Little Mermaid

The similarities in the outcomes of the movies Cinderella, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid are just blatant, and all keep the theme of happily ever after, and quick and easy romance moving along in the minds of our youth. Cinderella received her salvation from a Prince who sweeps her off her feet, and Snow White receives her saving from a true love kiss, Ariel's salvation is none too different when she suddenly becomes human to be with the man she loves, which her father is suddenly okay with at this point. All of these Disney stories depict sad women who are helpless in many ways, and their only hope of getting out of the situation is to find a man. Men seem to be the key to success and the key to happiness, and I wonder what message this sends young women when they watch movies like The Little Mermaid. Not to mention that all of these female protagonists fall deeply in love after a few minutes, if not seconds, with a man they have never met, or had a conversation with. True love at first sight might exist in the world of Disney's fairytales, but it's not realistic, and it isn't helping young women's perception of relationships and love: that love will come find you at an early age (prior to 18 in Ariel's case, which is absurd), no work is involved, and you might have to change yourself so a man will come and find you. Particularly in The Little Mermaid, Ariel has to make really tough, unrealistic, old fashioned decisions, in order to stay with this man she just met. She has to forfeit her beautiful voice to get legs, and chooses her husband completely over her father; examples that just aren't really compatible with real world love affairs. It just damages young girl's expectations for how their love lives are supposed to play out.