Any Mature (30+) Professional Mers Out There?

[Mermaid Galene]

Reviving a defunct topic from 2013.

Are there any fellow mers on the forum over 30? over 40? over 50? Are any of you older merfolk professionals? I'm curious what your experiences are as mature mers in the profession.

I'm 59 years young, and I am just venturing into professional mermaiding. I've been a performer of various sorts (puppeteer, musician, animal trainer) for almost 30 years, but mermaiding is a new venture. It will be interesting to see if clients are put off by an older mermaid. (I'm not terribly worried about it, just curious.) I would hope that an older woman inhabiting a strong female mythology would be a welcome role model to most. Inclusiveness is always a good message for audiences to receive!

[PearlieMae]

I'm 54, and while I am a long-time mermaid veteran - meaning I participate in events as a mermaid, I am expanding into doing kids' events to coincide with the children's book I am writing and illustrating. My 'mersona' is a "Mother Goose of the Sea" character!

I'd love to see Mers of a Certain Age do well as pros!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I'm in my late 40s, been a mermaid for 3 weeks, don't plan to do events yet. Still getting the hang of swimming like a mermaid. I go to the pool every Sunday, so in reality, I've only been a mermaid for 3 days!

I think once I'm a bit better in terms of health, strength and breath holding, I might venture into doing events. Just might. We'll see how I go...

Oh and I'm an Office Support Temp.

[Mermaid Galene]

Delighted to meet both of you! Pearlie Mae, your tail build is totally inspiring me! I look forward to seeing your book. I actually think 40s and 50s is the perfect age to discover our inner and outer mermaid. :-)

[shimmygoddess]

I will be 40 in June :)

[PearlieMae]

We should start a Mermaid Council of Elders. :thinks:

[AniaR]

K I'm only 28 but in a year and a half I'll be 30. Lol
Hannah Fraser is 40 :)

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[PearlieMae]

K I'm only 28 but in a year and a half I'll be 30. Lol
Hannah Fraser is 40 :)

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I'd say you have the mileage to make up for the lack of years ;) (That is, to be a Council Elder!)

[Mermaid Fenicia]

I'm 44 and I'm a preforming mermaid for over 20 years now. I mostly doe childeren parties and face-painting.

[Mermaid Galene]

I knew there had to be some awesome older mers in this group!

And I agree: Raina, you are a wise and mature mer. You could totally be an honorary Elder!

Nice bit of cheer, this thread, and I needed it today. My favorite seahorse, Galene, has quite suddenly become seriously ill. I have some veterinary expertise, so I'm doing all that can be done, but I'm not sure she will make it. She is a sweet, outgoing girl and and an accomplished dancer with quite the YouTube following (mostly in Asia). It is kind of devastating to think I may lose her.

But I digress.

[NerineArcticMermaid]

35 but still working on getting gigs.

[Ariadne]

I will be 40 in September!

[Fun123joker]

ugggg you guys are old (if you are over 16 you are old. you're either a kid or you're old no in between)

[Morticia Mermaid]

Fun123joker- I hope you're joking. If not, that is a very rude thing to say.

[Meilyn]

ugggg you guys are old (if you are over 16 you are old. you're either a kid or you're old no in between)


No such thing, age doesn't define spirit :)
But if you ask me, 16 is still a baby lol. You can be well in your 70's and be younger than most of the upcoming generation lol.

[PearlieMae]

ugggg you guys are old (if you are over 16 you are old. you're either a kid or you're old no in between)

No one asked you, guppy. Back to the shallow end, small fry!

[Winged Mermaid]

Haha, I'm about to hit 25 and everyone still says, "Awe, you're just a baby!" when they learn that fact. I use to be kind of insulted but then I realized they were absolutely right. When you start to get out of the mind set of, "Omg, 21 is OLD!!" that you've had since middle school, you realize that 20s is just a baby adult. 30s is when you hit your stride and get a hold of the whole adult thing, so I've heard. It's like the 18 of adulthood, if that makes any sense.

