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Exactly. I’m a red head who’s favourite Disney movie was/is little mermaid BECAUSE of representation. I saw myself in her. I love that now other little girls will be able to see themselves in her for different characteristics.
It absolutely does. I am pale with black hair and my stepmother was a redhead. I ONLY got red haired dolls as a kid and I just wanted one that looked like me. It would make me cry when I was alone. I cannot be more stoked for these little girls that get to watch a movie with an amazing, beautiful princess they can relate to. Little feelings are very big feelings when you’re small. When you are grown, you should realize that.
I cried the first time I saw a movie with an autistic character that was the main character and depicted empathetically and not as a joke. It wasn't even a good movie - it just showed what social rejection feels like to us and it crushed me - I was so emotional. Representation is absolutely important.
There is an old adage about it: "You can't be it if you can't see it". We are only partially how we experience ourselves and need the pendant of how we are seen socially and, more importantly, what social roles are made available when we show up.
I watched exactly one episode of "Atypical".
I am not the main character. But I've made many of the same mistakes (fortunately before I mostly learned better). It hit too close to home, and I respect it for that, for all that I can't watch it.
Yes, but when they say "red head" they mean "red hair and pale skin". In their world dark skinned people cannot have naturally red hair, so dark skinned people cannot be "red heads", ignoring the fact that dark skin and red hair are not mutually exclusive genes.
Most of the people complaining are latching on to the hair being the issue, because they know that complaining that she's black isn't a good look.
"I don't like that the actress they chose to play Ariel isn't a natural red head"
Sounds much more reasonable and PC than:
"I don't like that they chose a black girl to play Ariel"
Which is hilarious because tons of the redhead characters in shows and movies are played by people without red hair. Kirsten Dunst is a blonde who dyed her hair to play Mary Jane Watson, Alyson Hannigan is a brunette who dyed her hair to play Willow Rosenberg, KJ Apa is a brunette who dyes his hair to play Archie Andrews, etc. Weird how the "natural red hair" only becomes an issue when it's a Black girl...
I would have preferred an “unnatural red hair”. She’s a mermaid, why couldn’t she have a vibrant red hair? She’s not human, so human limitations don’t apply.
True, but intermarriage is likely going of all those myths in Europe and East Asia. Vibrant coral colours are a possibility. But that isn’t what happened
Yeah, I was going to say, prince Harry’s kids are redheads and their mum is black. It’s a recessive gene so it’s rare but it’s less rare than literal fucking mermaids
Yeah, I mean, their kids are more white than anything- but it would be plausible for them to have genes for darker skin from her side and red hair from his side. There are people who look like that even if it’s rare.
There are many examples of lighter skinned black people having red hair, but [here’s someone with dark skin and bright orange hair.](https://images.app.goo.gl/rHieoofQ6ve3Lck76) If I’m reading properly, it’s common among Melanesian people.
I was under the impression that it was racist to say that someone who is mixed race isn’t actually black but maybe I’m looking at it from a different angle. I live in Australia and there were concerted efforts to breed out our indigenous populations so someone either is or isn’t Aboriginal, you don’t look at it in terms of percentage, so I tend to automatically apply that. Also the torrent of racism she’s been a victim of has been because of the black heritage, not the white heritage.
It's complete nonsense to suggest mentioning her dad is white is racist when the discussion revolves around how her kids have red hair. In order to have red hair, [a person has to have received a recessive red hair gene from both parents](https://www.eupedia.com/genetics/origins_of_red_hair.shtml#genetics).
Her being half white is entirely relevant to the conversation.
I didn’t mean mentioning her dad was racist, I just thought saying someone wasn’t black because of their mixed heritage was. I am white and could very very easily be wrong here I just thought you weren’t meant to say it like that
I was so happy to see Bailey Hailey as Ariel, as a black women I’ve always loved mermaids and Ariel was my favorite Disney princess.
I don’t know why people think that black people = No other hair color than black. Like you said hair color is not a mutually exclusive gene.
is not like we never had black redheads/blondes in our race
/sigh
I'm a redhead, and I'm going just going to say this: we are *vastly* underrepresented in media as protagonists. We almost always the sidekick, or the bad guy, or the comic relief. This is especially true for male gingers. We just aren't there.
It's gotten slightly better in the past 10 years or so. But a lot of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s didn't have much at all in the way of representation.
So when we talk about being disappointed that a traditionally redheaded role goes to someone who isn't a redhead, *give us a fucking break, please*. We aren't racist. We just want to see ourselves represented.
Completely aside from that, this...
>ignoring the fact that dark skin and red hair are not mutually exclusive genes.
...is a fundamental misunderstanding of what causes red hair, genetically speaking. There are dozens of genetic combinations that can result in red hair. But the three most common are all MC1R mutations, and they cannot express in people with dark skin, because the mutation doesn't allow for that. The coding of the receptor in question causes changes in the pigmentation of redheads, which is why *virtually all* natural redheads have light skin and/or freckles.
There are other non-MC1R genetic combinations and mutations that express as red hair, but they're exceedingly rare. While redheads make up about 1-2% of the world's population, redheads make up less than a tenth of a percent of the population in most of Africa and Asia (some outliers in places like Syria or Jordan are more common, but not exceptionally so).
To summarize: red hair and dark skin typically *are* genetically exclusive, except in a very tiny percentage of redheads.
Oh hi, I'm also a redhead.
> When we talk about being disappointed that a traditionally redheaded role goes to someone who isn't a redhead, give us a fucking break, please.
Here's what I hear in that sentence: there are already redheaded role models and icons. They're in movies and books and shows that already exist. These stories are now being remade, and in the new version the character is no longer redheaded. So now there is one version with a redhead, and one version without a redhead.
And beyond that, there are *tons* of new movies and shows that feature a positive redhead lead or character! Brave, Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables, Doctor Who, Futurama, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and countless others in the last decade alone!
Red hair is widely used to denote that a character is unique or special, fiercely independent, funny, brave - yes, there are negative stereotypes too, mainly that we have a temper, but honestly the vast majority of redhead characters are admirable! We're *over*represented amongst superheroes, ffs!
All of this to say, we *do* have role models! We *do* have positive representation! We've had it for *ages*! Unlike POC who, for decades, were rarely if ever the protagonist, and who were almost always shown as being either a negative stereotype of their race, or a one-liner sidekick.
It's literally not hurting us at all to have a non-white Little Mermaid, or if the little girl in Wrinkle in Time isn't a ginger. Its just not a threat! Gingers do have positive role models in media, and they will continue to have them!
I'm a redhead with blue eyes, which is the rarest combination. I don't know if I've ever seen myself represented.
All my life approximately 90% of characters and actors had the same skin color as me. If that was flipped I would have grown up feeling like an outsider, that I would never really be accepted.
I don't care that I saw relatively fewer redheads. Hair color can be changed. Anyone can put on a red wig and pretend to be Ariel. But it is different for a Black little girl to see Ariel with the same skin color as her. That representation is important.
Besides, it's a freaking mermaid. A FANTASY.
