Mock vs. the Mermaid: A Cultural Analysis of Physical Femininity and Identity

Abstract

Redefining Realness, the biography of journalist and transgender advocate, Janet Mock, vividly describes the author’s transition from poverty to financial success, male to female, and insecurity to self-assuredness. Mock is horrified at the responses she has gathered from the media and society alike, both of which choose to see her only as a transgender woman to be analyzed and valued only for her sexual and physical being. On the other hand, a lasting legend of physical transition is heralded as romantically heroic. Ariel, dubbed “The Little Mermaid” by Disney in 1989, choose to temporarily trade her voice for legs, allowing her to walk on land and follow her lifelong dreams. For this, she is glorified by young girls and sold as a product celebrating her journey. My essay closely examines the correlation between two emblematic narratives that reveal the questionable societal standard of females achieving their ideal identities.