Show me your "heels!"

[Thalassa]

I'm looking at ways to disguise heels. I know it's a familiar problem and that many people do it with fins/decoration on the heels, but I'm having trouble picturing it in my head. Can you help me (and hopefully other new mers) out by posting pictures of your heelbumps? ;-)

[AniaR]

I dont really feel like any of the tails out there actually hide them even with the extra fins. I see a lot of photoshopping, and I see a lot of people pointing their toes super mad to make the heels seem less apparent. Just my opinion tho :p

[Thalassa]

Oh, good to know. I was trying to think of how they'd be hidden and was like, "What are these magic heel-fins?" XD

[AniaR]

I think they look the best when there's no monofin straps, but when you actually look at the videos of the tails the heels arent edited out

[Artisankatie]

I've been thinking about this too, and the type of monofin might make a difference. Finis monofins have your foot situated in a way that you can stand up on a flat plane of the bottom of your foot and the bottom of the fin. Leader fins have the actual fin kind of run along a plane which runs through the middle of your foot, so it's a truer extension of your foot (I haven't tried one of their fins, just examined photos, so I could be wrong). Maybe if the blade plane ran below the bottom of the foot then heels might not be so obvious... but that requires engineering a new monofin.
I was designing a bladeless monofin that relies on the skin of the tail to provide a blade (so people could make transparent flukes) but I didn't think about heels too much... maybe if do ever make a prototype I'll try to address that...

[Ilonka]

I'm wrapping the foot area of my monofin with leftover neoprene to hide it a bit, don't know how it will turn out but il post pics

[Kanti]

Blarg I have no idea how to even tackle this problem but I'd love to see what anyone else comes up
with! I think using the excess neoprene would help! You just might need someone's help so you know
exactly where to apply it!

[Thalassa]

I'd love to see how that works out, Ilonka! Even if it doesn't work, let us know what you tried and stuff so we can come up with other ideas.

...and by "we," I mean the geniuses on this forum. Not me. XP

If you wrap your ankles too much, will you still be able to move your fluke enough to swim?

[Mermaid Lira]

I found a way to hide the heels =) I'll tell you more about this later, but I'm gonna keep the secret of "how to do this" 'cause it takes me a few months to find and to make a prototype. And as I want to sell it later... If I say how I made it....

[Thalassa]

We look forward to seeing the finished product, then! ^_^

[Mermaid Fenicia]

In this pic (http://users.telenet.be/the-mermaid/pics/fenicia/misty01b.JPG) I just put my feet under my monofin :p

[malinghi]

In this pic (http://users.telenet.be/the-mermaid/pics/fenicia/misty01b.JPG) I just put my feet under my monofin

Misty? Nice!

[Merman Ray]

I guess you could look at the way they did it for the tail in the movie "Splash" because every picture I saw of that it seems like they did a pretty good job of hiding her heels. Just my opinion.

[Sea Specter]

I saw a video where someone put in some floral foam or something, but I never actually saw the tail
I would also think that the foam would float, but it's a smart idea anyway
There's gotta be something to put in there

[Mermaid Fenicia]

Misty? Nice!
Yes, that's me as Mermaid Misty :)

[Winged Mermaid]

I wish there was some kind of insert or wrap or something that could made or sold for the general public. Something to bridge that gap.. with high end tails its usually done by making a foot pocket and having thick silicone all around. Like Linden's tail. (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=389227252070&set=a.101644647070.89267.101642327070&type=3)

I'm wondering if there's some kind of insert that you can make out of silicone, or cheaper silicone "gel". Then maybe strap it to the bottom of your monofin pockets and your mid-calfs somehow? That way it would come from the bottom of your feet up to high ankle or mid calf. It would be better to strap it to the person and not to the inside of the tail IMO, because the legs and ankles and such have different positions and movements as you swim and maneuver in the water. If you strapped it on the tail it would look weird, as apposed to a filler that becomes part of the person's shape when it's strapped to them. You could attach it with anything from velcro, to elastic with hook eye closures, to rubber straps with adjusts similar to goggle straps, to silicone that acts like a comfortable thin "rubber band" of sorts.

Does anyone know how to make silicone gel, like in shoe inserts, bra inserts, ect? I can't find anything on it.

Maybe Sugru (http://sugru.com/about/) would be something to look into for this? Moldable by hand, then it dries into silicone, so no molding and casting needed! There's a way to make a Sugru substitute called Oogoo yourself (http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Your-Own-Sugru-Substitute/). It's made with silicone caulk and cornstartch mostly, so it would have to be wrapped in something non porous to be safe to wear. Sugru on the other hand, is skin safe, and they're actually working on getting it approved for food safe. Buuut the biggest bag they sell is 100 grams, and that's for $20.

