in a predominantly white town and have been hurt by racial comments before, so reading those comments brought back a familiar pain. I didn’t understand how people would want to “bully her into quitting” or could claim that she’s “not their Ariel” because she didn’t fit some 30 year old mold of a mythical creature. Instead of letting those words sting I decided to do something about it & infuse some positivity into your feed! I wrote to over 50 creators and decided to launch the #colormemermaid project in hopes of bringing some positivity to this exciting announcement! Then I gathered these gals & Paris for a early am shoot and spent way to long turning is I to mermaids ! ? … ♥️ Halle Bailey is #myariel and I can’t wait to watch her shine in this amazing role. If you want to keep the positivity party going: Check the tags #myariel & #colormemermaid from today on to see a how we’re showing our support & excitement for Disney’s decision. Or join in on the movement & post your own photos/captions to share the love, just make sure you use the hashtags & tag my disney account @colormemagic so I can share!!! … Ps more magic waiting for you at my Disney acc @colormemagic

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Mission accomplished, Courtney Quinn. Hundreds of parents posted on Instagram photos of their kids dressing up as their favorite characters — whether or not they look like the original (read: white) concept of the character.

@mspaulapresents on Instagram wrote, “little black girls need more representation in the everyday things that all little girls like. When the news of the new Ariel came out I was happy because Halle Bailey is super talented and honestly it is super cool that my daughter is in a generation that the little mermaid looks like her and also a time where talent and charisma for the role counts more than what a fictional character looks like.”

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Princess diaries – a story of inclusion ! The princess (and unicorn) stage has hit my daughter HARD!! As a modern mama this is not something you push because princess stuff seems outdated but it is what she likes and it seems like some 4 year olds still like princess stuff. So this is why inclusion is important and little black girls need more representation in the everyday things that all little girls like. When the news of the new Ariel came out I was happy because Halle Bailey is super talented and honestly it is super cool that my daughter is in a generation that the little mermaid looks like her and also a time where talent and charisma for the role counts more than what a fictional character looks like. At the end of day mermaids ain’t real! Ps this was inspired by post on inclusion and mermaids by @colormecourtney @colormemagic Those mermaids were almost believable to me lol and soo believable to my daughter lol. She know wants to me do that for her ? Thanks for doing #myariel #colormemermaid . . PSS: fun fact I love to photograph my kids in motion. I crank up the shutter speed and we go! I don’t like to photograph grown ups lol . PSSS she wears this dress almost everyday! . Photo by me . #ariel #princessariel #princessdiaries #hallebailey

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@jenniferborget feels the same way about the #colormemermaid movement: “[The red-haired] Ariel was da bomb! … Now imagine how my little girls will feel when the world gets to see an Ariel with dark skin. And all of the little girls around the world who will get to see and enjoy an additional version of the princess we all love… Get that? Additional. We lose nothing and gain so much with this new version of Ariel.”

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I can imagine how all of the red headed little girls felt when The Little Mermaid hit theaters in 1989. A beautiful Disney princess on the big screen who looked like them! All of the dolls and fashion that followed and people all over admiring those gorgeous red locks. Shoot, I even donned a red wig for Halloween the next year. Ariel was da bomb! And so was red hair. Now imagine how my little girls will feel when the world gets to see an Ariel with dark skin. And all of the little girls around the world who will get to see and enjoy an additional version of the princess we all love ??‍♀️. . Get that? Additional. We lose nothing and gain so much with this new version of Ariel. @colormemagic asked us to join in on her #ColorMeMermaid project to help shed some positive light on this news that has sadly gotten a bit of negativity. Halle Bailey is #MyAriel and we are SO excited to see @chloexhalle on the big screen (and maybe even with red hair!)

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The best part? Adults are getting in on the #colormemermaid action too:

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??‍♀️?It don't take a word, not a single word, Go on and kiss the girl! ???‍♀️ •••• @colormemagic / @colormecourtney reached out to me and asked me to join her #colormemermaid movement and I just knew I HAD to do it for all the POC women that looked up to the princesses that looked like them when they were little! Halle Bailey will be THAT inspiration for the next generation!! She is the PERFECT choice for Ariel! Imagine all the little girls that will be so happy that they look like Ariel!!! It just warms my heart and reminds me of how I felt looking at Jasmine and Esmeralda when I was younger and saying “Mom! They look like me!!” ••• Halle Bailey is #myariel and I am SO excited for #thelittlemermaid !!!

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For the record, we’d totally be down for a future gender-swapping live-action remake called The Little Merman. Just a thought.

 

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