BONUS: Black Girls React to The Little Mermaid

Published Jun 12, 2023, 7:00 AM

The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.

So many of us have been patiently waiting for the arrival of the live action remake of Disney’s Little Mermaid. The 1989 classic has finally sailed back to the big screen but this time reimagined with a new leading lady, a Black Ariel, brought to life by Halle Bailey. To celebrate the release of the film, we partnered with Valencia Seuell, the founder of Elite 23 International, a non-profit Chicago-based organization dedicated to empowering and uplifting women and young girls around the world to send a group of young lades to see the film on opening weekend. Four of them then joined me on the podcast to share about their experiences watching the film and what the film taught them about life. Today on the podcast I’m joined by Caleigh, Sa’Mya, Ameri, and Kennedee. 

This episode does contain spoilers so if you haven’t had the opportunity to see the film yet, put this episode on pause and come back to it later. 

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Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard

Producers: Fredia Lucas, Ellice Ellis & Cindy Okereke

    Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. I'm your host, doctor Joy hard and Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much for joining me for a special bonus episode of Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into our conversation after a word from our sponsors. So many of us have been patiently waiting for the arrival of the live action remake of Disney's Little Mermaid. The nineteen eighty nine classic has finally sailed back to the big screen, but this time reimagined with a new leading lady, a black arial brought to life by Halle Bailey. In anticipation for the release of the film, our team here at Therapy for Black Girls wanted to sponsor a group of young black women to go see the film in theaters on the opening box office weekend. We partnered with Valencia Sewell, the founder of Elite twenty three International, a nonprofit Chicago based organization dedicated to empowering and uplifting women and young girls around the world. Founded on the principles of academic excellence, community involvement, and higher level thinking, Elite makes it a priority to ignite passion and leave a lifelong positive impact on the lives of many. We invited four young women from Elite to join us on the podcast to share their experience watching the film and what the film taught them about life. Today, I'm joined by Callie, Samaya Amari, and Kennedy. This episode does contain spoilers, so if you haven't had the opportunity to see the film yet, put this episode on pause and come back to it later. All right, y'all, thank you so much for joining me today. I'd love to start our conversation in here. Who did you go to the movies with to see The Little Mermaid?

    I went with my cousin and I went with her a LAK group and it was very cool. When I watched the movie. I went with my dad. I think it was very good.

    I think it was pretty good all over our family and obviously Lee Drew and this son. I was just taking my little heart away. I was just stating that this was.

    Like, wow, I will with my mom, my sister, and my cousin and obviously with the elite family. It was a good experience. I was my sister's first time seeing Area, and so I was happy she saw the black area and not the white area. I mean say watching, but.

    I okay, So next question, what was your favorite part about the movie.

    My favorite part was when Area steed up to her dad and showed that she was being mature enough to make her own dishes.

    My favorite part was the hair flip. It's because the sunset and the hair is gorgeous, and it's the hair flip for me is gorgeous.

    I think my favorite part has been either the skinna a party in World, because like I really just liked that, and the skinna but was.

    Really a bold one.

    My little part was probably I'll say, when she finally got to be with Eric. It looks like a beautiful scene, like all the mermaids were very watched her and send her off and her.

    Dad was like she was there for her.

    All such good answers. I can tell you all were really paying attention to this movie, So that makes me curious. Were there any lessons you learned while watching The Little Mermaid?

    I really think there's a lesson of about how mermaids and humans could really be.

    One a lesson I learned is that no matter how hard your parents trying to turn you down, talk about them about like what you truly want to do instead of going behind your backs. That's to see that has a bad turnouts in every situation, like in movies and in real life.

    The lesson I took from it was if you want something, you have to try really hard to get it because obviously nobody ohs though what you want as that as you do. So you have to fight really hard for what you want, no matter how hard it is or what the consequences might be afterwards, about what.

    You get what you want when you like.

    You all are so wise and I'm learning so much just listening to you talk about the movie. So would you recommend this movie to other families and to your friends?

    Yes, I would recommend it because I really think it's a feel good movie and it makes you kind of scared and it's true romance.

    Yeah, I would recommend this movie because, like it's all about what mermaids do stuff. It's really a good movie.

    Show you guys.

    Should watch it, and I love it so much.

    It's about a blood girl that's like stood up for yourself.

    I definitely would recommended movie.

    Like every day I.

    Go around to my friends telling them that they should go see this movie. If they haven't seen it already, they.

    Should took me with them to like.

    It's definitely full of a bunch of great songs, original and new.

    Yes, I honestly took to go watch this movie because it's holle Like. It's a black female planet aeral and there's not a lot of black females and black artists in general taking the role of a white.

