Halle Bailey Channels Ariel In Latest Instagram Photo Dump

Actress and singer Halle Bailey continues to channel her inner Ariel, a year after she portrayed the Disney character in the live-action version of "The Little Mermaid."

Her portrayal of the beloved character received widespread acclaim, with many praising her powerful singing voice and emotional depth. Bailey's performance brought a fresh perspective to the iconic role.

Halle Bailey's portrayal of Ariel emphasizes themes of empowerment and self-discovery, resonating with both new audiences and longtime fans of the original animated film.

The singer took a few pictures during a day at sea. Dressed in a blue and white bikini top adorned with a star on each side, she was preparing for a scuba diving adventure. In the second photo, she donned her full scuba suit and struck a pose for one last shot before diving in.

"Swimming in another ocean," she captioned the post, which received over 518k likes and more than 1k comments.

"The Little Mermaid 2 - Return To The Sea," one user wrote, suggesting Bailey should reprise her role as Aiel in a second live-action film.

Another fan called the actress a "Mermother."

"Our Ariel," a third commented.

This isn't the first time Halle Bailey channeled her inner mermaid. Last week, the actress wore a black velvet minidress that sparkled with gold flower-shaped details on the bra and featured a stylish cutout on the bodice to the ESPYs. Her outfit was finished off with strappy black heels and gold flower earrings.

The dress is from Raisa Vanessa’s fall 2024 ready-to-wear collection. It fits Bailey's figure beautifully, and many have noted its subtle homage to Ariel, the character she played in the live-action Disney film "The Little Mermaid."

Before Bailey's casting, only one other Black actor had portrayed a Disney princess—Anika Noni Rose as the voice of Tiana in "The Princess and the Frog." As a result, Bailey recognized the significance of breaking barriers by stepping into Ariel's role.

“I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special and that they should be a princess in every single way,” Bailey told Variety. “There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be. That reassurance was something that I needed.”

The actress then reflected on her own childhood and what it would have meant to see a Black Disney princess on her screen. “What that would have done for me, how that would have changed my confidence, my belief in myself, everything,” Bailey said. “Things that seem so small to everyone else, it’s so big to us.”

Bailey first saw herself as Ariel during her screen test, when costume designer Colleen Atwood visited her home.

“Have you ever seen that Hilary Duff movie where she has a twin and she’s thrown into a room to put on all these clothes?” Bailey giggled as she compared the fitting to a scene from 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie,' where Duff tries on various outfits in an avant-garde fashion show.

“I felt like that," she added.

The "Let It Shine" actress welcomed her first child, Halo, with DDG in December 2023, but she didn’t publicly announce the birth until January.

“Even though we’re a few days into the new year, the greatest thing that 2023 could have done for me was bring me my son. Welcome to the world, my Halo. The world is desperate to know you,” Bailey shared on social media at the time.

In the weeks after giving birth, Bailey opened up about her postpartum journey.

"I just wanted to speak a little bit about my postpartum journey as a new mom," the actress said in a video on her social media. "I have severe, severe postpartum [depression], and I don't know if any new moms can relate, but it's to the point where it's really bad, and it's hard for me to be separated from my baby for more than 30 minutes at a time before I start to kind of freak out."