So hot yet so dumb; the first himbo crush of our childhoods (and the reason why we are all helpless himbosexuals as adults)

Little Mermaid is quietly radical in its tender “objectification” of the straightman, in which he is prized not by his mind or deeds(arguably archaic standards passed down from misogynist history) but purely for his beauty - the only worthwhile thing straightman has to offer.

In this way it sneakily subverts the language of the male gaze to all its non-straight male viewers. Miraculous that this semblance of female gaze was achievable by a mostly male group of artists.

LM paints the ideal portrait of a straightman to all non-straightmen: shown here he is happy to be rescued by a teenage girl(no toxic masculinity) while being unafraid of appreciating an excellent female vocal performance. How many straight men are transcendent enough to do this?

This is why Ariel is not shallow to pursue a man purely for his looks. The contemporary feeling lies in the placement of a mermaid (historically sexualized by men) reversing the gaze and declaring the only value that a man has is his fleeting beauty.