    Movie and this area.

    Who wouldn't want to watch Area?

    So I just love how y'all clap and applaud each other's answers. This is such a great example of sisterhood in loving your friends. We definitely are big fans of the Black Area. I feel you on that one. A MARII Okay, So my next question, what would you ask Ariel if you could actually speak to her. What questions do we have for Ariel?

    I'll ask where did you guys go? At the end when she went on the boat, where did she go? Because I felt like she was just walking? I'm like, where are you going?

    Something?

    Shit? I heard it?

    If you had to go back and change one decision you made, what would that decision? That was actually nice?

    Honestly? What was she thinking when Nursela asked her did she want to become human?

    And how she leg?

    Because she was zoned out, and so I'm like, what was she really thinking? Because yes, wasn't her first answer.

    It was like I don't know.

    And then she was like, yeah, put.

    A curse on her.

    Yeah, that curse was no joke. Speaking of the curse and Ursula and all of that. All of that happened because Ariel was sneaking behind her father's back. What do you all think about Ariel hiding things from her father and sneaking around to do what she wanted to do.

    I don't really think that's a good idea because she wasn't supposed to go up to the top. But if she didn't go up to the top, she would have never met Eric. I think it was a bad idea, because like, why would you follow Ursula where she went? And she she was gonna take her voice and then turned her to get too leg and then she was gonna sell her voice for her to not talk to Eric.

    It was a bad decision because you really, even though he's so persisted, you really need to show him how bad that she wanted to be above the surface. And it comes with a lot of the responsibilities and the decisions that you have to think about as you get older.

    Obviously, parents are always right, no matter if you think they're wrong, they're always right. I feel like, like she said, she could have been persistent with I want to go out, Oh I'm not gonna I want to go up to the sea, and you know I was to get up to service and yeah, because at the end, she got legs without having a several voice or without all the bad things having to happen to her. So maybe if she just would have stayed underwire a little longer, she would have got her legs eventually without going through all of the stuff because now she got trouble.

    Mm. Parents are always right. I wonder how many families and kids listening feel the same way about that. So Ursula was definitely the bad girl in this movie. How do you all decide when someone can be trusted? How do you know when someone is trustworthy and when someone is actually dangerous?

    When somebody is dangerous, I would not trust them.

    How do you know if they're dangerous?

    I would have to learn their personality and how they act around people, and how kind they are and how respectful they are.

    Of my family.

    I don't trust dangerous people because like, you need to know them more if they're like dangerous or not, Like I need to know what they do or what they don't do or something like, like I need to know their personality and stuff. I need to know them, like.

    Oh, well, trust for me, touch from how you act around me and if you're sick. I feel like her trust came out of really feeling the need to do anything to give what she wants, or like eventually, after she said no, the fear person that she felt because that might have been her only chance to actually get legs and exploit.

    I would to say she really had trusted in Ursula. She doesn't really wanted.

    To have her legs to get to Harry, so it was more of a I do this to need this from me, So it wasn't really not trust and she doesn't want it legs at least still wasn't.

    Y'all are such a gift. I'm so glad you were able to see this movie, and I want to thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. I'm having such a great time with you, but we've got to wrap this up. I'm sure you've got homework to be doing before we say our goodbyes. I'd love for you all to share your name and one thing that you believe makes you unique.

    My name is Calli, and one way I'm unique, it's because not a lot of people go to tournaments, and I go to tournaments so long in the karate, gymnastics, dance, I'm very I'm very busy. My name is Samayah, and what makes me unique is like my style and stuff, and like I love everything about my style and stuff, everything I wear about it. My name is Kennedy.

    And one way that I'm unique is the spelling of my name, like it's na spell a little wire. I feel with to either at the end because that's the same way that my mother my name was a mine.

    Going that im is my Namemari because not everybody's spelled their name like me, and there's only one week, and I would think of the core sipons, so that's very special.

    I want to thank Valencia, Calli, Samaya, Amari and Kennedy for joining me for this episode. To learn more about the work Elite twenty three is doing, be sure to visit the show notes at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash Little Mermaid and be sure to text two of your girls to tell them to check out this episode as well. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, be sure to check out our therapist directory at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash directory. And if you want to continue digging into this topic or just be in community with other sisters, come on over and join us in the Sister Circle. It's our cozy corner of the Internet designed just for black women. You can join us at community dot Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. This episode was produced by Frieda. Lucas and Elised Ellis and editing was done by Dennison Bradford. We'll be back on Wednesday with our full episode, but until then, continue to take good care of yourself.

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