How to Become a Real Mermaid (Kinda)
Alright... I guess this post should be titled "How to become a Mermaid OR Merman," but whatever. As long as you know you can be a mer-lady or a mer-gent then we're good. You can be a merperson no matter your gender.
OKAY. With that out of the way, let's get to the good stuff. I'm starting a "How to Become a Mermaid" video series on YouTube. This is blog post to sum up the FIRST official video of the series, which tells of 4 different ways you can unleash your inner mer. Woot woot!!! I think I'm too excited about this video series...
Welcome to the 2018 Mermaid Transformation Series! (Watch Video Below)
What is the Mermaid Series about?
As you heard in the video above, this "Mermaid Transformation Series" is all about helping YOU to become a mermaid! Originally, I planned on having only 4 videos in the series... but there may or may not be a few bonus videos added on... Hehehe! We'll see!
The first official video of the series is a broad overview of the different ways you can "transform" yourself into a mermaid (or merman). These include ways you can develop your "Mermaid Soul," and ways you can change your appearance to announce to the world that you are a merperson. The video below will go into all of the details, so be sure to watch it AND subscribe so that you don't miss out on the remaining videos in the series.
How to Become a Mermaid: 4 Ways to Transform yourself into Mermaid (Watch Video Below)
4 Different Ways YOU can Become a Mermaid or Merman
Did you watch the video? I hope so! It will probably do a better job of explaining what I'm about to type about than I can explain through typing. (Have I confused you yet!?!?) In the above video, I mentioned that there are 4 Ways you can Become a Mermaid or Merman. As I hope you noticed in the video, I separate the transformation methods into two different categories: Spiritual Mermaid Transformation AND Physical Mermaid Transformations. What does that mean? Well... I'm going to outline everything for you below so that you can get a better understanding of what I mean and how you can best go about making yourself into a sea magical creature.
1. Do what Mermaids do!
And I DO NOT mean smoke "Sea Weed" or "drink [alcohol] like a fish." Gosh. True mermaids do not do stupid things like drugs or drink excessive amounts of alcohol!!! Those who do (humans and merms) have been misguided and have forgotten that their body and their soul ARE perfect without the interference created by such unnecessary mind-altering substances. Pity those who partake in recreational drug use, but do not believe the myth that "Real Mermaids Smoke Seaweed" or that mermaids should drink tons of alcohol. OKAY! I'll save that fire in my belly for another day! 🐉🔥
Let's move on to what real mermaids REALLY do!
One thing almost every mermaid or merman seem to have in common is that they are usually quite passionate about protecting their mer-homes. Chances are that if you're interested in mermaids, you are probably also interested in other sea creatures too, right? Well... something that you could do to help "awaken" your mermaid soul, is to start acting like mermaids do! Take it upon yourself to pick up trash off of the beaches. Make a point to recycle, take steps to reduce your waste, and try to reduce your overall "footprint" on this planet by becoming more environmentally conscious. If you're feeling extra generous, you can even donate to organizations that are focused on protecting sea creatures, assisting in oil spill clean ups and the like! Remember... our ENTIRE world is connected. The ocean is impacted by the rivers that flow into it, the pollutants and waste that make their way from dry-land to the bay, and the way humans care (or neglect to care) for the creatures and habitats both inside and OUTSIDE of the water.
To "Become a Mermaid," a first good step to take is to care for the world you live in and the creatures that you share this world with. Don't know where to start when it comes to developing your "Mermaid Soul?" Here are some ideas!
Simple ways to Help our Environment
- Pick up trash off of beaches and the side of the road and dispose of it properly.
- Make a point to recycle more and throw away less.
- Opt for Bio-Degradable Glitter instead of regular glitter (this is something I'm trying to do more of!)
- Challenge yourself to take showers LESS than 5 minutes long.
- When shopping, opt for paper bags rather than plastic. Better yet, use a reusable grocery bag!
- Turn off water, lights, your car, ect. when not in use.
- Don't have stupid conversations about foolish things... you're polluting our ozone layer by complaining about the things you'll never actually do anything about... like politics! (Okay, maybe this doesn't pollute our atmosphere, I'm just having fun with ya here! But it IS pointless to complain and not take action on things, am I right?!? Why do we all seem to do that...??? 🤣😅)
- Back to more serious things... walk when you can or carpool to get places.