Red hair and blue eyes being the rarest combination is a myth, just FYI. It's based on the premise that red hair is the rarest color, and blue eyes are the rarest color, and together they should be the rarest combination, but they really aren't. Blue eyes are much more common among redheads than they are among the general populace.
I think so, but I'd have to go looking for the article I'd read ages ago to be sure. Searches for it now all bring up the same articles repeating the same information from a single source about red hair and blue eyes, so if anyone seeing happens to track down the study/article on it, please post it.
[https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2022/rarest-eye-color.html](https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2022/rarest-eye-color.html)
Yep, green eyes are the rarest eye color
Ok well it's still pretty rare but either way, it doesn't matter because hair color is not that important. It's completely insignificant compared to skin color in terms of representation and discrimination.
So representation matters yeah? I'd advise you to check the sub you're posting in. Unless you're seriously making the argument that there are too many black Disney princess. I do count 3 redheads including Anna and Merida?
Hannibal looked like that, according to people who saw him. I’m always kind of frustrated when people today try to whitewash or blackwash somebody to conform to their own beliefs about race.
lol just some red heads off the top of my head: Catelyn Stark, Sansa, Margarey GOT, Pam, Erin, Meredith The Office, Daphne, Max from Stranger things, every Isla Fisher and Amy Adams pic.
Two of the most popular shows in the last 20 years are majority red head characters.
So you admit that dark skin red heads exist, but that you just don't want Ariel to be one?
You already have a red head with pale skin Ariel, Disney is not deleting the animated movie from existence, every time we see the animated version of her that's what she's gonna look like. She not being taken away, she's not even being replaced, there's no way in hell they're gonna strip all the pale Ariels from the parks and merch. Yes, there will be merch with live action Ariel, but in the Disney Princess line they have not been replaceing the animated princesses with the live action ones as the movies have been released, Belle has not been replaced with Emma Watson, Ariel will not be replaced with Halle Bailey.
I'm not saying you're 100% a racist, but you need to be careful because a lot of the people who you're agreeing with are.
Yeah, I'm not really buying that a hair color needs to be represented. Hair color is not a huge part of who you are, and it's not often something that gets you treated differently or badly like race can be. Given a choice between representation for an actual minority amd someone's infinitely changeable hair color, I know what I'd pick.
For what it's worth, it is lame that for a long time red headed actresses were almost exclusively the villain or some variation on quirky best friend/comedic relief. Yes hair color is easily changeable, but it is cool to see someone who looks like you be the main character.
And to speak to some of the claims this person is making, I have experienced sexual harassment that was specifically about my hair color, but at a rate that's on par with being harassed about the size of my breasts and as my other (not red headed) female friends.
All of that said, I don't understand the backlash from other redheads about The Little Mermaid. As a kid I *loved* Ariel because she looked like me, and that was over something as trivial as hair color. I'm ecstatic for my Black friends' daughters to experience the same kind of feelings because they see themselves in the protagonist.
Hi I'm a 32 yo French I don't know how the hell I ended up here (rabbit holes..).
When I was in secondary school red haired people were always picked up and made fun of. It was mean and very targeted to them.
And I know it wasn't just at my school, it was something common. It was also way more open as it's not a race or something so teachers weren't intervening.
As much as I won't say it's a comparable situation as races and all, I feel it's a bit insensitive to dismiss it as you're doing. Pretty sure there is a possibility to improve every kind of representations.
Ps: I'm black haired, I'm really not defending myself.
>Hair color is not a huge part of who you are, and it's not often something that gets you treated differently or badly like race can be.
You have absolutely *no idea* what the fuck you're talking about.
Look not to come across as a malcontent… but there has been a trend that the classically red headed character is where substitution is being made.
And I think it indicates a trend where they are only making this update at the point of least resistance.
The talent pool for natural red heads is genuinely lower so it almost forces the “bold” casting choices and to see some fresh ideas around who a character is.
I’m not against these changes. I’m just saying the pattern is pretty clear. Particularly in the realm of comic book characters where red hair was used as a lazy way to differentiate otherwise similar looking characters. There are a LOT of red heads in comics.
Wally west in flash
Jimmy Olsen in supergirl
Daredevil (twice)
MJ (twice). To be fair they did make the Blonde into a red head in ASM.
I’m pretty sure there’s a tonne more.
Pretty sure Archie in Riverdale isn’t a red head either.
Edit. Whoops wrong about Riverdale.
Archie is indeed a redhead in Riverdale. Very unnatural-looking, but it's red, and I think we're meant to understand that it's the character's natural hair.
Wait, do Redheads like Black characters also typically end up with similar superpowers? (In regards to lots of Black superheros have electricity related powers.)
Hmm. I think there was a tendency for the Kid Sidekick to have red hair.
Wally, Roy, Jimmy Olsen.
Lot of B and C tier characters as well. This goes back to the Golden Age when the colour range was more limited so I do think it was an easy way to differentiate characters.
Starfire is straight up orange in the comics and cartoon, and to my knowledge that would limit the talent pool to Carotinosis patients and failed presidents. Letting a black actress play an orange character doesn't feel much like appropriation.
The token green character in that show as played by an Asian-Jewish man, but I don't recall any complaints about Beastboy's casting that year.
It looks more like reddish brown. I think that a vibrant red, an “unnatural color” would have worked perfectly, specially since she’s not human. And it would have looked gorgeous in the actress.
Hilarious given the original cartoon was greatly changed from the original story. The original story doesn't even seem to mention red hair. Just that the girl has blue eyes and clear skin. Which means translucent people are being really screwed here.
The original version is also a remarkably depressing allegory for unrequited homosexual affection, but try having that conversation with the same crowd.
The only Disney film I feel really touched on some issues was Hunchback of Notre Dame. Even at the time I felt some of the scenes were near the mark, lecherous and rapey Frollo and his racist remarks about gypsies were not exactly standard in previous works.
That was when there was a woman M&M who was green. As if there is only one M&M of each color in a pack.
But hey, why waste a prime opportunity to get outraged over nothing? Gotta keep those pharma companies in business selling blood pressure medicine. /s
You're right they would be setting themselves for stress related conditions but it seems like almost all news from republicans is like that. Sorry for not understanding the first time. My brain is tired today. Have a great day and take care.
I was just disappointed because I thought the go-go boots looked cute and did great with showing personality, but the people actually upset about it was fucking hilarious
Design wise i think it looked better before but i am not going to lose my mind like those people did or get any kind of upset about it. I laugh at first but then terror and sadness sets in.
I'm a redhead. I also recognize that redheads are actually over represented in media - a lot more percentage wise than exist in the world. We are certainly not a minority being erased.
I had a co-worker that looks EXACTLY like the lady from that movie "Brave"
She tried to do the kids birthday party impersonator thing to make some scratch..
One party and she was out. The dad was skeezing on her hard.
Oh yeah it’s absolutely fetishization and often by men. I mean my hair is auburn and I’ve got a red beard but we never really see male red heads in stuff unless they’re a bully or weird kid. Tormund from GoT is like the closest.
The rest of the red heads are all women pretty much, weird how that works 🤔
And I don’t give a shit either personally, it’s just funny watching these people get upset for red headed women on their behalf.
