The Best and Worst Things said to you as a Merfolk

[AniaR]

I am planning a future vlog/blog and I want to know, what is the worst/meanest thing someone has said to you as a merfolk, and what is the BEST thing someone has said to you? It could be an internet troll leaving a stupid youtube comment, and a client leaving a great review! Maybe it was an insensitive familymember judging your interest, and then someone else really supporting it! We're going to talk about how to handle the bad stuff, and how to celebrate the good stuff. :) But it works best with a few sincere examples!
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Thanks!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I've had more nice compliments than nasty ones. That which only had one nasty comment at my other pool, before I moved house. The one about race, and how she said something like, "mermaids aren't chinese". This was a parent! Should know better than to disappoint her little one.

Always get, parents saying, "What a beautiful mermaid!" Even the swim teachers are excited to see me!

[AniaR]

thank you for sharing!

[MermaidLiara]

IThe one about race, and how she said something like, "mermaids aren't chinese". This was a parent!

Unbelievable. Some people are so incredibly shallow.

[The Water Phoenix]

I've had my share of nice comments too :) One time when I was swimming with my Magictail before I grew out of it, this girl came up to me and asked me where I got the tail :) I was more than happy to tell her!

[Marlin]

I had some redneck kid threaten to fillet me. That ended when I got out of the water for a break and he realized I was twice his size on land. Ending on a brighter note- had some real nice lifeguards at Alexander springs talk about how cool she thought we were and when she went on break came and swam with us.

[Ligeia]

One of the best comments is actually an adorable story. While I was training in my local lake this past summer, this little boy came up to me in the water and told me I was "butterful." It took everything I had not to just laugh and give him hugs. He was only about six or seven. He asked to touch my tail and even wanted to be a merman. His parents went along with me being a real mermaid and then proceeded to ask me about where I got the tail, what a monofin was...the whole shebang. It was a blast - but it didn't end there.

I was working in retail at the time and recognized the mother (she had lovely tattoos). While I was helping her, I hear this half gasp, half scream down the aisle and a boy yell, at the top of his lungs, "MERMAID!" I panicked, because I had no clue what I was supposed to do, how to respond - any of it! So he comes charging up at me, questioning why I don't have my tail, why I have legs and am working. The whole nine yards. So I just popped off the first thing I could think of.

I told him that I could shed my fin and regrow it when I needed to. That I had legs and a job so the humans wouldn't suspect anything and find out my secret. He got excited and whispered that he wouldn't tell anyone my secret. Then he called me "butterful" again and gave me a hug. His dad came up, asking him what was going on and he looked at me, grinned and said "nothing" before barrelling towards the games.

Fun times. I got some entertaining questions from my co-workers!

[Mermaid Momo]

Best comments:
Little girl to her friend: she isn't real, mermaids have blonde hair or look like ariel.

Her dad: sweet heary she's real.

* i reached out my hand out for her to feel, her dad shows her that he can touch my hand so then she touches it and starts crying*
Dad: what's wrong???
Girl: SHE'S REAL!

And the worst from some random guy at the same pool party as the little girl(said to my mertender/fiance as he finished pulling me out of the pool): "so do you like always do doggy style or.... How does that work?"

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[Mermaid Fenicia]

One of the most comments that I get (mostly from grownups) is that mermaids are skinny and that I'm to fat to be one.
And one of the sweetest one is a little girl after looking at 1 of my swimming clips on my mobile: Now I believe in mermaids again.

[Mermaid Aria]

A young girl probably around 11 yrs old came up to me while i was in my tail at the beach and asked how old I was. I told her 24. She looked shocked ( I think she thought I was younger) but said "You are so pretty! I want to be just like you when I grow up"

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[Mermaid Summerlilly]

I had one girl come up to me one year when I was lying on the beach, relaxing. She just got this awestruck look on her face like she had won a million dollars. Her parents were quite delighted as well.
I sort of just waved at them and the girl sprinted towards me, a huge smile on her face. I took pictures with them and swam off (somewhat ungracefully) into the ocean.
I then waited for 45 until the family left the beach to take my tail off, with my family screaming at me for taking so long. Talk about dedication, jeez.
But I think I made that girl's day.
It was on the same day, a 20-something couple saw me swimming in the water and watched me for a minute. I talked to them for a little bit about my tail and I'm pretty sure I convinced that girl to buy a tail lol.

As for negative comments, I haven't really ever gotten anything too negative, other than from when my aunt basically told me I was being an irresponsible child and that mermaiding was stupid and shouldn't be a career to maybe aim for. She also told me about the dangers of swimming in a tail (all of which I already knew quite well) and how I could have saved my money for retirement and school, which makes sense but come on, can a girl not have some fun?

[Merman Storm]

The best is the reaction of children, like the one at the pool yesterday who's face lit up when she saw me in my tail and said "Cool!"

This is the worst.

https://www.facebook.com/ToPassada/photos/a.439415002782033.97818.289054347818100/1216039638452895/?type=3&theater

[Mermaid Mia]

Best are always the kids. I had one little girl who was very excited i was a mermaid and splashed around with me and told me i was pretty. She was also three which is the only other thing that she said (even when i asked her name).

The worst wasn't said directly too me. It was at a convention and i had gotten some comments thought the day, ranging from squealing fangirl compliments to people telling me i should have been -insert other mermaid character here-. There happened to be one other person with a blue mermaid tail there, we were different characters and never ran into each other. A couple at one point passed me and the guy whispered to the lady that "the other mermaid looked better". I had never felt so invalidated as an artist.


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[Iryna]

Couple of times older man asked me what do I do when I have to go pee or something else. Like seriously dude? [emoji58]

But kids are always the best and some cuties here and there that want to take me home to live in their pool [emoji56]

[Miyu]

I can't say I've had any bad comments yet, just bad experiences that had nothing to do with anyone and everything to do with being stuck in a small blow-up pool with water in it and no shade for two days straight (ALL.DAY.LONG.)... In the bright WA sunshine that I am not used to, since my area of OR is cloudy most of the time LOL! I got heat exhaustion - crispy mermaid :p

"Best experiences" both happened at the same festival as the above incident:

I was in the lagoon with another mermaid (who had been with the production company for a few years already), but I was the new mermaid and my fabric tail looks very different from her fabric tail! One child said to their parent that I was the "real" mermaid.

Oone child said that I was the "mother" mermaid (which I took to mean I looked more ocean-ly regal, haha! I'm only a few years older than the other mermaid I think...).

I was told by a friend on our pirate ship/reenactment group (who runs a footwash/hairwash/hand-and-foot-rub station at events) that the organizer of the festival (and head of the production company) had been using the wash-n-rub station's services and had been gushing to my friend over how amazing and realistic my tail looks ♥ And this is my first fabric tail before the current fluke modifications I'm making, so I'm pretty proud of it!

[Mermaid Lazuli]

This is the worst.

https://www.facebook.com/ToPassada/photos/a.439415002782033.97818.289054347818100/1216039638452895/?type=3&theater

Wow... that is seriously rude. Do folks forget that behind every picture of someone online there is an actual person? Also, I think you're a pretty awesome merman. I feel like I saw your HTTYD tail in another thread and I loved it.