- Encourage your friends and family members to become more environmentally conscious by leading by example (Nagging never works. DON'T do it!)
Marine-Focused Environmental Groups & Ways to Support Endangered Species
ScubaDiving.com has a GREAT list of Marine-Focused Environmental Groups you can donate to. In an effort to save myself the time it takes to copy and paste each end every one of the websites to this page, I'll just link you to the list that I found on their website! (I've been staring at this computer for far too long typing this. I'm goin' crazy!!)
MARINE FOCUSED ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS & PROJECTS: https://www.scubadiving.com/marine-conservation/list-non-profits-focused-marine-conservation
This is by no means a complete list. As a matter of fact, your local area may have its own conservation group(s) that you can find by looking up via the internet... or by bugging your local government offices. 😉
But please remember to do your research before donating to a cause. It is BEST to donate money to an organization who gives 100% (or close to that amount) of the profits to the cause... not to pay for employee vacations! Hahaha! Additionally, make sure that the organization you give to is a legit thing... not a scam! Ask around in the mermaid community, scuba diving community, ect. to learn more about the experiences others have had with the group you are considering donating your time or money to. ♥
2. Dress like a Mermaid
What do mermaids wear? A lot of mermaids and mermen like to dress themselves in things that remind them of their aquatic home-world. Oftentimes, you'll see merpeople wearing accessories made of seashells, fishing net fragments, glass pearls, and "seaweed" (decorative greenery from crafting stores... like sage, olive leaves, ferns, ect. made of plastic... since it is swimmable!). There are tons of places that you can buy seashell bras, nautical necklaces and the like. For example... I sell one-of-a-kind swimmable jewelry on my Etsy store from time-to-time. In case you want to take a look, here is my website:
My Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/themagiccrafter
There are countless other places to buy mer-gear too. If you would like to know of 79 Different Mermaid Themed Gifts to buy for a friend (or yourself) then I highly suggest that you check out the blog post posted below.
79 Things to Buy for Mermaid Lovers: http://www.themagiccrafter.com/blog/11/22/2017/what-to-buy-for-someone-who-loves-mermaids-79-christmas-gift-ideas
Not everything listed above is mer-clothing... but some of it certainly is! Dressing like a mermaid is a great way to really "transform" yourself into a sea creature without the hassle of trying to flop around with a tail on land. It is also a great gate-way into becoming a full-blown mermaid. Once you start wearing sea-themed clothing and accessories, it makes it much less awkward to buy a mermaid tail too... since people will already associate you with mermaidiness.♥
If you are an artistic person, you can totally make your own mermaid accessories too! Here is a playlist of videos that will teach you how to make your own beautiful mermaid attire.
3. Buy a Swimmable Mermaid Tail
What is the biggest thing that separates mermaids from humans? Their tails! One of the easiest ways to make yourself look and feel like a mermaid (or merman) is to purchase a mermaid tail. Now, there are a TON of different options for buying mermaid tails. Some are swimmable, some are decorative and some are cozy blankets. I'm guessing you're most interested in the swimmable tails, right? Awesome. Thought so! I'm not going to cover all of the places you can buy a mermaid tail in this blog post, but II will mention a few different types of mermaid tails. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting ALL of the places you can buy tails though... so be sure you're checking in often! ♥
Anyways... I have been writing this blog post for too long. Geez I am tired. Let me talk about different types of mermaid tails now, m'kay?
Fabric Mermaid Tails
Fabric mermaid tails are the BEST option to go with if you're new to life as a mermaid. Fabric mermaid tails are made of swim-suit material that is pulled over a monofin. Usually, the monofins that go along with fabric tails are meant for beginners and don't have as much power as professional monofins (there are some exceptions though). Fabric tails are relatively inexpensive and tend to cost about $100-$400 dollars... give or take a couple of bucks. Factory made tails are going to be much less expensive than tails that are made-to-order by Etsy Sellers, but tails that are custom made WILL be 100% one-of-a-kind, unlike most tails from Big-Name stores.
In addition to being one of the least expensive swimmable mermaid tail options, fabric mermaid tails are also much easier to care for and wear than some of the other tails. Although their level of realism isn't quite up there with the other tail types, fabric tails still are beautiful! (I still wear mine for pleasure swimming!)