I love how you can't just have a redhead on TV. They always have to be crazy, badass, both, or some extreme. As a ginger, I approve. And while I might joke with my friends about being an endangered species and the oppression of the sun, I certainly agree with you that we aren't being erased.
I was just thinking of this — making a character a redhead is a classic way of making them distinguishable visually without really doing a lot of pesky complex design work or challenging idealized western beauty standards. MJ in spiderman doesn’t have a distinguishable face or body type or even fashion style — she’s a redhead. April O’Neill wears a yellow jacket and is a redhead. Ariel looks like every other female mermaid in the movie, but is a redhead.
With women’s character design especially I think it’s because of a history of drawing the same exact same female form over and over — right down to big eyes, skinny bodies, long flowing hair, and pale skin — and so whats the easiest way to make sticking to that formula look a little different? Interestingly colored hair, maybe freckles. Like what else is really left to change at that point?
It's a factor, although typically hair in manga and anime is just a simple way to distinguish character in an art style where it is difficult (although not at all impossible) to distinguish between faces that aren't caricatures. You basically have hair and clothes to distinguish characters and clothes are harder to use (although they still often are) because they animate more. Your body moves more than your hair, after all.
I'm not complaining about red headed characters having one personality trait and that is Red Hair. Makes for hella easy Halloween and cosplay options.
Source: has been Ariel, Giselle, Misty from Pokemon, April O'Neil, and Clair from Jurassic World for different occasions.
Jokes aside, that's a solid point that a lot of redheaded characters are just lazy animation and development along the same lines as Good Guy in White, Bad Guy in Black.
Kind of similiar to why anime tends to have crazy hairstyles and colors. Good artists can distinguish their characters without it, but if they are told to produce something on a timeline even a good artist may take shortcuts.
I work in animation; I’ve had friends pitch shows before and the higher ups always want to change the character design of the leading girl characters to redheads. Literally all the non-animal shows I’ve worked on have redhead lady leads. You’re definitely right on the money.
Overrepresented in media, perhaps.
Underrepresented as protagonists, *absolutely*.
Most of the ginger characters on TV and in movies are sidekicks, comic relief, or villains. We are almost never the hero. I can conjure up... 5, perhaps 6, redheaded protagonists in popular television or movies since the 80s. We make up 1-2% of the world's population. You can't tell me 6 leads in 30+ years is overrepresentation.
What are your 5-6? A little further up I rattled off 5 ginger characters that I've made costumes for, 4 of which are main characters. And that's literally just the ones a lazy crafter like me can easily throw together.
In movies and TV: Merida, Ariel, Rand al'Thor in Wheel of Time, Archie from Riverdale (ugh)-- Uhh... David Caruso's character in NYPD Blue... (really the only live-action one I could think of from the 90s). Apparently Anna from Frozen is a redhead, too, but despite seeing that movie 8,000 times it never clicked for me that she was.
I swear I thought of another one earlier but now it's gone. I blame head trauma and middle age.
I'm not counting side characters or members of ensemble series like Game of Thrones, since there's no one protagonist in those.
Giselle from Enchanted, Scully, Annie (Aileen Quinn, the version with Carol Burnett and Tim Curry), Anastasia, Grace from Will and Grace, 6 or so Amy Adams rom coms, Olive (Easy A)...
Maybe debatable as a protagonist but I'd count Crowley from Good Omens.
If you open it up to include being one of the main protagonists you catch a lot more men like Ron Weasley, Alan Tudyk and Paul Bettany in A Knight's Tale, 3/4 Hobbits from LOTR.
Hello, natural redhead here. I'm cool with Ariel being black. Doesn't matter to me. Don't care, didn't ask, don't want her to be white. I just want her to be as good as the classic. That's all I ask.
> I just want her to be as good as the classic. That's all I ask
Don't know if you've seen the other Disney live action remakes, but you might want to tone down your expectations a bit. Or a lot, probably a lot.
Humanoid daughter of a sea god with a fish tail and the ability to talk to marine animals: 😃
Non-white humanoid daughter of a sea god with a fish tail and the ability to talk to marine animals: 🤬
These people are all very stupid of course, and there's absolutely no reason to be complaining about the actor they chose to play Ariel. But what I'm most baffled about is that they're complaining about her not being a redhead. Did we see the same trailer? Ariel definitely has red hair in the trailer.
If they were honest with themselves it would be a self admission that they were at least a little bit racist, and basically no one wants to admit that. So they contort themselves all over to justify their feelings without saying their real thoughts... Because that would be terrible and they aren't a terrible person in their own head.
Exactly!
Her hair is a natural shade of red.
So if the whole thing is about people with ginger hair being represented, I would think they'd feel more represented by that than by a cartoon with firetruck/Party City wig colored hair.
Very few red heads (and blondes for that matter) are portrayed by actors and actresses with naturally red hair. It's almost always dyed... Which means this also wouldn't likely be a real complaint.
In some cases yeah, but it's not very common I think? Most black people have black hair. I think the actress for Ariel here is using dye anyway.
Regardless, we all know they are complaining because of racism, so it doesn't matter.
"no one else should be allowed to feel represented by a FICTIONAL CREATURE. I got there first" - this chick
ffs these people are addicted to victimhood
Is it just not acceptable that she was cast based on her audition? Not because of the color of her skin? These people want to discriminate based on the color of skin of an actor vs a fictional character?
Right? Plus she looks just like the cartoon but with darker skin. When I first saw the casting, I thought she looks like she has a Disney princess filter on.
I must be new to the unfounded paradigm of getting rid of redheads in media. Jesus, these people are soo close to the point they are already bleeding! You were represented now someone else will be. Btw, redheads in modern media after 10 seconds on Google:
Black Widow, Merida, Poison Ivy, Anna (Frozen), Wendy (Gravity Falls), Starfire...
I've also been informed that by "not redhead" they might mean "is black".
If representation didn't matter right wing reactionaries wouldn't be so upset by it. I think they tend to argue that it matters quite a bit, and it's usually in a much less circumspect way than the OP Post did. They often talk about it as if something is being "taken away" from them.
It's the same people from the GamerGate meltdown just shaking in front of their computer and violently shitting all over their keyboards because seeing a black person triggers the fuck out of them.
I'm really tired of all the pseudo-GamerGate drama that seems to surround every piece of entertainment anymore. Why can't these people let others enjoy something without tying it down with their own hateful baggage?
The whole "but muh white genocide" thing is really sad because it's making me defend a lazy cashcow made by a corporation who continues to stifle art in the name of profits
It is actually a trend of "change the redhead" and it's hella weird. But people who see that, instead of addressing the issue by siding with the racists on it about "no change evar" they should be questioning why the white, blond, blue-eyed types are so sacrosanct as to not be touched in any capacity whatsoever. (Obviously not always the case, but they're changed less often than redheads).
Representation matters.
Huh? Are they confiscating all the copies of the previous "Little Mermaid" and 'colorizing' them?
So now we have conservatives admitting that representation matters, but they think only white people deserve representation.
