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In the new ‘Little Mermaid,’ Black girls and moms see themselves [washingtonpost.com]

 
By Samantha Chery and Anne Branigin, Photograph: Dariana Fleming/The Washington Post, The Washington Post, September 15, 2022

Viral videos of little girls reacting to the trailer of the live-action Disney film is a marketing bonanza

Precious Avery remembers just how rare it was to see Black characters on television growing up, so she started recording as her 3-year-old, Emery, absorbed the trailer for the new “Little Mermaid” film.

As turtles swam through coral reefs, an image of a mermaid appears, then Halle Bailey, a Black actress and singer, was revealed as Ariel. “I think she’s Brown,” Emery said with a grin. “Brown Ariel!”

Emery said she loves Bailey’s long hair and mermaid tail. It reminds her of her swim lessons and how she practices holding her breath underwater. She knows all the Disney princesses and wants to live in a castle one day.

But her mother sees something bigger. It always made her “feel good” to see Black characters on television, Avery, 33, said, and now her daughter was getting the experience.

[ Click here to read more. ]

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