“Long before Disney introduced the family-friendly Ariel, mermaids were used in fantasy fiction as a safe representation of female sexuality, apropos for even the most puritanical of societies,” says Jean Bentley in Nerdist. Freeform’s new series “Siren” premieres at 8pm tonight, bringing mermaids to the screen in a more menacing form. Bentley elaborates, “These mermaids are fierce, terrifying predators who surface because overfishing has depleted their natural food source… and they’re hangry.”
“The mermaids in Siren have made their way to land because they want to find food. These aren’t sweet-singing creatures looking for true love—they’re terrifying predators who will lash out when they feel threatened. But mermaids throughout history have been portrayed as both chaste and as sexy temptresses who lead men to their deaths. (And they’re usually smokin’ hot, at least at first.)”
How Siren Flips the Mermaid Myth’s Relationship with Female Sexuality