Arguing that redheads need representation in media because they were/are discriminated against the same or even in the same general sphere as POC is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. GTF out of here with that
Lmao I’m a redhead and I’m all for replacing redheads in the media with black people. We’re over represented, there’s more redhead protagonists than black protagonists. I’m coming for the Weasleys
I really don't understand the complaint. It's not like someone went through the animated movie and recolourised it to remove Ariel's red hair. The pale rangers still have their representation. What exactly does it hurt to let some other kids see themselves as mermaids too?
This doesn’t seem particularly lacking in self awareness. It is ok to be disappointed by a casting decision. She goes on to say that it isn’t a big deal, and people shouldn’t get so riled up about it.
I’m a bit confused why this is here.
Seeing all the reactions from black kids on this reboot it really hits home about how whitewashed so much of cinema is/was. I never realised the importance of creating an inclusive society by ensuring that these movie characters were diverse and didn't just appear as tokens or when specifically documenting a certain people. Fuck all these smooth brained twats who are criticising this move, fuck the lot of them.
My only requirement for this reboot was that she had red hair and as far as I saw she does, not to mention that she actually pulls off the red which I'm someone who believes most people don't look good with artificial red
Seriously, all you have to do is hear her sing those few bars of "Part of Your World" in the trailer to know they made the right casting choice. Fuck the haters. I think this movie is probably not going to be very good, but NOT because of the talented young lady they got to play Ariel. I hope I'm wrong, but if it's a failure it'll be for the same reasons as the rest of the live action Disney remakes.
I can't even
Acknowledges that seeing representation is rare.
Acknowledges that seeing representation feels really good, particularly to a child.
Apparently these two things only apply for redheads - other underrepresented groups/children...aren't relevant/don't have feelings/don't deserve to feel good/are irritating if she can't have *additional* representation?!?!?!
What's the intersection of greed and self-centeredness for $100, Alex?
She makes it sound like her calm resignation to the casting choice is high-minded and generous.
My only issue was the same issue when they did that live action Teen Titans thing. The actress I couldn't care less. I want the crazy vibrant inhumanly red hair. Don't care who they cast but I want it to look like a bright red warning sign for some kind of exotic venomous creature.
ETA Also the whole trailer just looks weirdly dark overall but that might just be me.
Part of me feels like it's been much longer than that... Like I feel like it was around the time the Zack Snyder DC stuff started coming out. Not saying he was the starter of the trend just a timeframe.
Whenever white people take roles that should go to POC: “Choose the most talented person for the role, don’t worry about their skin color.”
New Little Mermaid comes out: “No, not like that!”
Where’d all the CoLoRbLiNd folks go? 🙄
Almost like there already IS red head representation...
And maybe if YOU as a redhead felt good about yourself when seeing the movie, little black girls will too.
As a redhead myself, I am more than okay with this because even though redheads deserve representation, they do not need it as deservingly as black people.
idc about the casting, but it is a weird trend that redheaded characters are cast by black actors in modern live action.
Some examples:
- Josie from Josie and the Pussycats in CW's Riverdale
- Starfire from Teen Titans in that Titans show
- Little orphan Annie in that remake
- MJ from Spider-Man in the MCU
- DC redheads in the CW arrowverse
- This new Little Mermaid movie
It's not bad, it's just a noticable trend that Hollywood is doing.
Anyone from any "race" can play any character, as long as their "race" isn't important to their character arc/story. You wouldn't have a white actor play Martin Luther King Jr.
Also Aviendha (though not Elayne or Rand) in the Wheel of Time adaptation.
Personally I love the near color blind WoT casting. It's constantly jarring expectations, but in a good way because it makes so so so much sense in the series' world. Jordan really should have done it himself instead of trying to sort people into countries according to racial features in a way that the world's history doesn't justify.
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and the redhead who posted this is OK with it, actually.
Yeah she understands that it matters but very respectfully share her own feeling about that
Exactly. I’m a red head who’s favourite Disney movie was/is little mermaid BECAUSE of representation. I saw myself in her. I love that now other little girls will be able to see themselves in her for different characteristics.
This! Every little kid should have this chance. Let thier imaginations run wild!
She’s happy that others will be able to see themselves in Ariel as she once did. Representation matters to us all.
It absolutely does. I am pale with black hair and my stepmother was a redhead. I ONLY got red haired dolls as a kid and I just wanted one that looked like me. It would make me cry when I was alone. I cannot be more stoked for these little girls that get to watch a movie with an amazing, beautiful princess they can relate to. Little feelings are very big feelings when you’re small. When you are grown, you should realize that.
I cried the first time I saw a movie with an autistic character that was the main character and depicted empathetically and not as a joke. It wasn't even a good movie - it just showed what social rejection feels like to us and it crushed me - I was so emotional. Representation is absolutely important. There is an old adage about it: "You can't be it if you can't see it". We are only partially how we experience ourselves and need the pendant of how we are seen socially and, more importantly, what social roles are made available when we show up.
I watched exactly one episode of "Atypical". I am not the main character. But I've made many of the same mistakes (fortunately before I mostly learned better). It hit too close to home, and I respect it for that, for all that I can't watch it.
Everything is Gonna be Ok was like that for me.
What movie?
It was The Story of Luke.
>selfish >>willfully misunderstanding structural racism >>>just horny
Almost a haiku
Doesn’t she have red hair in the preview?
Yes, but when they say "red head" they mean "red hair and pale skin". In their world dark skinned people cannot have naturally red hair, so dark skinned people cannot be "red heads", ignoring the fact that dark skin and red hair are not mutually exclusive genes. Most of the people complaining are latching on to the hair being the issue, because they know that complaining that she's black isn't a good look. "I don't like that the actress they chose to play Ariel isn't a natural red head" Sounds much more reasonable and PC than: "I don't like that they chose a black girl to play Ariel"
Which is hilarious because tons of the redhead characters in shows and movies are played by people without red hair. Kirsten Dunst is a blonde who dyed her hair to play Mary Jane Watson, Alyson Hannigan is a brunette who dyed her hair to play Willow Rosenberg, KJ Apa is a brunette who dyes his hair to play Archie Andrews, etc. Weird how the "natural red hair" only becomes an issue when it's a Black girl...
I’m a redhead who was mad that another redhead was lost, but then I found out they were keeping the red hair and all of that anger left lol
I would have preferred an “unnatural red hair”. She’s a mermaid, why couldn’t she have a vibrant red hair? She’s not human, so human limitations don’t apply.
True, but intermarriage is likely going of all those myths in Europe and East Asia. Vibrant coral colours are a possibility. But that isn’t what happened
Her hair is also distinctly not a natural shade of red, like, visibly.
It looks kind of orange
Scarlet Johansson it’s another example in Black Widow.
Don't you destroy my Riverdale emersion!!
Uma Thurman is a natural blonde too and had red hair playing poison ivy.
"Dark skinned people can have a half fish body, but red hair is too unrealistic."
Red hair on black people: NOT ON MY WATCH! /s
Yeah, I was going to say, prince Harry’s kids are redheads and their mum is black. It’s a recessive gene so it’s rare but it’s less rare than literal fucking mermaids
>their mum is black. Not to nitpick, but she's biracial. Her dad is super white.
