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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 2022)
Page 20 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC July 4, 2022 Fin-tastic! Growing “mermaiding” subculture makes a splash By Kristen Gelineau The Associated Press S YDNEY — There was a pivotal moment in Queen Pangke Tabora’s life that eclipsed all others: It was the moment, she says, when she first slid her legs into a mermaid tail. For the transgender Filipina woman approaching mid- dle age, seeing her legs encased in vibrant, scaly-looking neoprene three years ago was the realization of a childhood dream. And it marked the beginning of her immersion into a watery world where she would find acceptance. The former insurance company worker described the experience of gliding under water, half-human and half-fish, as “meditation in motion.” “The feeling was mermai-zing,” Tabora said one recent morning while lounging in a fiery red tail on a rocky beach south of Manila, where she now teaches mermaiding and freediving full-time. “The world outside is really noisy and you will find peace under water. It’s a good skill in the real world, especially during the pandemic.” Across the world, there are thousands more merfolk like her — at its simplest, humans of all shapes, genders, and backgrounds who enjoy dressing up as mermaids. In recent years, a growing number have gleefully flocked to mermaid conventions and competitions, formed local groups called “pods,” and poured their savings into a multimillion-dollar mermaid tail industry. On a planet plagued by war, disease, and social upheaval, many merfolk have found life in the water a refuge. Perhaps Sebastian, the ornery crab in the 1989 film The Little Mermaid, said it best in his warning to land-loving mermaid Ariel: “The human world, it’s a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there!” Away from the critics and chaos of life on land, mer-world is the kinder, gentler, and more joyful alternative to the real world. It is also a world, merfolk MER-MANIA. The mermaid tail of Queen Pangke Tabora, left photo, rests as a freediving class is conducted at the Ocean Camp in Mabini, Batangas province, the Philippines on May 22, 2022. Across the world, there are thousands more merfolk like her — at its simplest, humans of all shapes, gen- ders, and backgrounds who enjoy dressing up as mermaids. Pictured in the right photo is Filipina Jennica Secuya swimming in her mermaid suit during a mermaiding class in Mabini, the Philippines. (AP Photos/Aaron Favila) say, where you can be whoever and whatever you Monique says. The lure of mermaiding is clear from the Montreal home want. That openness attracts some transgender people who of Marielle Henault, which is stuffed to the gills with empathize with Ariel’s agony of being trapped in a body mermaid tails. The AquaMermaid CEO sells them to that feels wrong. It is also inspiring to merfolk like Che “mers” the world over. Monique, the Washington, D.C.-based founder of the “When you put your mermaid tail on at the beach or Society of Fat Mermaids, which promotes body-positive pool, you become a superstar,” says Henault, whose mermaiding. company runs mermaiding schools across Canada and the “I’m a 300-pound Black mermaid in America over 35, United States. “Kids and adults, everybody’s happy to see and hopefully that tells somebody they can do whatever a mermaid!” they want to do,” says Monique, whose group sells shirts When mermaiding first started to catch on, most tails that read “Fat mermaids make waves” and “Gender is for sale were custom-made silicone creations that weigh fluid under the sea.” “Sure, on the one hand it is really up to 50 pounds, cost upwards of $6,000, and take a silly,” she says, “but I’ve watched it change people’s lives.” surprising amount of time and lubricant to wrestle into. After all, the ocean is vast, she notes, and most of the But over the past few years, the increasing availability of planet is covered in water. So why not dive in? cheaper, lighter fabric options opened up mermaiding to “I think there’s room under the sea for all of us,” the wider public. As mermaiding went mainstream, glamorous photos of mermaids resplendent in glitzy tails began gaining traction on social media, further fuelling mer-mania. An obsession with The Little Mermaid is common among merfolk, and there is anticipation of a fresh wave of mermaiding interest when a live action reboot of the film is released next year. Still, merfolk acknowledge their almost-utopia is occasionally rocked by stormy seas. As mermaiding’s popularity has risen, so too has the prevalence of creeps known as “merverts” and scammers who sell non-existent tails, says Kelly Hygema, creator of the Facebook group “Mermaids Beware: Scammers, Merverts, & More.” “Being mermaids, it’s a predominantly women- dominated hobby and profession ... so of course that does attract attention from strangers on the internet,” says Hygema, who lives on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas. “Most of the time it’s just creepy comments, like they want to see you without the tail on or hold your breath underwater.” Hygema advises merfolk to always have a trusted companion, or “mertender,” while performing in a tail. “With your legs bound, you can’t really run away, so it’s important to have that set of legs there to make sure you’re OK,” she says. Swimming in the tails takes practice. A mermaid’s mastery of the dolphin kick is key, along with equalization techniques to alleviate ear pressure under water. PADI, SSI, and NAUI, the world’s major scuba diving certification organizations, now offer mermaid courses. There’s even a World Mermaid Championship, last held in China in 2019, which featured 70 mermaids flipping and posing in a giant glass tank before a panel of pensive judges. Mermaid conventions (“Mercons”) are now held globally. In May, more than 300 merfolk from across the U.S. and Canada attended the California Mermaid Convention, which was, as convention co-founder Rachel Smith described it, “a three-day ‘shell-ebration’ of everything mermaid.” (Note: The mermaid community is awash in puns.) Member FDIC For most merfolk, it’s all a little tongue-in-cheek. But it’s also meaningful. Floating in the Sacramento pool where fellow attendees of the California convention had gathered, Merman Maui summed up the importance of the community this way: “I have a new family with all these people.” Let’s create tomorrow, together. “Life is so much better when you learn to have just a little bit of fun, or a lot bit of fun, because we all believe in bannerbank.com/home-loans magic at some point,” Maui says. “A lot of times, life can get pretty dull and boring. So why not just enjoy every aspect of it that you can?” Associated Press journalist Serginho Roosblad in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report. OFF THE CLOCK You’ve worked hard to buy a place of your own, and for the time to enjoy it. Live your dream with the right home loan.