[Winged Mermaid]

ugggg you guys are old (if you are over 16 you are old. you're either a kid or you're old no in between)

Hahahaha, and you just made it obvious as to your maturity level, merling ;) 16 is infancy for maturity IMO.


No one asked you, guppy. Back to the shallow end, small fry!

:rotfl::thumbs up:

[AniaR]

I dont know how to say this without it coming off back handed because this is the internet and there's no voice tone so please take in best way possible: I'd have never believed any of your ages! lol

[Morticia Mermaid]

Lol. My mother turns 44 this year, 7/10 times she still gets carded when she goes to a bar. I turn 24 in 2 months and I STILL feel like I'm in that "baby" range :headwall:

[AniaR]

your mom is only 5 years older than my merwrangler ahhhhh!!! (to be fair he is older than I am, lol)

[Mermaid Marissa]

I just turned 18 but I have mad respect for all of you! I've been inspired by so much of your works and I can honestly say that I'm incredibly grateful. So many people will tell you that, "you're too old" for something no matter how old you are! (but you're never too old for mermaids;))

[Meshy]

31 years here (until June 14th) and still a noob. But I'm glad I waited, I'm way more mature and also have the mindset that if this doesn't become a 24/7 "job" for me that it's ok, I also give zero f*cks about what others' opinions are. I think in my 20's I would have been more irrational and hot headed if someone called my mermaiding a "joke" on the interwebs. (actually just happened 2 days ago, but that's on them, and they have zero imagination or personality anyway. It still hurt a little, but I had to remember that there's a whole forum/world dedicated to people like me that are totally obsessed with the mer-world, and I got over it.)

[Fun123joker]

nah its just around that time responsibility changes one day you get your first D in school brushed off and the next day your expected to know exactly what to do with your life with no flaw. nobody is sure if thier gonna have a life after 23 or if its just a overreaction sorry

[Mermaid Galene]

I'll let all you minnows in on a little secret we oldsters know: you can have many lives in a lifetime! The longer you live, the more opportunities you encounter. And if you gain wisdom as the years roll by, you get pretty good at grabbing those lovely fresh starts!

Besides, mermaids live for at least a couple hundred years, one supposes. So in mermaid years, we're all in the bloom of youth!

[Mermaid Galene]

Hee hee, oh, snap! Well said, Pearlie Mae!

[Mermaid Galene]

Right on, Meshy! I totally agree!

[Fun123joker]

thank you fishteer =D

[PearlieMae]

I'll let all you minnows in on a little secret we oldsters know: you can have many lives in a lifetime! The longer you live, the more opportunities you encounter. And if you gain wisdom as the years roll by, you get pretty good at grabbing those lovely fresh starts!

Besides, mermaids live for at least a couple hundred years, one supposes. So in mermaid years, we're all in the bloom of youth!

:clap:

[PearlieMae]

One thing that comes with age, evidently, is punctuation. :eye twitch:

[Mermaid Galene]

:lol: Yep.

[Mermaid Galene]

A propos: I write songs for my band, Neptune's Keep, and this topic hath inspired me! A new work is in progress, and here's the chorus:

You're never to old to be a mermaid,
never too poor to be king.
You're never too small for your biggest hopes,
never too silent to sing.
Never let anyone tell you
never chase all your dreams 'til they're true.
You're never too old
to be a mermaid.
It's never too late to be you.

© 2014 by Diane Rains. All Rights Reserved.

A little bit sappy and Disneyesque, I know, but I think the kids in my audiences will like it. And, hopefully, learn.

[PearlieMae]

I LOVE it!

Once you get it written, I'd love the music/charts so I can play along on my ukulele!

