The Little Mermaid: Far from ideal
Have you ever seen the Disney film The Little Mermaid? Everyone has - it's a classic. But have you ever noticed the messages kids get from the film? Probably not. Not many people have.
Don't get me wrong, like every other person on the planet, I love Disney films. However, on this occasion, I find it hard to love what I see. The Little Mermaid is about a 16 year old mermaid who gives up her talent, uniqueness and family for a guy she barely knows.
First of all, Disney create an awful stereotype of overweight people. By no means am I Ursula’s biggest fan, however the way they portray her says a lot. She’s clearly an evil character and her physical persona is shown as overweight and masculine, which seems to create a bad image for kids to follow. Come on Disney, you create childhoods for so many young children, and giving out these messages can never end well.
Ariel has trinkets and a lot of them too. Whozits and whatzits galore. A whole cave in fact. However, this doesn't stop her from wanting more. She constantly wants more and more and more. Maybe it makes her happy or maybe it gives her purpose or maybe it makes her feel proud - who knows? Whatever her reason is, it creates another one of these bad messages; that the more you own or buy the happier you'll be, and this isn't what we should be saying to anyone.
We all know Prince Eric. The man Ariel falls in 'love' with within the first few minutes (even seconds) of meeting him. He is also the guy who Ariel feels the need to give up everything for. How can you be in love with someone within such a short space of time? Impossible really. That's like me going into the supermarket, seeing a guy and then running off into the sunset with him before I even get my items to the scanner. As far-fetched as it seems, do we really want kids and teens to grow up thinking the first person who pays you any attention is your soulmate and you will be with them until you die? No.
Possibly the most toxic message that the film is in that Ariel risks her life, then gives everything up for one boy – which doesn’t say much about female values. She gives up her beautiful voice for him, her mermaid identity, and ultimately her dignity to become part of his world. Metaphorically speaking, a guy silences a girl and they live happily ever after. Despite Ariel’s good looks and wonderful family, she still wasn’t happy with her life without a man by her side. As a result, she did everything in her power to become someone who was the complete opposite of her true self. A human. This makes no sense. Why change everything about yourself for someone you don’t know? I understand that it was 'love', but to change your body, sacrifice your voice and give up your family for a guy who may or may not leave you? Probably not.
The most common reason of depression and anxiety is due to insecurity. Many teenagers, girls and boys, feel insecure whether it's due to body image, or intelligence. In 2013, there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK. This is why it's so important for films to give people positive role models for people to follow. If films constantly give people the message that changing yourself for someone else is acceptable, so many people will change themselves unnecessarily increasing the real problem of anxiety and depression, even anorexia. Anorexia is a form of starvation. Should films let girls starve themselves to be as thin as the girl on the TV? If you’re not skinny, does that mean you’re more like Ursula, the villainous sea-witch, and less like the beautiful mermaid that gets everything she desires? Of course not. Some people will live their life, thinking that changing who they are is the right thing to do and that love is instant. We need more positive role models.
So how can we break the cycle? Disney, as a huge corporation with possibly one of the largest influences on young people, need to stop creating fictitious and unobtainable role models like Ariel, and start creating characters that young girls and boys can really be inspired by.
By Katie Walters, Year 9
Don't get me wrong, like every other person on the planet, I love Disney films. However, on this occasion, I find it hard to love what I see. The Little Mermaid is about a 16 year old mermaid who gives up her talent, uniqueness and family for a guy she barely knows.
First of all, Disney create an awful stereotype of overweight people. By no means am I Ursula’s biggest fan, however the way they portray her says a lot. She’s clearly an evil character and her physical persona is shown as overweight and masculine, which seems to create a bad image for kids to follow. Come on Disney, you create childhoods for so many young children, and giving out these messages can never end well.
Ariel has trinkets and a lot of them too. Whozits and whatzits galore. A whole cave in fact. However, this doesn't stop her from wanting more. She constantly wants more and more and more. Maybe it makes her happy or maybe it gives her purpose or maybe it makes her feel proud - who knows? Whatever her reason is, it creates another one of these bad messages; that the more you own or buy the happier you'll be, and this isn't what we should be saying to anyone.
We all know Prince Eric. The man Ariel falls in 'love' with within the first few minutes (even seconds) of meeting him. He is also the guy who Ariel feels the need to give up everything for. How can you be in love with someone within such a short space of time? Impossible really. That's like me going into the supermarket, seeing a guy and then running off into the sunset with him before I even get my items to the scanner. As far-fetched as it seems, do we really want kids and teens to grow up thinking the first person who pays you any attention is your soulmate and you will be with them until you die? No.
Possibly the most toxic message that the film is in that Ariel risks her life, then gives everything up for one boy – which doesn’t say much about female values. She gives up her beautiful voice for him, her mermaid identity, and ultimately her dignity to become part of his world. Metaphorically speaking, a guy silences a girl and they live happily ever after. Despite Ariel’s good looks and wonderful family, she still wasn’t happy with her life without a man by her side. As a result, she did everything in her power to become someone who was the complete opposite of her true self. A human. This makes no sense. Why change everything about yourself for someone you don’t know? I understand that it was 'love', but to change your body, sacrifice your voice and give up your family for a guy who may or may not leave you? Probably not.
The most common reason of depression and anxiety is due to insecurity. Many teenagers, girls and boys, feel insecure whether it's due to body image, or intelligence. In 2013, there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK. This is why it's so important for films to give people positive role models for people to follow. If films constantly give people the message that changing yourself for someone else is acceptable, so many people will change themselves unnecessarily increasing the real problem of anxiety and depression, even anorexia. Anorexia is a form of starvation. Should films let girls starve themselves to be as thin as the girl on the TV? If you’re not skinny, does that mean you’re more like Ursula, the villainous sea-witch, and less like the beautiful mermaid that gets everything she desires? Of course not. Some people will live their life, thinking that changing who they are is the right thing to do and that love is instant. We need more positive role models.
So how can we break the cycle? Disney, as a huge corporation with possibly one of the largest influences on young people, need to stop creating fictitious and unobtainable role models like Ariel, and start creating characters that young girls and boys can really be inspired by.
By Katie Walters, Year 9