The Little Mermaid Feminist Analysis Essay

The Little Mermaid – Feminist Analysis
When interpreting The Little Mermaid from a feminist theory perspective, it becomes clear that a beauty of a female lies in her appearance and matters above all else. In the fairy-tale, the little mermaid falls in love with a prince, but she cannot be with him because he is human and she is not. The little mermaid cannot be with him until she makes the modifications needed to achieve her desired look, which is done by sacrificing what she had previously valued.
Before she even meets the prince, the little mermaid was taught that being beautiful on the outside is very important, even if it is not comfortable or pleasing. When the little mermaid grew up, her grandmother gives her pearls to wear. The little mermaid feels pain wearing them but her grandmother replies “"Yes, I know; pride must suffer pain." This foreshadows that in the future the little mermaid will have to go out of her way in
This fairy-tale is showcasing that in order for a man to love a woman, she must be pretty. In reality that is not true. The little mermaid falls in the love with the prince, not knowing anything about him other than his appearance and royalty. The little mermaid displays that the beauty of the body is the most important trait a woman can have when trying to catch the attention of a male. When she decides to change herself by becoming a human, she gives up her perfect voice and the ability to ever to see her family again. This is all done to for the attention of a male which is not right. The prince did not have to do anything to obtain the love of the little mermaid. The little mermaid is the female and must earn the attention of a man. This is only done through being pretty because other traits do not matter in this