How Halle Bailey’s Dreadlocks Became Disney’s Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”

Bailey’s haircut is the work of hair stylist Camille Friend, who first visited the actress’s family. “I started to understand who she is and why it was important to keep her own hair,” she says Variety.

After all, Bailey’s role is a milestone: she is the first black actress to play Ariel and the first black princess in a Disney live-action film. Bailey plays the most famous redhead in the entertainment giant’s stable, but also wanted to be true to her own background.

“It was very important to me that my natural hair is in this film,” she said earlier. “I’ve had dreadlocks since I was five years old, so they’re a big part of who I am.” Disney and director Rob Marshall agreed, and now she’s the first Disney princess with dreadlocks. “We have to be able to see ourselves,” she says of women who look like her. “We need to be able to see our hair on big screens so we know it’s beautiful and more than acceptable.”

Hair stylist Friend was therefore determined not to use wigs and not to cut her hair. ,,Halle’s hair hangs down to her waist, they are more than two feet long. Then put a wig on her, looks weird.” The solution: she wrapped locks in three different shades of red around Bailey’s hair. That ‘wrapping’ took several hours and Halle was a ‘warrior’, says the hair artist.

“We didn’t have to cut or color her dreadlocks. We were able to change her hair color without changing the internal structure of her hair. That structure and her hair are hers.” The roots of Bailey’s hair were dyed, by the way. The ‘extra’ red hair was colored especially for the film and was over 76 centimeters long. “We probably spent at least 140,000 euros,” says the stylist. This was partly because the hair sometimes had to be removed and completely reapplied.

The water then presented another challenge: Ariel’s hair had to ‘dance’ in the water, but according to Friend dreadlocks don’t float and that was difficult. By adding loose pieces of hair, she was still able to achieve that effect.

The little mermaidin Dutch The little Mermaid, is a live action remake of the well-known animated film from 1989. The new version was an instant hit in America in recent days. The film received mixed reviews, including ⭐⭐⭐ on this site.

Images of overjoyed black girls who finally recognize themselves in a Disney princess have recently gone viral on the internet, but there is also protest. Against copying the movie classic itself, or because of Bailey’s casting.

Several public review sites warn users of bias, as they have been inundated with such large numbers of negative reviews that there may be foul play. News site Deadline speaks of ‘review-bombing’.

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