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Watching the New Ariel: No, You (Still) Can’t Be Part of Her World
Despite the brilliant Halle Bailey, “The Little Mermaid” confirms that inclusion is not for everyone
First of all, why are some people just blessed with a siren-voice while others sound like a bloated horse? In middle-school, I had to sing “Jar of Hearts” for my music class and despite the countless hours I spent (or rather wasted) with YouTube sing-alongs, the teacher had the audacity to ask me why I was so out-of-tune. Oh, I don’t know, John, maybe because I just CAN’T sing?
Turns out that “John” wasn’t satisfied with my natural tone-deafness — after all, I am a girl, and girls are supposed to be good at music, right? — and gave me an F. Poor, unfortunate-soul, me.
Ok, so I guess I will never bring a drowning prince back to life with my angelic voice. I also can’t sell my vocal cords to a sea-witch in exchange for legs, shall I ever have the need. All things considered, I am already quite at a disadvantage compared to the daughter of the sea-king. Oh right, because as a middle-class woman, I could be Ariel’s maid at best. Not everyone is born a princess, after all — guess I can’t really be part of that world.
