Article: The New Wave for Women and Girls: IN Mermaids, OUT Vampires

[Spindrift]

Hey, so Brenda Peterson, who interviewed me for the Huffington Post back in August, just wrote a new article titled, "The New Wave for Women and Girls: IN Mermaids, OUT Vampires". Go check it out, it's an interesting read. Besides just identifying the trends, the article goes into possible reasons about why mermaids are so compelling and why they are beating out vampires in popular culture.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brenda-peterson/mermaids_b_2535367.html

[Thalassa]

Wow. A very interesting read! I never got into the vampire craze, so I never thought of mermaids replacing them; nor did I think to compare the two.

[Mermaid Summer]

I would have never compared the two but it was a nice read.

[spottedcatfish]

Great article. I never liked vampires to begin with, even when they were really popular. I really like how she points out that though Mermaids are Ancient Myth, they show an underlying need to protect this world we live in. Which might be why they are gaining popularity with young girls and women, because unlike the vampire who represents death and dying, mermaids represent life and living. This creates more awareness and appreciation for the world we live in.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I personally prefer Dracula over edwardsparklepants and the like. Really hate the way they changed vampires...


But anyway. I like old myths of mermaids. :/ they ARE ancient history yes, but that's what makes them amazing. They're timeless, they've been around forever. I really don't like that lady friend of hers. :|

[malinghi]

Articles about how 'mermaid is the new vampire' are so in right now. They're the new "articles about 'vampire being the new werewolf'".


Also if anyone wants to help me cash in on this*, feel free to buy this shirt in the MerNetwork store (http://www.cafepress.com/mernetwork.618295333).
http://i1.cpcache.com/product/618295333/mer_is_the_new_vamp_tshirt.jpg?color=MilitaryGreen&height=460&width=460

*I don't actually get the money. Profits** go toward paying for the site.


**The use of profits to help pay for the site is purely theoretical. We've never actually made any money from our Cafepress store.

[Ashe]

Honestly, I'm not too huge on the idea of mermaids going mainstream, especially tail swimming... I kinda just like our small handful of people, all working together and everyone knows everyone. Also, with mers less popular, more mermaid related jobs might be easier to reach. Again just my honest opinion, but I hope this is a fad that will blow over :) But with that being said, I still welcome new mers with open arms :)

[MerEmma]

Mermaiding is a pretty expensive hobby, too. :p

[drucilla]

Twilight is disappearing? Cool! Don't get me wrong I love vampyre's just not those ones.

[thestonermermaid]

I have definitely noticed that loving/modeling as a mermaid has become "trendy". I'm not sure how I feel about it. I agree with the person who said jobs are easier to find if there are less people competing for them. But, there may be more job openings if the public has a greater interest, so it generates more jobs.
Just my two cents.

[Zephyr]

Personally I don't mind if mermaiding is 'trendy'. Stuff comes and goes, and I wouldn't let it get to me unless there were people who make the rest of us look bad/crazy. (I hope the merman who's going to be on 'My Crazy Obsession' doesn't do that to us...) Mermaids are cool, plus various creative media sends a message. I like the paranormal romance genre, but reading Kitty Norville and seeing how she was in an unhealthy relationship with her pack's alpha, and how she had to ask permission just to go out and dance, made me want to chuck my Kindle across the room. That genre always seems to have these weak heroines who let their men push them around. From what I read of the article, the mermaid genre may be different, and there will be stronger heroines. If mermaids become trendy through that book genre, perhaps a new message will be sent to young women that says it's okay to be an independent woman and you don't need a man just to get by.

As for the hobby itself, yes, it's definitely expensive. The total of my new tail skin came out to about $70. But it's also one that engages people's creative sides and I like that. I've been working on a Creature from the Black Lagoon design myself (it's just drawn so far, but eventually I plan to make it when I get the money to do so). Maybe some of the younger people getting into it will be encouraged to make their own tails.

Anyway, I don't really care if it's 'trendy' or not, just as long as the people getting into mermaiding are sincere about it and aren't going to make the rest of us look bad or crazy.

[MermaidBrittany]

^The merman is Eric, so as much as people find him to be arrogant (I cannot judge him because I have not met him) he will represent the community well, unless the spin on it is terrible :/

I will admit that trends are annoying, but as such they will fade, and leave the ones that truly love it.

[Elle]

I personally prefer Dracula over edwardsparklepants and the like. Really hate the way they changed vampires... :|

I prefer TrueBlood to Mr SparklePants.....cos in TrueBlood the only thing that sparkles it Lafayette :)

[FreshWaterMermaid]

I prefer TrueBlood to Mr SparklePants.....cos in TrueBlood the only thing that sparkles it Lafayette :)

Totally! (Love that quote as well) ^_^

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[Tasha Mermaid]

Am i the only one who realises she called Hannah FRASER "Hannah Foster" ????? .....I am so picky on people who get names wrong, i kind of see it as an insult, if you cannot not be bothered to know a persons real name do not write about them.........

Anyways back to the real topic......
Personally i ADORE vampires but old school Dracula type vampires, i like vampires almost as much as i do mermaids......cannot stand true blood myself, even with the aussie home and away actor in it, i prefer vampire diaries over true blood ad twilight but i still would much rather watch the old school vampire horrors.
I really dont think you can compare Mermaids to Vampires, as much as you cannot compare Faeries to Werewolves.

I think i kind of agree with KALANI, im not sure if i would want mermaiding to be mainstream, but then again it would be nice to have more aussie Mer's but ones that truly want to be and not because its "cool" to be.

[Kanti]

Bleh I love vampires from like, Dracula and all that, I guess the older ones that were more ominous and actually deadly, not these weird teenage fantasy things about "vampires" like True Blood, Vamp diaries, Twilight and all that stuff. If that's where mers are bound to end up then no thanks, I'd prefer they NOT go public and be the new craze.

As for the whole "Mermaids the new thing" article I didn't really buy it for a second. The lady was clearly biased as she mentioned her own book about mermaids like 50 times. I also found that she didn't really have much proof that mermaids were the new thing besides her own reasoning.

I think the mermaid fad was like, right on the edge of happening a couple years ago when we had Lady Gaga trying to promote it, Katy Perry trying to promote it AND the Pirates of the Caribbean film basically having mermaids as an ESSENTIAL character (which had an awesome spin on mermaids). I was actually very surprised that it didn't kick off after that, but I guess I wasn't too surprised.
Being a vampire is a LOT easier and cheaper than being a mermaid too, so that could be an essential reason as well.

[Alveric]

Christopher Lee was the last vampire worth watching in my opinion. His Dracula was so much cooler than the teen angst vampires. Twilight ​would have made him drive a stake through his own heart.