50 influential fictional women in nerd history

Ariel

Ever have weird things you want to collect and you worry people might find you weird, too? Well, if you did, then you probably related to Ariel. Or if you just wanted some kind of life that was different from what you know, then you definitely loved The Little Mermaid growing up.

The thing about Ariel is that she loves things from the human world. Yes, a lot of her storyline is about how she’s trying to get Eric to fall in love with her, but she still is a fully formed character. So often we focus on the love aspect of the princesses, but Ariel is still a character with desires outside of Prince Eric.

After all, she has an entire treasure trove of her discoveries before she even sees him on the ship. Ariel can and does exist without a man, and that is so wonderful to see. So yes, sometimes we have to ignore the fact that her entire story eventually becomes about Eric to appreciate the beginning. She is fun, she has a fish friend, and she goes on adventures.

What isn’t to love about Ariel in the first few moments of The Little Mermaid? I’d comb my hair with a fork.