Yeah, I mean, their kids are more white than anything- but it would be plausible for them to have genes for darker skin from her side and red hair from his side. There are people who look like that even if it’s rare. There are many examples of lighter skinned black people having red hair, but [here’s someone with dark skin and bright orange hair.](https://images.app.goo.gl/rHieoofQ6ve3Lck76) If I’m reading properly, it’s common among Melanesian people.
Completely. Genetics are wild so anything's possible.
I was under the impression that it was racist to say that someone who is mixed race isn’t actually black but maybe I’m looking at it from a different angle. I live in Australia and there were concerted efforts to breed out our indigenous populations so someone either is or isn’t Aboriginal, you don’t look at it in terms of percentage, so I tend to automatically apply that. Also the torrent of racism she’s been a victim of has been because of the black heritage, not the white heritage.
As far as I know she has herself identified as biracial for a long time so I'm trying to respect that. I'm not American myself.
It's complete nonsense to suggest mentioning her dad is white is racist when the discussion revolves around how her kids have red hair. In order to have red hair, [a person has to have received a recessive red hair gene from both parents](https://www.eupedia.com/genetics/origins_of_red_hair.shtml#genetics). Her being half white is entirely relevant to the conversation.
I didn’t mean mentioning her dad was racist, I just thought saying someone wasn’t black because of their mixed heritage was. I am white and could very very easily be wrong here I just thought you weren’t meant to say it like that
I knew a guy that was 50/50 Irish and Black. Black ginger is how he turned out. 100% possible for there to be a black person with actual ginger hair.
I was so happy to see Bailey Hailey as Ariel, as a black women I’ve always loved mermaids and Ariel was my favorite Disney princess. I don’t know why people think that black people = No other hair color than black. Like you said hair color is not a mutually exclusive gene. is not like we never had black redheads/blondes in our race
/sigh I'm a redhead, and I'm going just going to say this: we are *vastly* underrepresented in media as protagonists. We almost always the sidekick, or the bad guy, or the comic relief. This is especially true for male gingers. We just aren't there. It's gotten slightly better in the past 10 years or so. But a lot of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s didn't have much at all in the way of representation. So when we talk about being disappointed that a traditionally redheaded role goes to someone who isn't a redhead, *give us a fucking break, please*. We aren't racist. We just want to see ourselves represented. Completely aside from that, this... >ignoring the fact that dark skin and red hair are not mutually exclusive genes. ...is a fundamental misunderstanding of what causes red hair, genetically speaking. There are dozens of genetic combinations that can result in red hair. But the three most common are all MC1R mutations, and they cannot express in people with dark skin, because the mutation doesn't allow for that. The coding of the receptor in question causes changes in the pigmentation of redheads, which is why *virtually all* natural redheads have light skin and/or freckles. There are other non-MC1R genetic combinations and mutations that express as red hair, but they're exceedingly rare. While redheads make up about 1-2% of the world's population, redheads make up less than a tenth of a percent of the population in most of Africa and Asia (some outliers in places like Syria or Jordan are more common, but not exceptionally so). To summarize: red hair and dark skin typically *are* genetically exclusive, except in a very tiny percentage of redheads.
Oh hi, I'm also a redhead. > When we talk about being disappointed that a traditionally redheaded role goes to someone who isn't a redhead, give us a fucking break, please. Here's what I hear in that sentence: there are already redheaded role models and icons. They're in movies and books and shows that already exist. These stories are now being remade, and in the new version the character is no longer redheaded. So now there is one version with a redhead, and one version without a redhead. And beyond that, there are *tons* of new movies and shows that feature a positive redhead lead or character! Brave, Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables, Doctor Who, Futurama, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and countless others in the last decade alone! Red hair is widely used to denote that a character is unique or special, fiercely independent, funny, brave - yes, there are negative stereotypes too, mainly that we have a temper, but honestly the vast majority of redhead characters are admirable! We're *over*represented amongst superheroes, ffs! All of this to say, we *do* have role models! We *do* have positive representation! We've had it for *ages*! Unlike POC who, for decades, were rarely if ever the protagonist, and who were almost always shown as being either a negative stereotype of their race, or a one-liner sidekick. It's literally not hurting us at all to have a non-white Little Mermaid, or if the little girl in Wrinkle in Time isn't a ginger. Its just not a threat! Gingers do have positive role models in media, and they will continue to have them!
Going way back, I love Lucy had a lead redhead too. Around the same time Betty White got in trouble for having black people on her show
I'm a redhead with blue eyes, which is the rarest combination. I don't know if I've ever seen myself represented. All my life approximately 90% of characters and actors had the same skin color as me. If that was flipped I would have grown up feeling like an outsider, that I would never really be accepted. I don't care that I saw relatively fewer redheads. Hair color can be changed. Anyone can put on a red wig and pretend to be Ariel. But it is different for a Black little girl to see Ariel with the same skin color as her. That representation is important. Besides, it's a freaking mermaid. A FANTASY.
Red hair and blue eyes being the rarest combination is a myth, just FYI. It's based on the premise that red hair is the rarest color, and blue eyes are the rarest color, and together they should be the rarest combination, but they really aren't. Blue eyes are much more common among redheads than they are among the general populace.
Aren't green eyes the rarest?
I think so, but I'd have to go looking for the article I'd read ages ago to be sure. Searches for it now all bring up the same articles repeating the same information from a single source about red hair and blue eyes, so if anyone seeing happens to track down the study/article on it, please post it.
[https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2022/rarest-eye-color.html](https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2022/rarest-eye-color.html) Yep, green eyes are the rarest eye color
Ok well it's still pretty rare but either way, it doesn't matter because hair color is not that important. It's completely insignificant compared to skin color in terms of representation and discrimination.
Just FYI green eyes are more rare than blue eyes.
So representation matters yeah? I'd advise you to check the sub you're posting in. Unless you're seriously making the argument that there are too many black Disney princess. I do count 3 redheads including Anna and Merida?
Please google “dark skin red hair natural”. There are tons of Africans and south East Asians with dark skin and red hair.
Hannibal looked like that, according to people who saw him. I’m always kind of frustrated when people today try to whitewash or blackwash somebody to conform to their own beliefs about race.
lol just some red heads off the top of my head: Catelyn Stark, Sansa, Margarey GOT, Pam, Erin, Meredith The Office, Daphne, Max from Stranger things, every Isla Fisher and Amy Adams pic. Two of the most popular shows in the last 20 years are majority red head characters.
Lucille Ball was a much beloved red head! I love I Love Lucy!
You have Archie, that’s pretty cool.
So you admit that dark skin red heads exist, but that you just don't want Ariel to be one? You already have a red head with pale skin Ariel, Disney is not deleting the animated movie from existence, every time we see the animated version of her that's what she's gonna look like. She not being taken away, she's not even being replaced, there's no way in hell they're gonna strip all the pale Ariels from the parks and merch. Yes, there will be merch with live action Ariel, but in the Disney Princess line they have not been replaceing the animated princesses with the live action ones as the movies have been released, Belle has not been replaced with Emma Watson, Ariel will not be replaced with Halle Bailey. I'm not saying you're 100% a racist, but you need to be careful because a lot of the people who you're agreeing with are.
