By Devynne Honsa Contributor
They are everywhere: in movies, makeup, fashion, food, even on your Starbucks cup. Of course, I’m talking about mermaids, the glittery, effortless beauties that capture every Coachella girl’s attention once the weather starts heating up. But why is the obsession with these creatures so prevalent, and why do we want to emulate them so much?
The desire to look and act like a mermaid isn’t new. For centuries, we have been fascinated by the beauty and story of mermaids. Dating back to ancient Greece, stories of mermaids were shared, with people calling them marvelous beauties who could calm the waters of the ocean, or evil manipulators who would create storms that would doom sailors and ships alike.
The association between the mermaid and the beach is a huge part of the popularity of the creature today.
The mermaid identity has been a contradiction for hundreds of years, on the paradigm of either a delicate, helpless fish-woman whose beauty entices others for miles, or a violent, devious creature who uses her beauty to trick and kill men of the sea.
Today, we have bars with actors playing mermaids and swimming in fish tanks to entertain customers. We have people gluing pounds of glitter and seashells to themselves to look like they just crawled out of the ocean. The identity of the mermaid is now one of calmness, glitter and beauty. And what would the mermaid be without the pairing of her home?
The association between the mermaid and the beach is a huge part of the popularity of the creature today. When summer comes and beach days are right around the corner, the mermaid obsession rears its head again. The word “mermaid” has become synonymous with beach beauty, so it has become a trademark for summer makeup and fashion. As it gets hotter, everyone will gravitate closer to the coast and you’ll notice mermaid-esque items everywhere you turn.
Essentially, if you add blue food coloring and glitter to something, it can be a mermaid delicacy.
And the obsession isn’t restricted to the beauty industry. Tails and scales have moved into our food, with things like the Mermaid Frappuccino and mermaid avocado toast. Essentially, if you add blue food coloring and glitter to something, it can be a mermaid delicacy. I recently even learned how to create a mermaid martini — so now, you can really drink like a fish.
Every year, someone predicts that the mermaid trend will start to fade, but its 2018, and I’m not letting go of my tail and glitter yet. Some people don’t vibe with the mermaid trend; they think the glitter and effort involved is too much work for not enough payoff. However, the desire to replicate the mermaid’s beauty and vibe continues to arise each summer, and I for one am delighted. I mean, who doesn’t love covering their body in glitter and getting the perfect spray tan for your day at the beach?
