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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
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Tayo Bero

The global backlash against The Little Mermaid proves why we needed a Black Ariel

Ariel Halle Bailey Disney Hans Christian Andersen United States
Halle Bailey, in response to the racist backlash to her being cast as Ariel, said: “As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore.”
Halle Bailey, in response to the racist backlash to her being cast as Ariel, said: ‘As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock any more.’ Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

The Little Mermaid drama continues, as racist backlash about the movie seems to have led to abysmal box office numbers in China and South Korea.

Just like the hate campaign against the movie in the US (which included the infamous #notmyariel hashtag), Chinese and South Korean social media were inundated with bad, unverified reviews and outcry over the casting of a Black Ariel.

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