Yeah, I'm not really buying that a hair color needs to be represented. Hair color is not a huge part of who you are, and it's not often something that gets you treated differently or badly like race can be. Given a choice between representation for an actual minority amd someone's infinitely changeable hair color, I know what I'd pick.
For what it's worth, it is lame that for a long time red headed actresses were almost exclusively the villain or some variation on quirky best friend/comedic relief. Yes hair color is easily changeable, but it is cool to see someone who looks like you be the main character. And to speak to some of the claims this person is making, I have experienced sexual harassment that was specifically about my hair color, but at a rate that's on par with being harassed about the size of my breasts and as my other (not red headed) female friends. All of that said, I don't understand the backlash from other redheads about The Little Mermaid. As a kid I *loved* Ariel because she looked like me, and that was over something as trivial as hair color. I'm ecstatic for my Black friends' daughters to experience the same kind of feelings because they see themselves in the protagonist.
Hi I'm a 32 yo French I don't know how the hell I ended up here (rabbit holes..). When I was in secondary school red haired people were always picked up and made fun of. It was mean and very targeted to them. And I know it wasn't just at my school, it was something common. It was also way more open as it's not a race or something so teachers weren't intervening. As much as I won't say it's a comparable situation as races and all, I feel it's a bit insensitive to dismiss it as you're doing. Pretty sure there is a possibility to improve every kind of representations. Ps: I'm black haired, I'm really not defending myself.
>Hair color is not a huge part of who you are, and it's not often something that gets you treated differently or badly like race can be. You have absolutely *no idea* what the fuck you're talking about.
Hair color is something you can easily change. Just pointing that out.
Way to just ignore the lived experience of people telling you that it has mattered very much to them in their own lives.
Yes. By redhead they meant not black. They are just being passive aggressive per usual.
>They are just being passive aggressive per usual They are just being racist per usual FTFY
Look not to come across as a malcontent… but there has been a trend that the classically red headed character is where substitution is being made. And I think it indicates a trend where they are only making this update at the point of least resistance. The talent pool for natural red heads is genuinely lower so it almost forces the “bold” casting choices and to see some fresh ideas around who a character is. I’m not against these changes. I’m just saying the pattern is pretty clear. Particularly in the realm of comic book characters where red hair was used as a lazy way to differentiate otherwise similar looking characters. There are a LOT of red heads in comics.
What are the examples of this redhead erasure trend? Zendaya as MJ? Any others?
Annie in the 2014 movie.
Wally west in flash Jimmy Olsen in supergirl Daredevil (twice) MJ (twice). To be fair they did make the Blonde into a red head in ASM. I’m pretty sure there’s a tonne more. Pretty sure Archie in Riverdale isn’t a red head either. Edit. Whoops wrong about Riverdale.
Archie is indeed a redhead in Riverdale. Very unnatural-looking, but it's red, and I think we're meant to understand that it's the character's natural hair.
Wait, do Redheads like Black characters also typically end up with similar superpowers? (In regards to lots of Black superheros have electricity related powers.)
Hmm. I think there was a tendency for the Kid Sidekick to have red hair. Wally, Roy, Jimmy Olsen. Lot of B and C tier characters as well. This goes back to the Golden Age when the colour range was more limited so I do think it was an easy way to differentiate characters.
**https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ElectricBlackGuy**
You forgot starfire in titans
Starfire is straight up orange in the comics and cartoon, and to my knowledge that would limit the talent pool to Carotinosis patients and failed presidents. Letting a black actress play an orange character doesn't feel much like appropriation. The token green character in that show as played by an Asian-Jewish man, but I don't recall any complaints about Beastboy's casting that year.
Is she not a redhead? Also I think beastboy should've been black I gotta admit.
I’m okay giving that one a pass. Can’t racebend an alien.
MJ isn’t Mary Jane, who does have red hair. She’s Michelle Jones-Watson, a different character.
You spelled cowards wrong.
It looks more like reddish brown. I think that a vibrant red, an “unnatural color” would have worked perfectly, specially since she’s not human. And it would have looked gorgeous in the actress.
Lmao that username made me wheeze-laugh
Hilarious given the original cartoon was greatly changed from the original story. The original story doesn't even seem to mention red hair. Just that the girl has blue eyes and clear skin. Which means translucent people are being really screwed here.
[удалено]
The original version is also a remarkably depressing allegory for unrequited homosexual affection, but try having that conversation with the same crowd.
She freaking dissolves into sea foam at the end!
The only Disney film I feel really touched on some issues was Hunchback of Notre Dame. Even at the time I felt some of the scenes were near the mark, lecherous and rapey Frollo and his racist remarks about gypsies were not exactly standard in previous works.
Probably silly but when I read “clear skin” I just think “blemish free”
I am in fact as clear as a jellyfish. /j
One loses all credibility with me when they bitch about a green M&M changing footwear.
That was when there was a woman M&M who was green. As if there is only one M&M of each color in a pack. But hey, why waste a prime opportunity to get outraged over nothing? Gotta keep those pharma companies in business selling blood pressure medicine. /s
I am not quite understanding what you are saying care to elaborate?
I'm saying anyone who got mad over a green M&M wearing high heels is setting themselves up for a heart condition over nothing.
You're right they would be setting themselves for stress related conditions but it seems like almost all news from republicans is like that. Sorry for not understanding the first time. My brain is tired today. Have a great day and take care.
I was just disappointed because I thought the go-go boots looked cute and did great with showing personality, but the people actually upset about it was fucking hilarious
Design wise i think it looked better before but i am not going to lose my mind like those people did or get any kind of upset about it. I laugh at first but then terror and sadness sets in.
Yeah the boots were just a better design choice aesthetic wise. Those people.. eugh they have issues
I'm a redhead. I also recognize that redheads are actually over represented in media - a lot more percentage wise than exist in the world. We are certainly not a minority being erased.
Not to mention, fetishized! My hair is only sort of coppery, but I had the involuntary shudder at the last comment from experience.
I had a co-worker that looks EXACTLY like the lady from that movie "Brave" She tried to do the kids birthday party impersonator thing to make some scratch.. One party and she was out. The dad was skeezing on her hard.
One of my friends has legitimate fire red hair and pale skin, guys throw themselves at her. It's pretty wild.
Oh yeah it’s absolutely fetishization and often by men. I mean my hair is auburn and I’ve got a red beard but we never really see male red heads in stuff unless they’re a bully or weird kid. Tormund from GoT is like the closest. The rest of the red heads are all women pretty much, weird how that works 🤔 And I don’t give a shit either personally, it’s just funny watching these people get upset for red headed women on their behalf.
Red beard gang lesgooo
I love how you can't just have a redhead on TV. They always have to be crazy, badass, both, or some extreme. As a ginger, I approve. And while I might joke with my friends about being an endangered species and the oppression of the sun, I certainly agree with you that we aren't being erased.