[Mermiah]

Ok am I the only one picturing a over dramatic scrawny tree swamp witch flinging exploding potens around singing this song? (Might just be me :$)

And nothing's too sappy for me :3
besides who doesn't love Disney?!? :D

[Mermaid Galene]

I'd be happy to send it to you! I adore ukelele. My musical goldfish like it, too. The instrument has so much aloha. (All my fish are imported here to landlocked Wisconsin from Hawaii.)

[Mermaid Galene]

Hee hee. Well, you can't help but like a villain with tentacles.

[BlueMermaid]

:jawdrop:


I will be 40 in June :)

[BlueMermaid]

I don't like to tell my age but I'll be 38 in a few months. I'm also a professional mermaid. I am already feeling I'm too old for this game. LOL

Mermaid Marla is over 50 and works occasionally, and she is awesome :) (p.s. I love her and miss her)
http://www.mermaidmarla.com/

[Aziara]

Wow! There's a lot of 'ageless' people in mermaiding (by that, I mean I would have thought most if not all of the people in this thread were much younger from their photos). I guess mermaiding keeps you young! Good to know. I'm only 27, and now I feel a bit like a small fry :sad eyes:

[Theta]

I'm 31 and working on going pro this summer :)

To sum up, I'm old and GET OFF MY LAWN YOU WHIPPERSNAPPERS.

[Mermaid Galene]

lol!

[New York Mermaid]

I'll Be 33 this year (yes im serious) I get parents who ask me if in in my early 20s. I chuckle politely and tell them my age and then there is that look of shock. I tell my kids, some mermaids live 1000 years and then some. I'm only in my early 300's.

[Little_Orca]

*Peeks in*

30 here... Don't think I could go "pro," but to have my dream tail and have fun at events is really what I would want. I have a job already that is stressful enough without having to turn my mermaid life into that.

*Hides back in the kelp.*

[Mermaid Galene]

"have my dream tail and have fun at events is really what I would want. "

Yes! That is exactly what mermaiding should be.

[NerineArcticMermaid]

:) no one ever believes my age.

I love that. I think that not acting your age helps keep you thing..but it's not a Maturity thing in that aspect..it's more like not acting the way society thinks you should act at that age... being happy and have a massive giggle fit at least once a week are my secrets.

[Mermaid Galene]

Absolutely, Nerine! Humor has always been a huge part of my adult life. I spent 25 years as a professional puppeteer (with my husband as front man) sowing laughter both within us and in our audiences. That laughter was like a youth elixir for us! I also think that imagination and creativity keeps the brain flexible and relieves stress. Stress can age you faster than time itself, and everyone faces stresses beyond their control. But nurturing imagination and practicing creativity throughout adult life can mitigate the impact of stressful circumstances.

[MermaidBonnie]

I'm in my 30s and I work full time as a mermaid. There are many benefits to having life experiences under your belt as a performer, and use them to your advantage!

[Mermaid Galene]

Have to share this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4QzHeUE-CM

[PearlieMae]

That was hysterical! I want to learn it on my ukulele!

[Echidna]

haha!
age is a funny thing. it goes like this:

my age = just right
younger than me = kids
older than me = fossils

and naturally, once past 30, learning someone in their early 20s marries/has children makes you go "whaat, children who marry and have kids already, what has the world come to". ;)

but seriously, the experience/knowledge part of age rocks.

I also love when people refer only to persons above 30 as adults.

seen in the Marsian Princess movie featurette:
"normally, the role of the incredibly beautiful princess would be played by an actress in her twenties, but the director decided to cast an adult woman instead, and the result was fabulous."
or when they interviewed the Merlin cast, talking about the time gap between seasons:
"In the first part, they are young, like, in their twenties, but in the latter season, they are adults, around 30"

that was hilarious.

[Mermaid Galene]

I have not been able to stop yodeling "older laaaadies" all day!

