A Little Mermaid classic has come under fire post-#MeToo

‘Kiss The Girl’ from Disney film The Little Mermaid is being blasted for its “problematic”, “misogynistic” and “sexist” lyrics.

The track soundtracks the scene where Prince Eric is encouraged to kiss Ariel, who needs a kiss from him to gain her voice back.

According to some, lyrics like She don’t say a word / And she won’t say a word / Until you kiss that girl apparently offer a worrying message about consent.

Writer Noa Wollstein said it delivers a “heteronormative attack on women’s right to oppose the romantic and sexual liberties taken by men”.

Much of the backlash was sparked when an all-male capella group from Princeton University in the US received multiple complaints after they performed ‘Kiss The Girl’. The group has since pulled the song from their performances.

Writer Noa Wollstein, who writes a column in the Daily Princetonian, said the track “is more misogynistic and dismissive of consent than cute” and that “by performing the song multiple times each semester, the Tigertones elevate it to an offensive and violating ritual.”

Watch the scene for ‘Kiss The Girl’ below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axZ6mG__ZqU

Disney has not responded to the criticism.

‘Kiss The Girl’ is the latest classic song to come under fire following Tarana Burke‘s watershed #MeToo movement.

The Christmas song ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ was pulled from a few Canadian radio stations, while the animated film Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer was lambasted over its “abusive and problematic” themes.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.