A Truly Little Mermaid

I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty.

I've got who's-its and what's-its galore.

You want thing-a-mabobs?
I've got twenty.


But who cares? No big deal. I want more.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid was one of my most beloved films as a child, and looking back on it, I don’t agree with the large number of people who think the film is a bad influence for young girls. Especially when Ariel sings, “but who cares? No big deal. I want more” after describing all of her belongings, I realize how important the messages in the film are. In life it can be easy to get caught up in materialistic desires, and it’s important to remember that in the end, possessions really add up to nothing. Experiences and people in your life are what really count, and Ariel realizes that and yearns for more. I feel that I really connect with her on that level because I am not the type of person who gets anything from material things and, like Ariel, I want to explore other worlds more than anything. I see the point many make about the figurative meaning that comes with a girl literally losing her voice for a man, but I think it was just an imperative plot detail more than a sign about women, especially since she gains it back in the end. Ariel’s adventurous attitude and ability to dream is a wonderful example for any young child, and I really commend Disney for that.

On the other hand, I agree with every critique of the body image of the little mermaid. In Regina Bendix’s essay “Seashell Bra and a Happy End,” Bendix explains,

“Disney’s gender images stress body image stereotypes that play right into the hands of plastic surgeons, diet programs and the fitness and clothing industries. Ariel and her sisters’ spindly waists are counterbalanced by a well-endowed bust…. Disney couples prudery with alluring sexuality. Disney’s mermaid coyly wears a sea shell bra but reveals everything else down to her belly-button” (287).

It is ridiculous to me that Disney is creating characters that have physical dimensions that aren’t even possible in real life. The image truly is not a good role model for young, impressionable girls, who are constantly being convinced from all sides of the media that beauty means looking one particular way. That is, that being beautiful is equivalent to being tiny. It’s unrealistic and unhealthy. Ariel’s waist is almost half the width of her head!

In fact, in Disney’s recent film Brave, Merida has much more realistic dimensions, but she is never once called beautiful or “the fairest in the land” like the classic Disney princesses, including Ariel. In addition, she is quite desexualized, a severe contrast from Ariel.

I will always love The Little Mermaid because of the part it played in my childhood, but I will never be on board with the portrayals of animated princesses that are imparted on young girls, and I think the meaning of “beautiful” should change to a realistic idea that allows every girl to see the beauty within themselves instead of striving for unmanageable ideals.