The Little Mermaid has captured the hearts of millions from the moment she made a big splash on the silver screen in the legendary year of 1989. She started the Disney Renaissance, amazed critics, and brought home Academy Awards, Golden Globes and a Grammy. She is all over the Disney parks, with her castle in the Magic Kingdom, a fountain in Shanghai, a themed land in Tokyo, and two rides in the USA. Children adore her, boys admire her, millennial women have a strong nostalgia for her. She is funny, outgoing and, according to some, a "feminist's worst nightmare". Ariel is one of the most adored of all the Disney Princesses, and is also the most heavily criticized. There are so many arguments to be made both for her and against her that I have spent months trying to conceive this article. So, let's dive right into it. Is Ariel a good role model? One criticism is that she disobeyed her father, and was rewarded for it in the end. This could be concerning because it co...