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When asked to name a feminist Disney princess, the most common answers may include Mulan, Moana, or Merida. All of these characters possess great strength both emotionally and physically. They follow their hearts, protect those they love, and stay true to themselves throughout the runtime of their respective films. Not every Disney Princess, however, is praised for being a feminist icon or good example for young girls to follow. Ariel, the mermaid princess with a beautiful voice, is often ridiculed by parents like actress Keira Knightly and scholars alike.
She’s too flighty, too naive, too boy-crazy, some say. Others find her to be a whiny, selfish teenager. On the contrary, Ariel is not only a strong female character but a feminist Disney Princess. She may not wield a weapon or win any battles in war, but her natural curiosity and Let’s take a look at common critiques of her character and prove, once and for all, why this little mermaid deserves a place amongst the most well-respected princesses in cinematic history.
“She Only Wanted To Be Human For A Man!”
Arguably, the most famous scene from The Little Mermaid is the iconic ballad “Part of Your World,” where Ariel both displays her extensive collection of human objects and sings her heart out. Her longing to be a part of the human world, to run on land and live out of the ocean, is both palpable and powerful. The song sticks out because, not only is it of the most well-known in Disney’s extensive catalog, but it gives the audience insight into Ariel as a character. Viewers see what she wants and how she feels living under the sea, all in three and a half minutes. She isn’t a flat character at all; she has a passion, wants, and dreams.
The song describes Ariel’s ultimate wish, to be human, in vivid detail. At this point in the film, she hasn’t laid eyes on Prince Eric yet. He’s not why she wants to be a human; no, she wanted to be human long before she ever met him. Her dream has nothing to do with him. It’s only once she saves Eric from drowning that she truly entertains the thought that her wish to be human can actually come true. The song, after all, goes, “Wish I could be/part of that world.” It’s only after she sees Eric and rescues him from drowning that the lyrics change from ‘that world’ to ‘your world.’ Ariel’s dream isn’t tied to any man; it’s hers and hers alone.
“She’s Not Very Smart!”
Ariel’s father, King Triton, despises humans, and he makes that apparent early on in the film. When he lectures Ariel about missing the concert she was supposed to sing in, a slip of the tongue from Flounder causes the conversation to change into a full-blown argument as he goes off on a tangent about how dangerous human beings are. The prequel film Ariel’s Beginning, released in 2008, reveals Ariel’s mother was killed by a human ship, giving context for why Triton is so distrustful and hateful of humans. Regardless, Ariel took it upon herself to learn more about the human world, despite hearing nothing but negative things about it her entire life.
Her pursuit of all things human isn’t just a passing interest; she picks up and then puts it down when she gets bored with it. Ariel’s vast collection of thingamabobs, from silverware to spectacles, is the product of years of treasure hunting. Amassing a reservoir of this caliber couldn’t be done overnight. Many months of dedication, curiosity, and hard work helped Ariel achieve such a massive and meticulously curated collection. She spends her days looking for treasure that is nothing more than human trash to the rest of the merpeople. She’s the only one in the kingdom of Atlantica who takes the time to learn more about humans and their world.
Additionally, while Ariel doesn’t know the exact names and uses for all the items in her collection, she seeks out an informant who she believes to be credible. While Scuttle the seagull’s knowledge about human objects is lacking, to be generous, she’s going out of her way to seek out information about the human world, even if going to the surface means a lecture from her father. She’s actively pursuing more knowledge about humans and their world, no matter the cost to her. To Ariel, nothing will get in the way of her quest for any information about the human world, and she’s both an eager learner and a dedicated student.
“She’s Just Not Strong!”
Ariel saving someone from drowning reflects her brave nature and her incredible strength. Her choosing to save a human, someone she’s been told her whole life is dangerous, shows how selfless and courageous she truly is. When she sees Eric slip under the waves during the storm, she doesn’t hesitate. She leaps into action without hesitation, diving into the raging sea and not only brings Eric back up to the surface but all the way to shore. She doesn’t leave until he starts to wakes up, and she’s truly relieved that he’s okay. In the face of perilous weather and a situation she never imagined she’d find herself in, Ariel took charge and saved someone’s life.
This isn’t the only time Ariel displays her bravery and strength. At the beginning of The Little Mermaid, when she and Flounder are treasure hunting, he’s nervous something bad will happen, while Ariel is unfazed and focused on her goal. When a shark chases them through a sunken ship, Ariel goes back for the bag she drops, and after Flounder hits his head and falls, she swims to save him before the shark can get to him. Later on, even though she’s terrified of Ursula and the sea witch’s lair, she stays the course and doesn’t leave until she makes a deal with Ursula. Even when she goes on land for the first time and runs into Eric almost right away, she never cowers in this new world.
