“The Little Mermaid,” starred by actress and singer, Halle Bailey, has been already considered a commercial failure in China. This has come as a surprise for Disney since the company’s productions usually achieve much more success in the Chinese market. However, it seems that the film’s poor reception is related to racist causes.
The Disney live-action not only failed at the Asian’s country box office but also sparked numerous complaints and racist insults on social media targeted towards Halle Bailey. Allegedly, The Hollywood reporter stated that the motion picture’s underperformance can be attributed to racist responses regarding Bailey and her having the main role.
Unfortunately, skin color has always been a determining factor for discrimination in different world societies, and China is no exception. A number of the Chinese population apparently has an obsession with fair skin. As a result, a cultural phenomenon in which pale skin is seen as a symbol of social status is developed.
The American actress admitted that she did not think that her participation in the Disney Classic could cause such negativity and hatred from various audiences. Regarding this issue, Bailey explained in an interview with Edition Magazine that “seeing the world’s reaction was definitely a shock, but seeing all the babies’ reactions, all the brown and black young girls, really tore me up emotionally.”
In spite of the negative comments, the 23-year-old actress expressed pride in the work she did in the film during several interviews and has also stated that she has chosen to put her focus on the more heartening and positive responses from people who see themselves represented in the Little Mermaid.