“Splashed and Trashed! 🌊😱 Ursula’s Makeover in ‘The Little Mermaid’ Causes Tidal Wave of Controversy 🧜♀️💄”
TL;DR; 👀: The sea is turning stormy for “The Little Mermaid” remake as the makeup maestro behind Ursula’s look has been hit by a tidal wave of criticism. Oscar-winning makeup artist Peter King, responsible for Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula, has faced backlash from some in the drag community questioning why a queer artist wasn’t chosen for a character inspired by the iconic drag queen, Divine. All this is sending salty sea spray all over the Twittersphere. 🌊👩🎨🐙💔
Deep Dive 🐠🔍:
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the most villainous of them all? For fans of “The Little Mermaid,” the answer is Ursula, the dastardly sea witch. But the latest incarnation of Ursula, courtesy of Peter King’s makeup artistry for the live-action remake, is causing more than a few eyebrows to be raised higher than the ocean’s tide.
Peter King, a bonafide Oscar winner no less, is surfing some choppy waters following backlash over his work on Ursula, the character Melissa McCarthy is bringing to life in her own flamboyant style. The primary undercurrent of this backlash is the contention from several drag queens that Disney should have hired a queer artist for a character inspired by the iconic drag queen Divine from the 1989 animated film. The sea witch’s new look has sparked debates that are hotter than a mermaid’s sunburn. ☀️🧜♀️😓
King, taken aback by the turbulent criticism, told Insider: “I find that very offensive. Why can’t I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?” A fair question, isn’t it? And yet, the Twitterverse has been less than forgiving. Sierra La Puerta, a drag queen herself, took to Twitter to question King’s makeup skills. 🤔💄🔥
Melissa McCarthy, the star of the show, has publicly voiced her love for drag and stated her belief that Ursula must’ve been based on Divine. However, King insists that his design wasn’t directly inspired by Divine but was an original work. This begs the question: does an artist need to embody the lifestyle and culture of their subject to capture their essence accurately? Or can they, like a chameleon, adapt and understand a world beyond their own? 🎭🎨🌈
Finally, King explained that he and McCarthy had discussions about his design and that it wasn’t based on any drag acts. Still, it seems that this hasn’t placated the critics who believe the Ursula’s makeup could have been more fabulous with a queer artist behind the brush.
While we’re all at sea about the situation, it’s clear that this controversy is shining a spotlight on representation within the film industry. 📽️🏳️🌈🔦 But how important is it for an artist to share the lived experiences of their characters? And can a truly talented artist capture a character’s essence without having a direct, personal connection to that character’s background?
Now, over to you, deep-sea divers of the internet! Do you think Ursula’s look is a total shipwreck, or is it a fabulous flurry of underwater glamour? 💅🌊🛳️ Should Disney have hired a queer makeup artist for the job, or is talent the only true currency in the world of movie makeup? We