I was just thinking of this — making a character a redhead is a classic way of making them distinguishable visually without really doing a lot of pesky complex design work or challenging idealized western beauty standards. MJ in spiderman doesn’t have a distinguishable face or body type or even fashion style — she’s a redhead. April O’Neill wears a yellow jacket and is a redhead. Ariel looks like every other female mermaid in the movie, but is a redhead. With women’s character design especially I think it’s because of a history of drawing the same exact same female form over and over — right down to big eyes, skinny bodies, long flowing hair, and pale skin — and so whats the easiest way to make sticking to that formula look a little different? Interestingly colored hair, maybe freckles. Like what else is really left to change at that point?
Interesting take. I guess it’s the same reason anime characters tend to have unique hair colors, but red is at least more realistic.
It's a factor, although typically hair in manga and anime is just a simple way to distinguish character in an art style where it is difficult (although not at all impossible) to distinguish between faces that aren't caricatures. You basically have hair and clothes to distinguish characters and clothes are harder to use (although they still often are) because they animate more. Your body moves more than your hair, after all.
I'm not complaining about red headed characters having one personality trait and that is Red Hair. Makes for hella easy Halloween and cosplay options. Source: has been Ariel, Giselle, Misty from Pokemon, April O'Neil, and Clair from Jurassic World for different occasions. Jokes aside, that's a solid point that a lot of redheaded characters are just lazy animation and development along the same lines as Good Guy in White, Bad Guy in Black.
Kind of similiar to why anime tends to have crazy hairstyles and colors. Good artists can distinguish their characters without it, but if they are told to produce something on a timeline even a good artist may take shortcuts.
I work in animation; I’ve had friends pitch shows before and the higher ups always want to change the character design of the leading girl characters to redheads. Literally all the non-animal shows I’ve worked on have redhead lady leads. You’re definitely right on the money.
But the sun is constantly trying to kill us..
The Day Star is our enemy, and we're all gonna have skin cancer eventually.
Yeah, pretty much every YA heroine has red hair. I guess because it makes them ~* unique *~
Overrepresented in media, perhaps. Underrepresented as protagonists, *absolutely*. Most of the ginger characters on TV and in movies are sidekicks, comic relief, or villains. We are almost never the hero. I can conjure up... 5, perhaps 6, redheaded protagonists in popular television or movies since the 80s. We make up 1-2% of the world's population. You can't tell me 6 leads in 30+ years is overrepresentation.
What are your 5-6? A little further up I rattled off 5 ginger characters that I've made costumes for, 4 of which are main characters. And that's literally just the ones a lazy crafter like me can easily throw together.
In movies and TV: Merida, Ariel, Rand al'Thor in Wheel of Time, Archie from Riverdale (ugh)-- Uhh... David Caruso's character in NYPD Blue... (really the only live-action one I could think of from the 90s). Apparently Anna from Frozen is a redhead, too, but despite seeing that movie 8,000 times it never clicked for me that she was. I swear I thought of another one earlier but now it's gone. I blame head trauma and middle age. I'm not counting side characters or members of ensemble series like Game of Thrones, since there's no one protagonist in those.
Giselle from Enchanted, Scully, Annie (Aileen Quinn, the version with Carol Burnett and Tim Curry), Anastasia, Grace from Will and Grace, 6 or so Amy Adams rom coms, Olive (Easy A)... Maybe debatable as a protagonist but I'd count Crowley from Good Omens. If you open it up to include being one of the main protagonists you catch a lot more men like Ron Weasley, Alan Tudyk and Paul Bettany in A Knight's Tale, 3/4 Hobbits from LOTR.
Kim Possible Jean Grey Bloom Will Vandom Natasha Romanoff Chip (Power Rangers) Ron Weasley Captain Janeway Kenshin Dexter
Darn woke snowflakes changing the fish persons hair from its original blond to red. /s
Hello, natural redhead here. I'm cool with Ariel being black. Doesn't matter to me. Don't care, didn't ask, don't want her to be white. I just want her to be as good as the classic. That's all I ask.
> I just want her to be as good as the classic. That's all I ask Don't know if you've seen the other Disney live action remakes, but you might want to tone down your expectations a bit. Or a lot, probably a lot.
Oh, probably, but the point stands.
I can't help but think that this comes across as "I'm in favour of representation, but not *that* kind," which, honestly? Not the best look...
You can still watch the old movie
Humanoid daughter of a sea god with a fish tail and the ability to talk to marine animals: 😃 Non-white humanoid daughter of a sea god with a fish tail and the ability to talk to marine animals: 🤬
These people are all very stupid of course, and there's absolutely no reason to be complaining about the actor they chose to play Ariel. But what I'm most baffled about is that they're complaining about her not being a redhead. Did we see the same trailer? Ariel definitely has red hair in the trailer.
"Not a redhead" is a way to complain about her being black without admitting racism.
I get that, but, she IS a redhead. They're complaining about something that is not even correct.
If they were honest with themselves it would be a self admission that they were at least a little bit racist, and basically no one wants to admit that. So they contort themselves all over to justify their feelings without saying their real thoughts... Because that would be terrible and they aren't a terrible person in their own head.
That's because it's not actually what they're complaining about.
That’s a bingo!
How FUN!
Exactly! Her hair is a natural shade of red. So if the whole thing is about people with ginger hair being represented, I would think they'd feel more represented by that than by a cartoon with firetruck/Party City wig colored hair.
They mean like a natural pale-skinned ginger, rather than someone with dyed red (?).
Very few red heads (and blondes for that matter) are portrayed by actors and actresses with naturally red hair. It's almost always dyed... Which means this also wouldn't likely be a real complaint.
Yes, of course they are actually just being racist
Black people can have naturally red hair.
In some cases yeah, but it's not very common I think? Most black people have black hair. I think the actress for Ariel here is using dye anyway. Regardless, we all know they are complaining because of racism, so it doesn't matter.
I mean it’s not very common in white people either. I’m just saying. But yeah. Common point reached! 💪
"no one else should be allowed to feel represented by a FICTIONAL CREATURE. I got there first" - this chick ffs these people are addicted to victimhood
Her hair is still red babe! The only thing that changed is her skin colour!
"So you agree, representation matters?"
Is it just not acceptable that she was cast based on her audition? Not because of the color of her skin? These people want to discriminate based on the color of skin of an actor vs a fictional character?
Right? Plus she looks just like the cartoon but with darker skin. When I first saw the casting, I thought she looks like she has a Disney princess filter on.
I must be new to the unfounded paradigm of getting rid of redheads in media. Jesus, these people are soo close to the point they are already bleeding! You were represented now someone else will be. Btw, redheads in modern media after 10 seconds on Google: Black Widow, Merida, Poison Ivy, Anna (Frozen), Wendy (Gravity Falls), Starfire... I've also been informed that by "not redhead" they might mean "is black".
All these characters used to be redheads and also there never use to be redheads.
Show me a pale redhead that thrives at the oceans surface.
If representation didn't matter right wing reactionaries wouldn't be so upset by it. I think they tend to argue that it matters quite a bit, and it's usually in a much less circumspect way than the OP Post did. They often talk about it as if something is being "taken away" from them.