I know I'm on to something. I just can't fully develop the idea at the moment.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

This seems like more a problem for posing out of the water (or in a small wading pool or something at conventions) than one for swimming purposes. Maybe you could wear some sort of ring (with a clasp or something so you can snap it on without squeezing the tail through it) around your "ankles" and have a garland of seaweed, pearls or shells hang down over your heels a bit, like a sort of tail bracelet or decoration?

[Mermaid Cascada]

To hide your heels why not put the fluke at the bottom of your toes. 4924
I don't know if you can see it here but this is Mermaid Melissa's tail, you really cant see her heals and I think it's because the fluke isn't over her ankles but starts at her toes. She also has a cool set of dorsal fins to hide whatever shows of her heel. It also makes her tail really flowy.

[Winged Mermaid]

this is Mermaid Melissa's tail, you really cant see her heals and I think it's because the fluke isn't over her ankles but starts at her toes.

Actually she has one of the thick silicone casted tails that has no monofin (just a pocket for the feet inside a solid silicone fluke)- like the ones I was talking about. At the moment that seems to be the only way to get around this problem, but not all of us can afford a tail like this (this tail runs for about $6,000).

It's true that putting the fluke lower helps a little though! Like Hannah (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150287093106414&set=a.10150285243896414.378514.186475446413&type=3&theater) and Mermaid Kariel (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=473882082628325&set=a.154930001190203.32629.138854966131040&type=3) and others, and this is due to the fiberglass monofins that they use. The fiberglass monofins all have actual foot pockets that encompass the foot and put the fin, and for us the fluke, at the toes. You can even a tapered foot pocket to help with the realism- like the ones Leaderfins has (http://www.leaderfins.com/cgi-bin/form.cgi/67eng?id=340&tm=1343762647#). Having a fin like the Finis recreational monofins (the Rapid, Tempo, and Wave) certainly does take the realism down a notch with the way the foot pockets, heel straps, and ridges in the fin look inside a tail. You can see the heels less in a fiberglass fin, but it's still an issue. Even tails that are made of silicone and have a fiberglass fin, if the silicone isn't cast thick, the heels are still prominent (example (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=384260608288282&set=a.384260551621621.85019.127175597330119&type=3&theater), example (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151588163060425&set=o.127175597330119&type=3)).

[Lyna]

i know i uber point my toes to the extreme when i'm somewhere visible to people, like on land. but it gets pretty rough on your legs, and if you do it in the water too much, be prepared for some pretty harsh cramps. otherwise, just like on facebook, there are the "angles":tons of angles, directions, and poses you can do (or avoid) to try and make your tail look more like feet don't exist.

[Thalassa]

Hmm, I wonder if we could provide a guide to those angles, or if it's just experience?

[Nixen Nicole]

Kariel has devised a fantastic way to hide her heels. You barely notice they exist. She is keeping that part of her tail top secret though : )

[Spindrift]

I have an idea. When I get around to testing it, I'll post. I need to research materials first though.

[Lyna]

Hmm, I wonder if we could provide a guide to those angles, or if it's just experience?

yea, i've done a lot of modeling over the year before now, so i kind of have a feel for what things will look like in photo's without actually seeing it. and it's usually the more uncomfortable you feel, the most natural and striking the shot will be. within reason. there are certain things you should just never do with your arms for instance..and you really want to keep a symmetry with space between limbs and torso for dramatic effect. but with your heels, you can look down and literally see what it looks like. then study other mermaid shots and see how they're posed and what does and doesn't work. then find a giant mirror (it would help if you have the mirrored sliding closet doors or something similar) and just practice.

[Mermaid Narina]

i know this is kind of off topic, but is there a certain way to swim so that your tail looks more... fluid? like so you cant see your knees bending as much?

[Lyna]

Yea absolutely. Watch YouTube enough and.you'll start to see the pattern. The wave everyone talks about rolling from your shoulders down...start with your arms out front if you have to. Isolation help. We did them in choreography.

[Mermaid Narina]

thanks Lyna! :D

[Mermaid Lira]

There is another monofin wich allow to begin the fluke at the toes : Finis Hydra ! And it's a wonderfull monofin ! Easy to swim in, not too expensive, ...

[Mermaid Azira]

Anybodys experimenting coming along?

[Mermaid Wesley]

i think i have an idea but i dont have a tail to test it. you could use ace bandage and plastic bags.. duct tape? hmmm