White Twitter complains of Black “Little Mermaid” actress

(Defender News Service) — The casting of R&B singer Halle Bailey as Ariel in a live-action version of The Little Mermaid has sparked a social-media storm centered around the hashtag #NotMyAriel.

In response to complaints over the “blackwashing” of the Disney character Ariel, people posted hilarious memes – mostly querying why there were complaints about who exactly could play the fictional creature.

Bailey, 19, who rose to fame under the wing of pop queen Beyonce, said it was a “dream come true” to play the lead role.

She tweeted a cartoon image of the princess in which the traditionally red-headed Ariel has dark skin, brown eyes and black hair.

Director Rob Marshall said Bailey had been cast after an extensive search, and praised her “rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance – plus a glorious singing voice.”

But not everyone was happy at thew news.

However other users quickly made fun on the #NotMyAriel sentiment and it started trending globally on Twitter.

Racists demanding a white mermaid because all mermaids are white because mermaids are a real thing and are restricted by facts. #NotMyArielpic.twitter.com/brDEp68enN

Like most Disney princesses, Ariel has been portrayed as pale-skinned in previous cartoon films, in which she was voiced by white actress Jodi Benson.

Disney came under criticism last year for “whitewashing” Princess Tiana in animated movie Ralph Breaks the Internet, hastily redrawing the character with darker features just months before the film’s release.

This article originally published in the July 8, 2019 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.