Why mermaids are making a splash in Hong Kong and strap-on fish tails are the new must-have
Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus have donned mermaid costumes, schools have sprung up to teach you how to swim and pose like the mythical aquatic beings, and performers are in high demand at kids’ parties
You don’t have to look far to see that mermaids have dethroned unicorns as one of the year’s biggest trends. The mythological half-human, half-fish beings have taken over in shops and on social media, manifested through T-shirts, hairstyles, mugs, pool floats, coffee … and even shimmering turquoise toast.
For shoals of would-be Little Mermaids, wearable fish tails have become a must-have accessory for the summer. The trend has also brought a surge in businesses offering all things mermaid, including mermaid entertainers on hire for special events.
“It started as a little girl’s dream when I was five,” says Katrin Gray, better known as Mermaid Kat. The German former beauty queen performs as her mythical alter ego all over the world and is currently bringing her routines and workshops to Hong Kong shores on board a cruise ship.
Like youngsters the world over, Gray dreamed of being a mermaid after watching Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid and would pretend she was main character Ariel in the swimming pool with her friends. “I’d cross my legs, hoping they’d turn into a tail,” she says.
Now, mermaiding is a full-time career for the Perth-based entrepreneur, who runs an online shop, teaches aspiring mermaids safe swimming techniques, and models in subaquatic photo shoots all over the world.
The underwater modelling came first, when Gray found she could combine her experience as a model with her keen interest in scuba diving. She took a course in free diving to learn how to be underwater for extended periods without oxygen, and began modelling in adverts for brands, including Philips TV.
