As a little girl The Little Mermaid was one of my favorite movies. I loved Ariel and how she combed her long beautiful red hair with a fork. Most importantly I loved her song, Part of Your World. To this day that song is on my playlist.
As an adult I look at this movie, and hear that song, differently. It's still one of my favorites, but I have trouble with it's message. To me it seems it's gearing kids to not be excepting of their own life. Like, Ariel, wants nothing more but to be a human. So much that she's willing to give up her entire family and all she's ever known for some prince she's seen once. I mean I get it, it's a cartoon and she's a princess with a controlling protective king for a dad, but aren't we suppose to be teaching kids to be happy with themselves and not the other way around?
As a kid I wanted to be Ariel. Her hair was perfect always. She was a princess and her father was king of the sea. She had the most beautiful voice of all her sisters. She was the shit in my eyes. But she wanted to be me. If by me I mean that a hansom prince fell in love with me, then yeah me. Really she wanted to be human. By the end she got what she wanted and gave up her life as a mermaid. I struggle with this because my family and I are really close. I don't think I could give all that up.
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