[shimmygoddess]

I know I have already posted on this thread, but my birthday is this week and I am can't believe I am turning 40. LOL...Not sure if I am happy or sad. LOL

Caltuna, love that definition :)

[Mermaid Pickles]

Happy unbirthday. Because, you know, it isn't your birthday yet. Nobody here is old! I don't call anyone old, even if they are over 90. It makes them smile when I say they're not old, and that makes me happy. Yes, I'm still in the baby range, not even twenty-one, but hey. At least I'm not so immature as to say someone is ancient. Nobody is ancient. Nobody. Ever. Everyone still has a kid in them somewhere. Ypu learn that when you spend time taking care of people at a nursing home for a class in school. Then you end up having lively conversations, learning new things, and laughing up a storm together. I miss that lady I used to help when I was in clinicals for CNA.

[Meshy]

Turned 32 yesterday, I work with all young kids (teens- early 20's). One person found out it was my birthday and guessed how old I was, he said, "So like what 21, 22?" I told him 32 and that he was adorable for trying to make me feel younger, he said he was being serious and actually thought I didn't have 10+ years on all these young kids. Made my day. Moral of story, act as young/old as you want to!

Happy Birthday shimmygoddess! I would have guessed you were closer to my age or younger!

[Mermaid Galene]

Well said, Pickles and Meshy. And you're never too old to be a mermaid - which, as it happens, is I song I'm writing. One of these days I'll finish it.

[Mermaid Pickles]

I shall lurk and absorb wisdom.

[Mermaid Galene]

Good strategy, Pickles! We're all wiseguys here, hee hee! :lol:

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

I am 35 and a Mergin! (Aka I have not taken my first mermaid swim yet LOL). I have always worked with children and I would really like to do so in a different capacity as an entertainer and maybe even a teacher! I Can't wait to get started!

[Mermaid Pickles]

Oooooh, punny!

[Muirgen]

I think its awesome adults are happy to explore their imagination :3 im 18 and just started with the mermaiding, but it seems like a lovely community to be a part of. Im a little nervous about being alone in this, as i have no close friends who would do mermaiding with me. The network, however, seems to make it easier to connect :3

[PearlieMae]

I've been mermaiding in public since 1983. :D

[shimmygoddess]

Thanks!! That makes me feel good. I do surprise people when I tell them I have a soon to be 22 year old. LOL Hopefully I continue to age well ;)




Happy Birthday shimmygoddess! I would have guessed you were closer to my age or younger!

[Sherielle]

I'm just now getting into mermaiding, but I have been performing for years.
I turn 47 next month, though I'm constantly told that I look much younger. I certainly don't feel 46-47.
In fact, last week I got in the mail my shoes that lightup and sparkle. Yup, I'm wearing kids shoes because SPARKLE!

[Mermaid Galene]

WTG, Aurelia! Mature mers (and women) should sparkle!

[Josephine Boone]

45 here, as of a few weeks ago. Between friends and acquaintances I don't mind sharing my age, but people hiring me to perform (as a bellydancer) might be weird about age, so if asked how long I've been dancing, I tell them I started performing professionally when I was 17. ;)

[Aquarianne]

I'm 33 and definitely the oldest princess at my character company! I'm twice as old as the other girls...most girls work the gig from high shool til first or second year of college, but I started doing it when I was 30.

I like to think that being older gives me a cooler head and I dont flip out when things go wrong at parties. And my boss tells me she's always getting compliments from clients after my parties, so that's rad. I aspire to be like this other princess I know, who is in her 40's but plays Ariel for parties and the kids think she's utterly amazing!!

So yeah, if you can dress like a princess for a living and be my age, then anyone can be a mermaid for as long as they want!

[LauraLWatson]

I got my tail, as a joke, for my 30th birthday, and my little girl dream was finally realized. There were tears of joy, lots of adventures, and now a full blown business. :-) Besides, mermaids live to be hundreds of years old. I'm practically a child. :-p

[Mermaid Galene]

That's what I say, Laura! In mer years, 59 is the prime of life!

[SINicallyTwisted]

I'll be 38 in August!