Results of the Plus Size Mermaid Survey

[AniaR]

A topic I have been asked to write about in my books and blogs, is the topic of merfolk and their weight. In order to properly represent it, I surveyed merfolk for 3 months to hear their experiences. I summarized the experiences in my most recent book, and this blog! All images were contributed and used with permission.






Do you know someone afraid to be a mer because of their weight? Send them this blog :) http://rainamermaid.weebly.com/blog/merfolk-and-their-weight

(I had another thread about this and can't find it, haha!)

[MermaidNerenia]

I swear I'm not a creeper but I read this almost as soon as you put it up. This is such a well written and insightful piece, and something that is very very uplifting. You did an excellent job on this.

[AniaR]

Thank you!!! <3

[MermaidNerenia]

Kind of OT but do you follow Iskra Lawrence? She put out an amazing video the other night stripping down on the subway and talking about body positivity.

http://www.teenvogue.com/story/iskra-lawrence-strips-down-on-subway?mbid=social_facebook&mbid=social_facebook

[Ligeia]

I REALLY needed this. I quite literally cried while reading it. My family is genetically poor when it comes to the weight table. Both sides had thyroid issues and the inability to lose weight. I've cried myself to sleep many nights because I don't look as thin as many (if not all) others around my weight. I weigh 170ish and am supposed to be 108. While it is unreasonable and I would be a stick, as I do have a chest and butt, I'd stand to be 30lbs lighter. Unfortunately, I caught the short and bad end of the heredity shtick. I have a poor metabolism and under-active thyroid.

I work out. I eat healthy with very few cheat days - if any. I've had anorexia. Fun fact - anorexia goes both ways. It can make you heavy as well as thin. I've pretty much given up hope on ever losing weight. A few nights ago, I discovered that, for the first time in my life, I have stretch marks. I cried for HOURS. My poor mertender has been consoling me like crazy. Kissing my belly and telling me how beautiful I am. But you never really get it.

When you spoke of your experience exercising and gaining fat, I broke into tears. I thought I was the only one. Any time I try to be progressive, I gain and gain and GAIN fat. All of my muscle is internal and never reflects on the outside. It is such a struggle and you just want to give up. Mermaiding has given me so much confidence about myself.

THANK you, Raina. For this article. For sharing your journey. Know at least one mer REALLY, REALLY needed it and got so much positivity from it.

[Mermaid Lilium]

I REALLY needed this. I quite literally cried while reading it. My family is genetically poor when it comes to the weight table. Both sides had thyroid issues and the inability to lose weight. I've cried myself to sleep many nights because I don't look as thin as many (if not all) others around my weight. I weigh 170ish and am supposed to be 108. While it is unreasonable and I would be a stick, as I do have a chest and butt, I'd stand to be 30lbs lighter. Unfortunately, I caught the short and bad end of the heredity shtick. I have a poor metabolism and under-active thyroid.

I work out. I eat healthy with very few cheat days - if any. I've had anorexia. Fun fact - anorexia goes both ways. It can make you heavy as well as thin. I've pretty much given up hope on ever losing weight. A few nights ago, I discovered that, for the first time in my life, I have stretch marks. I cried for HOURS. My poor mertender has been consoling me like crazy. Kissing my belly and telling me how beautiful I am. But you never really get it.

When you spoke of your experience exercising and gaining fat, I broke into tears. I thought I was the only one. Any time I try to be progressive, I gain and gain and GAIN fat. All of my muscle is internal and never reflects on the outside. It is such a struggle and you just want to give up. Mermaiding has given me so much confidence about myself.

THANK you, Raina. For this article. For sharing your journey. Know at least one mer REALLY, REALLY needed it and got so much positivity from it.
Don't be sad about stretch marks. They're just us earning our tiger shark stripes!

I'm covered in stretch marks. They fade down until you barely notice them.

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[AniaR]

When you spoke of your experience exercising and gaining fat, I broke into tears. I thought I was the only one. Any time I try to be progressive, I gain and gain and GAIN fat. All of my muscle is internal and never reflects on the outside. It is such a struggle and you just want to give up. Mermaiding has given me so much confidence about myself.

I cried at the gym a few times while working so hard. I overhauled my whole life and kept it up for months and months and I just kept gaining fat and couldn't understand why. My doc said stress hormone really gets to women and does that, so then I had to focus on that too.

I have another blog/vlog coming out about fitness, and I interviewed my personal trainer for it :) so that will be coming soon too

[mermanmike]

Didn't read all the way through, but skimmed for the details. I will definitely have to read this in full when I get a chance. Good timing for me to see this too as I'm likely to meet up with other mers for the first time next weekend. Admittedly, I'm not the slimmest merman anybody will see, but at the same time I don't let it stop me. Really, everybody is unique in their own way! Whether it's long hair or short hair, being big or small at the waist size or height... Everybody comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes. While I'll be a little nervous feeling like the biggest merman there, I'm not gonna let it stop me!

[SirenAngel]

Really needed this. See, depending on the clothes, I can be anywhere from a medium to a xxl. I get very self-conscious at times, though friends call me beautiful. I've been trying to lose weight, though not as hard as I should (I have certain fitness goals but I hate running x.x). While I'm not a mer quite yet (tail comes in this week) cosplay has actually helped a lot with the whole body confidence thing. I'm still curvy and chubby, but apparently I make a good Zelda XD

Anyway thanks for sharing <3

[Neerai]

I'm Spanish and in my family everybody is fat or curvy. But everybody in my family preassures me to lose weight. They use the same excuses, "it's for your health", but, hey, I'm near 150lb (68kgs). I'm not really fat, I can use an L size and sometimes an M size of normal shops. But they say I'm fat. Just because my hips are wide (and they don't lie haha) and my breasts are... well... interesting. I'm healthy. I feel really good with my body. But everytime I go to my parents' house I feel like I was in court and they make me feel horrible with myself.

And then I discovered all this merfolk world, and, hey guys, I feel it's a confortable world for a curvy girl like me. I just can say thank you to all. You make people feel better. Being a mermaid (at heart in this moment, I haven't my tail yet) is one of the most beautiful things I have right now.

[Avya]

This is so inspiring. You are all awesome. <3 Thank you.

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