Disney Princess Article: Why I've Grown To Love Ariel

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posted by dclairmont

I haven't seen The Little Mermaid in months, so please excuse me if this artikel isn't very good. I've just started to see a lot of traits of Ariel that I didn't see in the past and wanted to write about what made me change my mind on her. If u didn't know, for a really long time Ariel has been my least favoriete princess, but she's jumped all the say to 7th(ish)! Err so I hope u guys enjoy!! Sorry for not having any pictures..

Ariel has grown up in a misguided and, for lack of a better term, racist society where all humans are viewed as monsters. In many ways, Ariel can be viewed as a revolutionary individual in the mermaid community. She doesn't just accept the fact that humans are evil, but instead challenges the idea and gets first hand sight of them before coming up with conclusions. Whilst everyone around her hates the very word human, Ariel finds wonder and excitement in them and I find that to be a very interesting and admirable quality to Ariel. She doesn't just accept the norm-she vragen things and looks for antwoorden herself.

Ariel knows what she wants and is willing to go after it with all her might. Some classify this as selfish and stupid, yet I find it rather admirable. Ariel isn't timid and she gets stuff done, and while she does make reckless mistakes, she's human. She's imperfect, she's organic, and while she is a bit of a brat, her flaws make her all the meer interesting. I'm not trying to deny the fact that she made mistakes of that she did some selfish things, I can just look past that and see other parts of her personality that are really interesting and fun to watch.

I love her wonder and curiosity. Watching her explore the human world is such an interesting part of The Little Mermaid and I love how we can get such an insight on Ariel during that time despite not even being able to hear her speak. She's so outgoing and is willing to try new things and basically all the things I wish I had meer of. She can speak her mind and isn't afraid which is another thing I wish I could possess.

In conclusion, I don't agree with some of Ariel's actions and I find her far from relatable, but she really does have an endearing personality. She's so expressive, personable and exciting and it's really interesting to see. I'm really glad that I've come to realize all these things about Ariel and gone from not being able to name a single thing I like about her to being able to write a (poorly executed) artikel about why I love her!

So yeah, that's my article. Sorry it's so poorly written and rushed, as stated above I haven't seen the movie in months (which might make this whole artikel rather faulty..), but I just wanted to talk a little about why I've changed my opinion on her. Er yeah, that's about it!! Have a good night (or morning, of afternoon, depending on whenever u read this) guys!! :) Thanks for reading and again sorry for this not being very good and way too short ._.

JNTA1234, Rebecca550_ and 5 others like this

Sk8er__grl You wouldn't mind if I countered everything that you said would you? Lol I'm just kidding and I don't feel like it and this is a very good article, even if I disagree and she might always be my least favorite. But the more your happy with your list the better! :)

MissCassecou Finally, a great article depicting the good traits of Ariel! Ariel will always have a special place in my heart! I too agree that following your dreams is not a selfish act. Sure she did it for herself... but isn't that the point of a dream? To make your life happier? Dreams are about you and calling this a selfish act really surprises me and slightly disgusts me. What is the world coming to? They criticise Cinderella for not following her dreams and then criticise Ariel for passionately following hers. I just don't understand. I like the point you made about Ariel being a revolutionary individual. Most people have it formed in their minds that Ariel got her (in some cases, undeserved) happy ending and that's it. Humans and Merpeople were united, as clearly seen in the beginning of the sequel and the end of the first movie. This wouldn't have happened without Ariel's actions. Sorry if this seems like a rant - my main purpose was to back you up! Great article!