Neoprene Mermaid Tails
I do not own a Neoprene Mermaid Tail, although I'm very interested in trying one! These tails are made of a sort of foam-like material called "Neoprene" (duh). Neoprene is the go-to material for making wet-suits for scuba-diving and for in-the-water-human-insulation. Because of the higher-quality material used to make these tails, they are both more expensive AND more durable than traditional fabric mermaid tails. Expect to pay an upward of $300 USD for one of these beauties! ♥
I'll be talking more about Neoprene Tails in a couple of weeks, so make sure you're subscribed to my YouTube channel (CLICK HERE) so that you don't miss that video!
Silicone Mermaid Tails
Silicone mermaid tails... ah. Don't you just LOVE silicone mermaid tails??? ♥ I own one of these bad-boys! My silicone mermaid tail is named "Sparda," because I am a die-hard old-school Devil May Cry fan. ♥ Hehehe!
Silicone mermaid tails are EXTREMELY realistic looking. Honestly, there really isn't a more realistic looking type of mermaid tail on the market right now. With that intense beauty comes a big price, however. Depending on the TYPE of silicone mermaid tail you are purchasing (there are "hybrid tails, or extremely elaborate ones too), you're looking at a bill of around $1,000-$6,000+ USD for your tail. Are they worth the money? Ehh... read this before considering one: ARE SILICONE MERMAID TAILS REALLY WORTH THE MONEY
It is important to note that even if you DO have tons of cash to spend on a silicone tail, you should NOT buy one unless you have practiced swimming in other tails for a good chunk of time AND are a strong swimmer. These tails weigh a lot (25lbs-50lbs+), are very difficult to put on (it takes about 10-20 minutes to get dressed!) and require a lot of care. You can learn more about caring for your silicone mermaid tail by clicking here: HOW TO CLEAN A SILICONE MERMAID TAIL
Sequin Mermaid Tails
I got to see my very first Sequin mermaid tail in person at Mermaid MegaFest 2018. OH MY GOODNESS IT WAS GORGEOUS! Sequin tails are stunning. They usually have a neoprene base with hundreds (thousands?) of colorful sequins sewn into them. Some have silicone fins too! They are super, super pretty but take SO much time to make that not very many people sell them. (I'll be covering a few that do in an up-and-coming video though... so keep an eye on the YouTube Channel!) From what I understand, sequin tails are relatively difficult to get into, are quite delicate and gosh-darned expensive (and they should be!). Still... there is nothing else quite like them. Although they run about $5,000+ USD, they are stunning and I want one really badly. REALLY BADLY!!!! 🤣
Latex Mermaid Tails
Do people even sell Latex Mermaid Tails anymore? Ummm... I'm still on the hunt for a Latex Tail-Maker for details... They look a bit like silicone mermaid tails, but since they are made of Latex rather than high-quality silicone, they are less expensive from what I recall. With that being said, I really don't recommend them. Personally, I swell up and become a ball of itchy-burningness if I come into contact with latex. A lot of other people have similar reactions too. Because of this, you risk buying a tail you may develop an allergy too and therefore be unable to wear... OR some poor child with a latex allergy may hug all over you and risk having a nasty reaction. Yuck.
I'll try to gather more information on these for a future video, but until then... I'll just leave you with the suggestion to avoid Latex Tails altogether.
4. Have an Artist Turn you into a Mermaid!
I recently had an artist turn me into a mermaid and it was AWESOME! You can ask independent artists and Etsy Sellers, like Whimsy Pieces (CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT HER STORE) to transform you into a mermaid with their artistic skills! Try searching places like DeviantArt and Etsy to find artists who offer commissions. This is not only a great way to help develop what you would like your "Mersona" to look like, but also helps support independent artists and fellow Magic Crafters! ♥
Mermaid Transformation? 3, 2, 1... GO!
Alright, alright... so none of these methods will REALLY turn you into a magical creature that breathes underwater... but these techniques are as close as anyone will get until we discover some magical mermaid potion! (If you figure one out, let me know! 😉)
Did you find this helpful? If you did, I would love to know 2 things...
FIRST: What technique(s) did you find most helpful and would consider using to turn yourself into a mermaid/merman?
SECOND: Describe your Mersona to me!!! I want to hear all about what your tail would look like, what your hair color is, where your habitat is, ect. ect. BLOW UP THE COMMENTS!!!!
Thank you to the moon and back for reading this! ♥ Happy swimming! ♥♥♥
XOXO ~ Mermaid Phantom