I'm sad you have to do it but Raina, you are fantastic at documenting this sort of issue and standing up for yourself in a respectable manner.
I'm sad you have to do it but Raina, you are fantastic at documenting this sort of issue and standing up for yourself in a respectable manner.
“I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”
― Anaïs Nin
I had NO IDEA about any of this. Geez, I don't really know what to think.... I'll share my PERSONAL experience with her since I am one of the few on the forum who has met her. I'm overly forgiving, and I can almost always find the best in people. I assume that everyone I meet is my friend until they prove otherwise. If someone like me can sense there is something amiss, something is really really freaking wrong.
On the last evening of MerMania I went out to dinner with her and some other gals. During dinner she told us all about her extensive research on monofins and fabrics as well as the success of her 5 or 6 locations. She also tried to convince me to open one of her schools in Wisconsin...thanks but no thanks. I didn't really appreciate that when I politely declined she kept trying to figure out why I wasn't interested...
After dinner we went back to the hotel. (Lillium, can you shed any light on her last minute room switch?) We put on our PJ's and watched Splash and welcomed some more folks who didn't make it out to dinner with us. Most of us had a great time, but she was really quiet and sat on her laptop the whole time working on images/video that she took during the event. A lot of times when I'd glance over at her she looked annoyed at our shenanigans. We skyped with Robert Short while watching Splash and most of us were GEEKING OUT and crowding to see his face on a tiny phone screen. She sat there like she didn't even care. I'm certainly not saying you have to obsess over it, but she didn't even seem to grasp that we were doing something that's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime cool thing. We might as well have been skyping with my mom for all she seemed to care.
It was really clear that the majority of us were there for fun, friends, and to bask in the glow of a wonderful community. "The magic" was very much alive in all of us. That really wasn't the case with her at all. Her vibe was weird.
So even though I didn't know all this shady stuff was going on, I sensed that something was awry. I mean, she was polite for sure, but it was kind of like a "one of these things is not like the other moment". Things make a lot more sense now. She seems to want to have a successful business at all costs, even if it costs her integrity. She was really only there to network and build some sort of mermaid school empire.
I'm glad this is coming to light. I can't believe she has the gall to lie and steal as if there would be no consequences. Shameful....
I am *loving* this look into the economics and politics of the mermaid business. This whole thing is a world I'll never experience on any personal level whatsoever (though my wife owns an ultra cheap mermaid tail, she's allergic to chlorine, very self conscious about her body, and hates kids nearly as much as I do) I find that the various looks behind the curtain -the how, the why, the who- are utterly intriguing.
Ye, these kind of people exist over here in Europe as well- who regard mermaiding not as a fun hobby, healthy sport, or magical activity, but as a means to make money.
And not in an upright business kinda way.
They steal, copy, shamelessly lie, are all over the media with false claims and stuff that isn't their own.
The only recourse is to record all of it meticulously, and for the rest of the community to stand together.
Although regarding the general public, a single article with false claims is already enough and the harm is done.
It was. :P
ALL HAIL MOTHER BRITAIN!
The SeaGlass Siren
FWIW, the show orginated in Japan, and has been franchised all over the world. More details can be found here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragons%27_Den
Don't feel too bad. I also had NO IDEA of all this happening when I met her and discussed with her. She was really nice and friendly and even proposed that I come to Canada and work for her school as a merman. I admit I was tempted but honestly, if I had to choose, I would rather work for Raina's mermaid school.
Wow. Firstly I'm shocked to hear about all these things Marielle has done to other people in Mermaid community, without seemingly any thought that it might come back to her. It's such a shame for me to hear, because when I first heard about her school I wanted it to be successful so that more people across the world can experience learning how to become a mermaid, but if she is going to do it at the expense of others in the community I'm not so sure I support her.
I think her going on dragons den was the wrong thing to do, and her making those inflated claims seems to be a reflection of her ego. She asked for way too much for way too little in return. Asking them to give her 100 times as much as she has put into the company in return for only 10% share??!
I don't think she understands the show at all - the dragons are looking for an idea that will be a runaway success and make them lots of money as investors. For starters a mermaid school isnt something that lots of people will go to, its a very niche market even if it is popular with those who are interested in Mermaiding. Mermaid schools are also not something people shell out lots of money to attend either, and even if she manages to get some resort contracts Im sure she wont be thier main event. Most tourists want to do standard touristy things, and as the dragons pointed out many attendees might be older/ retired, or are men that arent into the whole Mermaiding thing.
Even if her claims of 3 million were somehow even close to the mark the business would have to continue growing by the millions for the dragons to make a decent return on thier investment...yea nah. Theres a reason why they're called the Dragons - because they tear you to shreads if they sense BS!
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Member formerly known as leomar
I checked her website and it does mention 5 locations - 3 in Montreal (Aquadome, Petit Bourgogne, College Notre Dame), 1 in Toronto (Jimmy Simpson pool) and 1 in Ottawa (Ottawa University. The following page seems to confirm the Ottawa classes http://www.aquamermaid.com/collectio...l-adults-class. Perhaps the other locations are just not registered yet?
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Member formerly known as leomar
the montreal 1 is considered 1 as a business. Thats like saying I have 5 because I go to 5 pools lol
This is how I imagine Merielle.
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That Aquamermaid silicone tail and bra looks very very familiar. Scroll down to see it, its near the bottom. Also, how do you put on a silicone top that has no clasps or toggles? How much does silicone stretch?? And the tops on the fabric tails, are the same design as Miami Beach Mermaids.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...like-a-mermaid
Formerly known as ireneho
So much ridiculousness. It never pays to steal others work and use it as your own.
Mermaid Enora
So that monofin she's touting as being so amazing. That's just a cut Finis Rapid, right? I'm not crazy?
Is there any chance Finis might want to weigh in on someone else taking their fins, cutting the logo off, and claiming to be making them?
Hopefully they will. I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure stealing products and reselling them as your own is illegal...
Its a copycat Finis fin. I've seen them on aliexpress and alibaba, when I searched, "teen monofin"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teen-Adjusta...-/351620130206
Its very stinky that the swimming video shows other people in their tails, but not her tails. I mean, if it were your business, wouldn't you want to show off your tails at the pool?
And what's with there being 51 backers but lower down, it says, "0" backers. Can you fake backers??
I'm kinda sad, with it overall, how she tries to go about her business. They are a very beautiful line of fabric tails. I would've added it to my collection but now that I know all this, I would feel like I was being ripped.
Last edited by Mermaid Jaffa; 02-29-2016 at 02:45 AM.
Formerly known as ireneho
So it still isn't something she's manufacturing on her own.
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