Sk8er__grl ^People don't dislike Ariel just for the fun of it, some people have legitimate reasons to dislike her. I don't want to argue because I don't want to be negative and I know I'll just drown by all the Ariel fans (There are so, so, so, many) But there is a world of difference between following your dreams and complaining every waking minute of your life about it and never looking past your nose while following your dreams. I understand that she "Paved" the way for princesses after her as so many people have told me (I get it already) But I don't like the trope she represents. As if following your dreams means you have to be selfish while doing it. And I never would say that she didn't deserve a happy ending, I think that all the Disney Princesses deserve a happy ending and saying they don't is petty and cruel. Like I said I don't want to start a rant and this IS just how I feel. *Waits for Ariel fans to attack me*

324anna Great article! You really are an awesome writer. I may not be a big fan of Ariel, but I can definitely see all the things you mentioned. Sk8er__grl makes a good point as well, but I'll focus on Ariel's good traits, since that's why you wrote that article. She has a very interesting personality and I've grown to love her way more than I used to.

audreybrooke Nice article! :)

iwasneverhere *high fives dclairmont* Thanks for writing this!!! It took some nerve, I'm sure...lol. Ariel is one of my personal favorites, and I can agree with what you said about her. I agree with what Miss Cassecou said--- because no one ever calls Tiana selfish for following her dream to the exclusion of everyone and everything else. People never bring that up...except moi. If they point out this trait in Ariel, then they should definitely point it out in Tiana, too. I'm going to be quiet, now, and just enjoy the fact that you said something sweet about Ariel!!! *definitely fans your article*

coolsinger198 Dylan I love this article, I really do, but I disagree. I mean there is a HUGE difference between following your dreams and going after them and having everything, complaining, and being selfish. For example, Tiana had to try so hard to get what she wanted because of her background. Ariel on the other hand had so many things to be thankful for, and she abandoned her family just for Eric. I understand it wasn't all about Eric, but the fact that she had so many things and she still complained gets me so MAD. Gosh I dislike her a LOT. She went for her goals but also put the lives of others in danger by doing so, like Flounder, Sebastian and her sisters. Other princesses such as Tiana or Cinderella didnt have much and they still cared about others around them. Not ONCE have I seen Cindy complain. Ariel doesnt know how damn lucky she is to have so much things.

MalloMar Wow! I'm impressed. This is (not even kidding) so incredible to read. Ariel isn't the highest on my list, but I love her, and it's nice seeing how your opinions have changed. *Applause* I'll favorite it! For the billionth time, your writing has eloquence and you make very good points.

AudreyFreak I've grown to like her more lately too. She's so likable watching the movie! I don't think you have to agree with everything a character does to find them interesting or just like them. I think Scarlett O'Hara is a fascinating character but she's also pretty selfish and despicable sometimes. I think Ariel would make a nice friend- maybe not the most loyal, but you know she'd put you in a good mood easily and always find something fun, if sometimes dangerous, for you to do together. She's interesting and iconic. But- " Dreams are about you and calling this a selfish act really surprises me and slightly disgusts me." That's kind of contradictory. You say it;s about yourself, which IS the definition of selfish. Which is what Ariel can be. She thinks of what SHE wants more than anything, which is what most people's problem with her is considering she was sneaky and rebellious about achieving what she wanted (since of course Triton forbade it and she saw no other way around it). I do agree though, that people REALLY contradict themselves sometimes. They call Cindy and Aurora "passive" for not "doing anything" (which is factually untrue in Cindy's case too) but then criticize Ariel for that. They seem to value rebellion only when it's NOT related to getting a guy (Jasmine, Merida, Elsa, etc.). But I don't blame them for not going after their dreams because I personally value serving others over self ambition but that's me. And sorry to dclairmont for the OT rant. A good article as usual!

MissCassecou ^ What I meant to say was that following your dreams shouldn't be called selfish. Selfish is putting only yourself first, not caring about others, etc, not that it's being about you and making your life happier, which is the objective of a dream. The concept of "following your dreams" as being a selfish act is generally false, and in this case it is too. Following your dreams, which is being about yourself, is not necessarily selfish and is not the whole definition of selfish. Some of Ariel's actions are selfish, for example she disregards her family and puts others' lives in danger, however the fact that she followed her dream and wanted to do so was for personal and life improvement and not as a selfish act. However you do make a good point about how people value rebellion when it's not about getting a guy and I agree with that. I should have made my point clearer beforehand and I apologise for that. I agree with what you said as well, iwasneverhere, and it's true, I never thought of the point you made about Tiana. Now I do. I know people are probably going to argue with me.