*YouTuber Kalen Allen is the latest influencer to respond to the racism surrounding Halle Bailey’s casting of the fictional white mermaid Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”
Allen is now standing up for “little black girls” and calling on the haters to “find their inner Elsa”.
“Listen here, all of you that are so attached to the original Ariel actually don’t care at all about what she stands for,” he wrote on Facebook, adding, ”‘Part of Your World ‘is literally a song about wanting to belong to a world that isn’t meant for you.”
He then posted the lyrics of Ariel’s song, “Part Of Your World,” writing: “For the past 34 years, little black girls have sang these lyrics… I don’t know when / I don’t know how / But I know something’s starting right now / Watch and you’ll see / Some day I’ll be / Part of your world.”
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Allen supports Disney’s decision to cast Halle as Princess Ariel as the representation will have a great impact on the younger generation.
“Hoping and dreaming that they too could be princesses one day in a world where there were none that looked like them,” he wrote. “Through this reimagining, they get to see themselves and the best part is everybody wins. Why? Because the original Ariel isn’t going anywhere.”
Allen concluded, “So if you have spent your whole life being able to see yourself through media and never once doubted if you were truly part of this world, find your inner Elsa and let it go!”
Halle Bailey says her version of Ariel is “more nuanced” than the original ‘The Little Mermaid’:
“we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy. It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and… pic.twitter.com/Skq1oqNJ1t
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 20, 2023
As we reported previously, many Disney fans are livid that a Black woman has been cast to play the red-headed mermaid. When a teaser trailer dropped on Feb. 15, Bailey once again found herself targeted by haters on social media.
“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” Bailey told The Face in a recent interview. ”When [Chlöe and I] first signed to Parkwood, [Beyoncé] was always like: ’I never read my comments. Don’t ever read the comments.’ Honestly, when the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo and I was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”
“I know people are like: ’It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m her…People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community,” she added. “It’s so important for us to see ourselves.”
“The Little Mermaid” is slated to hit U.S. theaters on May 26.
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