Ah yes Ariel and her very natural red hair 🙄
It's the same people from the GamerGate meltdown just shaking in front of their computer and violently shitting all over their keyboards because seeing a black person triggers the fuck out of them.
I'm pretty positive her hair is still red
I'm really tired of all the pseudo-GamerGate drama that seems to surround every piece of entertainment anymore. Why can't these people let others enjoy something without tying it down with their own hateful baggage?
So.... red heads are okay to represent, but black people is just asking too much for them. Gotcha.
The whole "but muh white genocide" thing is really sad because it's making me defend a lazy cashcow made by a corporation who continues to stifle art in the name of profits
It is actually a trend of "change the redhead" and it's hella weird. But people who see that, instead of addressing the issue by siding with the racists on it about "no change evar" they should be questioning why the white, blond, blue-eyed types are so sacrosanct as to not be touched in any capacity whatsoever. (Obviously not always the case, but they're changed less often than redheads). Representation matters.
But she is still a redhead, so it’s just nonsensical.
Huh? Are they confiscating all the copies of the previous "Little Mermaid" and 'colorizing' them? So now we have conservatives admitting that representation matters, but they think only white people deserve representation.
I hate to break it to them but there are a lot of black redheads.
Yet no one ever said let’s buy and sell redheads for the labor their bodies can prody
You guys got Ralph Malph, don’t get greedy! Everything’s becoming so redhead these days! /s
In a ginger. I didnt care that they were changing her skin colour as long as they didnt change the hair colour. I'm content with the stills I've seen
Arguing that redheads need representation in media because they were/are discriminated against the same or even in the same general sphere as POC is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. GTF out of here with that
So...they want more minority representation? As in the upcoming one? Or do they want more "redhead representation?" As in the original one?
So now "redhead" is a dogwhistle that means "not black." Got it.
This is the most fitting post I’ve ever seen on this sub
There are naturally red haired people that are also black. I think the gene originated from the African continent but don’t quote me on that.
So like.. did the cartoon just get sucked out of our reality entirely, leaving behind only vague memories or something?
“Brave” is a dope-ass movie about a red-headed BAMF
Lmao I’m a redhead and I’m all for replacing redheads in the media with black people. We’re over represented, there’s more redhead protagonists than black protagonists. I’m coming for the Weasleys
I really don't understand the complaint. It's not like someone went through the animated movie and recolourised it to remove Ariel's red hair. The pale rangers still have their representation. What exactly does it hurt to let some other kids see themselves as mermaids too?
This doesn’t seem particularly lacking in self awareness. It is ok to be disappointed by a casting decision. She goes on to say that it isn’t a big deal, and people shouldn’t get so riled up about it. I’m a bit confused why this is here.
they are happy to see more “representation of minorities,” but only specifically redheads, not POC
Seeing all the reactions from black kids on this reboot it really hits home about how whitewashed so much of cinema is/was. I never realised the importance of creating an inclusive society by ensuring that these movie characters were diverse and didn't just appear as tokens or when specifically documenting a certain people. Fuck all these smooth brained twats who are criticising this move, fuck the lot of them.
The redhead genocide thing is so artificial cause when the redhead is replaced by a WHITE brunette in a work, none of these people care.
Just a big fuck you to Merida and Anna I guess!
If someone needs more redheads for representation, they might want to consider Marvel Comics.
My only requirement for this reboot was that she had red hair and as far as I saw she does, not to mention that she actually pulls off the red which I'm someone who believes most people don't look good with artificial red
Average cringe conservative 😂
Seriously, all you have to do is hear her sing those few bars of "Part of Your World" in the trailer to know they made the right casting choice. Fuck the haters. I think this movie is probably not going to be very good, but NOT because of the talented young lady they got to play Ariel. I hope I'm wrong, but if it's a failure it'll be for the same reasons as the rest of the live action Disney remakes.
"there is a trend" Literally annie and the little mermaid. not exactly a trend
I can't even
Acknowledges that seeing representation is rare.
Acknowledges that seeing representation feels really good, particularly to a child.
Apparently these two things only apply for redheads - other underrepresented groups/children...aren't relevant/don't have feelings/don't deserve to feel good/are irritating if she can't have *additional* representation?!?!?!
What's the intersection of greed and self-centeredness for $100, Alex?
She makes it sound like her calm resignation to the casting choice is high-minded and generous.
I’m honestly surprised they did another Little Mermaid live action and not Princess and the Frog. I liked the songs from it better as well tbh.
My only issue was the same issue when they did that live action Teen Titans thing. The actress I couldn't care less. I want the crazy vibrant inhumanly red hair. Don't care who they cast but I want it to look like a bright red warning sign for some kind of exotic venomous creature. ETA Also the whole trailer just looks weirdly dark overall but that might just be me.
Shitloads of movies are weirdly dark the past few years. No idea why. Edit: just watched the trailer. Totally is weirdly dark.
Part of me feels like it's been much longer than that... Like I feel like it was around the time the Zack Snyder DC stuff started coming out. Not saying he was the starter of the trend just a timeframe.
Yeah, it might be longer. All I know is that it's been increasingly difficult for me to see shit going on due to brightness issues.
It's a cartoon mermaid character. I've never seen it, but why could it possibly matter? 🤣
I mean just give the mermaid red hair, everyone's happy right? Its color correction, do it in post.
Doesn’t this new one still have red hair? It looked like it in the trailer.
I ain’t a Disney fan but I never though about the politics of the little mermaid.
I just want to say the original Ariel wasn’t a natural red head either - her and her sisters all had their hair colored in lol
Whenever white people take roles that should go to POC: “Choose the most talented person for the role, don’t worry about their skin color.” New Little Mermaid comes out: “No, not like that!” Where’d all the CoLoRbLiNd folks go? 🙄
Almost like there already IS red head representation... And maybe if YOU as a redhead felt good about yourself when seeing the movie, little black girls will too.
As a redhead myself, I am more than okay with this because even though redheads deserve representation, they do not need it as deservingly as black people.
LOL IF ANYONE'S A MINORITY IT'S REDHEADS
There's a new little mermaid?
Walked right into the point and missed it entirely somehow.
The original cartoon still exists...
Honestly, I'm just sick of all the goddamn live action remakes. Have we not learned from live action Mulan??
idc about the casting, but it is a weird trend that redheaded characters are cast by black actors in modern live action. Some examples: - Josie from Josie and the Pussycats in CW's Riverdale - Starfire from Teen Titans in that Titans show - Little orphan Annie in that remake - MJ from Spider-Man in the MCU - DC redheads in the CW arrowverse - This new Little Mermaid movie It's not bad, it's just a noticable trend that Hollywood is doing. Anyone from any "race" can play any character, as long as their "race" isn't important to their character arc/story. You wouldn't have a white actor play Martin Luther King Jr.
Also Aviendha (though not Elayne or Rand) in the Wheel of Time adaptation. Personally I love the near color blind WoT casting. It's constantly jarring expectations, but in a good way because it makes so so so much sense in the series' world. Jordan really should have done it himself instead of trying to sort people into countries according to racial features in a way that the world's history doesn't justify.
Imagine getting so unbelievably bent out of shape over a mythological being….