Instead, she thrives in the human environment and does all she can to make the most of her brief time as a human. Ariel’s strength gets both ignored or overlooked by those claiming she’s not a feminist princess. Time after time, she shows just how brave and powerful she is, physically and emotionally. She shows these traits subtly and obviously, and yet many viewers miss them. Ariel isn’t a damsel in distress or helplessness, she takes care of herself and others time after time, and her courage should be admired.
“But She Gave Up Her Voice!”
Another major point of contention against the little mermaid herself is what happens to her voice in the latter half of the film. After her father discovers she rescued Eric from drowning and that she loves him, Triton destroys her collection. Ariel, rightfully devastated, gets persuaded by sea witch Ursula’s eels to go to the witch for a solution. Ursula offers Ariel a potion that will turn her human for three days. If Eric kisses Ariel before the sun sets on the third day, she can stay human, but if not, she’ll turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula. In exchange for the potion, Ariel must give the sea witch her voice. After a brief conversation (and an incredible villain song), Ariel loses her voice and gains a pair of legs.
This choice often gets pointed to as the worst one Ariel makes. After all, exchanging her voice and agency just to get a man’s approval is anything but feminist. Ariel’s agency, however, remains intact. The little mermaid chooses to take Ursula’s deal. The sea witch didn’t rip Ariel’s voice out of her throat by force; Ariel agrees to let Ursula take it. It still may not be the wisest choice to make, sure, but what’s important to remember is that it was Ariel’s choice and Ariel’s choice alone. While seeing a female character unable to speak can be construed as anti-feminist, a woman’s worth and value aren’t tied to what she says verbally. In the real world, there are women and people of all genders who are unable to produce oral speech, and that doesn’t lessen their worth as people whatsoever.
Being unable to speak doesn’t equate to weakness or anti-feminism, fictitiously or not. Ariel finds other ways of communicating with Eric while staying at his palace and spending a day with him. She makes him laugh, they dance together, and with the help of Sebastian the crab, he learns her real name. By the end of the second day, he would’ve kissed her without Ursula’s meddling. He likes Ariel for who she is, even though he thinks she isn’t the one who saved him from drowning when they first met.
Her Strength Doesn’t End With The First Film
The Little Mermaid isn’t a standalone film. Along with a sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, the previously mentioned prequel, and the three seasons of a cartoon show also titled The Little Mermaid; Ariel also has ample screen time to display her feminist behavior. In Ariel’s Beginning, Triton outlaws music after the death of his wife. That doesn’t stop Ariel from joining an underground music club and helping the fish in her kingdom pursue their passion for it in secret. At the end of the film, she protects Sebastian from getting hit, and she ends up getting hurt in the process. In the tv show, Ariel helps her dad with undersea political deals, helps other merpeople and fish in need, and continues to pursue her passion for collecting human thingamabobs.
The show doesn’t invent a new personality for Ariel; she’s just as curious, caring, and brave as she is in the original movie. Numerous times in the other films and The Little Mermaid show, she finds herself in dangerous situations, messes she doesn’t know how to clean up, and in the sequel, even fights with her daughter. But this never stops her from working to make things right. She apologizes when she’s wrong and fights for her friends and those in the kingdom of Atlantica. She’s a very brave and strong mermaid in every film and television episode she appears in. Contrary to popular belief, Ariel’s feminist actions and headstrong nature never wane.
The Little Mermaid is an entire franchise. Without lovable characters audiences root for and connect with, franchises couldn’t grow and become so popular. Marvel, DC, Star Wars, and other incredibly popular franchises have good movies and compelling plots, but it’s the characters fans fall in love with and keep coming back for. Ariel has multiple films, a tv show, and her own ride and grotto in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. Despite those who claim she’s anti-feminist and/or a badly written character, Ariel clearly has resigned with many, and it’s that curiosity and bravery that so many find themselves connecting to.
Feminism Isn’t One Size Fits All
Ariel possesses a lot of positive traits: curiosity, passion, and a strong proclivity for daydreaming. She’s musically talented and adventurous. Sure, she can be a bit naive, but she’s also a sixteen-year-old girl. Ariel having flaws doesn’t make her anti-feminist or weak; it makes her realistic. This princess spends her early teen years actively learning all she could about the human world, building a collection of things that interest her, saving a man from drowning, and dreaming of the life she so desperately wants.
Not every female character needs to win physical fights or swing a sword to be strong. Just like in real life, women have a variety of passions, interests, and personalities. Just because Ariel shows her strength in different ways doesn’t mean it isn’t there at all. The Little Mermaid shows young girls that you can achieve your dreams, you should follow your heart and pursue your passions, and that you need to help others when they need it. That’s pretty feminist for a young girl to hear, and hopefully, little girls can take Ariel’s bravery, curiosity, and care with her for the rest of her life. You can observe Ariel’s acts of feminism by giving The Little Mermaid a rewatch on Disney+.