Halle Bailey Reacts to Kaavia’s The Little Mermaid Costume

The Union-Wade family is getting into the Halloween spirit extra early this year. On Oct. 1, Gabrielle Union shared footage of her and Dwyane Wade’s 3-year-old daughter, Kaavia, dressed to the nines as Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” and she has that princess energy down to a science.

In one Instagram video, Kaavia kicks back on a lounge chair, strikes poses, and dances on a seaside deck while wearing a purple swimsuit top and green iridescent mermaid tail that makes it a bit tricky for her to walk. In another clip posted on Twitter, she dramatically flips the strands of her bright red wig as her dad calls her “so beautiful” in the background. Union hilariously captioned the moment, “Watches @HalleBailey in the trailer for #LittleMermaid exactly one time and… #RepresentationMatters.”

Bailey herself, who’s set to portray Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action “The Little Mermaid,” shared her approval for Kaavia’s outfit, reposting a video on Twitter and writing, “i’m obsessed with her.” Tons of other celebrities chimed in with well-deserved praise, too. Ludacris simply commented with a crown emoji, Jeannie Mai Jenkins wrote, “My heart… I see a sequel already,” and John Boyega added, “So cute lmao love her.” Yep, we agree with all of the above.

Last month, Disney dropped the teaser for its “The Little Mermaid” adaptation, offering a glimpse at Bailey singing the iconic track “Part of Your World” with her red locs on full display. Since then, parents of young Black girls have shared viral clips of their daughters reacting to the footage, proving that on-screen representation matters. One mom posted a TikTok of her 3-year-old excitedly watching the trailer, captioned, “When your favorite Disney princess looks like you.” We have a feeling Kaavia is the first of many to channel Ariel this Halloween.

@gabunion

Kicking off Halloween right! #LittleMermaidReaction #MermaidTiktok #RepresentationMatters

♬ original sound – Broadway Direct