Given mermaidcore, Netflix and Halle Bailey, how are mermaids faring today?
Copenhagen’s famous The Little Mermaid statue was unveiled in 1913 to commemorate the beloved fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. Photo credit: hoangnt.
For centuries, people have been captivated by mermaids. While, in recent decades, they’ve been confined to children’s animations, story books and fairy tales, a new twist on the classic myth has emerged - modern-day mermaids.
With a fashion trend, Halle Bailey’s Ariel and a new Netflix documentary making waves, it’s clear that the allure of mermaids is stronger than ever.
But what defines a modern-day mermaid, and how have they transformed and adapted to the 21st century?
A Mermaid on oil by John William Waterhouse (1900), said to be the inspiration for the mermaids we see today. Photo credit.
“In one form or another, mermaids appear in virtually all cultures past and present,” said Skye Alexander, author of Mermaids: The Myths, Legends and Lore (2012).
Whether under the guise of the Irish and Scottish selkies or in the European novella Undine (1811), incarnations of the fish-tailed creatures weave throughout history.
Perceptions of mermaids hit a turning point with Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, which painted a tragic figure unable to survive in the human world but longing to. John William Waterhouse and other Victorian-era painters also contributed to the mermaids of today.
They’ve been constant ever since. But why?
“Some researchers theorise that we’re drawn to the dichotomy of light and dark that mermaids embody.” Alexander said. “Simultaneously desirable and dangerous. They can bring good luck or disaster. Seafarers have long swapped stories about mermaids charming sailors with their heavenly singing, then smashing their ships and drowning the hapless seamen.
Mermaid myths usually depict these sensuous sirens with a dual nature–they can be benevolent or malevolent, depending on what mood they’re in at any given time.”
Despite their eternal relevance, mermaids are dominating the cultural landscape this year in ways they haven’t before via music, documentaries and a live-action Disney adaptation.
Ripples began when ‘mermaidcore’ emerged around a year ago. Dubbed the trend of this summer by Seventeen, the aesthetic refers to turquoise shades, jewellery made from shells and light, floaty fabrics. There are 251.6M videos beneath the TikTok hashtag, branching outside fashion into home, beauty, and lifestyle. The modern mermaid is a fashion trend.
Some take the lifestyle part more seriously than others. The subject of a recent Netflix documentary, “MerPeople” are not fish-tailed creatures but real-life men and women who create elaborate tails and perform underwater, swimming in oceans, lakes, and pools worldwide.
Mermaid-ing combines whimsy with athleticism. Performers purchase or fashion their own tails, intricately decorated with sequins and scales, to perform at parties and events, creating new opportunities in the entertainment industry. Mermaid-themed businesses and schools, like Mermaids Scotland, teach the craft and make the modern mermaid, to an extent, part of reality.
With mermaids currently at the heart of the media landscape, there’s never been a better time for Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey.
The actress is breathing new life into Ariel, from the 1989 Disney classic. But, Hans Christian Andersen’s original source material was drastically different.
“Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is a much darker story than the cleaned-up, happy-ever-after version Disney gave us,” Alexander said. “After deciding she wants to marry the prince she rescued, the mermaid must sacrifice her beautiful voice, have her tongue cut out, and her tail transformed into legs and feet (which cause her great pain with each step she takes).
Furthermore, she can never return to her home in the sea as a mermaid. Even so, the prince ends up marrying someone else.”
A copy of Skye Alexander’s book, Mermaids: The Myths, Legends & Lore (2012) which provides further information on mermaids and their mythology. Photo credit: Lauren Burns.
When asked about the adaptation and its casting, Alexander said: “Disney’s recent release of The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey breaks the tradition of showing the mermaid as Caucasian. But she’s hardly the first Black mermaid. African and Caribbean deities included the powerful fertility goddess/mermaids Mami Wata, Yemaja, Oshun, and Lasirèn.”
Compared to her mythological ancestors, Alexander believes the modern mermaid is a demure figure. She said: “Hollywood and Madison Avenue have tamed the modern mermaid. Her mystique has diminished––she’s no longer rare, she’s commonplace. Disney denatured her…unlike her sultry, siren ancestors, the modern mermaid is safe, sweet, bland, and a bit silly.”
Whether or not they’re “silly and sweet”, the idea of a “mermaid” is slowly evolving. As mermaids are no longer just the stuff of storybooks, they are jumping off the pages, now existing in film, fashion, and reality.
Comments