A professional mermaid has revealed how tough the job is – and how men often flirt with her while she’s working.
Elle Jimenez – also known as Mermaid Elle – has been a mermaid performer for seven years and spends her time performing across the country and teaching mermaid diving courses.
The 33-year-old from Florida, USA, overcame a fear of water and taught herself to swim to pursue a career in the industry.
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Now she is incredibly successful – and a lot of hard work has gotten her to where she is.
Elle is so convincing when she’s performing that she often has men falling in love with her.
“I haven’t had terrible experiences with men while I perform but I have really heard every single mermaid, fishing or ocean-related pickup line that ever existed,” she exclusively told Daily Star.
“The majority is harmless and truly comes from the fantasy that the mermaid lore has created.
“The effect I have as a mermaid performer varies greatly for all genders and ages. Women love it as well because they see themselves in me. What woman hasn’t ever dreamed of being a mermaid before!”
Elle said the best thing about her job is the magic it creates. She loves seeing children’s eyes light up when their mermaid dreams come true.
She said adults are not immune to the power of the mermaid either.
The 33-year-old added: “It is so precious and magical. I am very aware of the impact I create in my audience’s lives, that not only mermaids can be real, but that something unique and extraordinary actually exists.”
Elle’s job as a mermaid requires more effort than just sitting there and looking pretty – she also has to dive and swim.
She can hold her breath for an impressive amount of time, with her static breath hold being almost three minutes and her dynamic breath hold while performing is one to two minutes.
The reason her ability to hold her breath while performing is shorter is because energy exertion can shorten a breath hold really easily.
Performing in a mermaid tail is not as easy as testing the breath hold without moving.
“One of the lows of my job is the physical toll it takes on my body. Holding my breath, swimming for hours, in heavy expensive mermaid costuming, while keeping a smile on my face and acting, isn’t easy,” she explained.
“From feet blisters to bruises to sunburns, chemical burns on my eyes from the pool chlorine to feeling my sinuses raw from the salt water while performing at aquariums, being a mermaid is definitely not for the faint of heart and requires a ton of training, patients and great health.”
All of that being said, Elle wants to encourage others to think about joining the industry.
She added: “There are a variety of ways one can become a professional mermaid nowadays so if you wanted to become a mermaid, now is the merfect time to do it!”
Not only is Elle a mermaid but she’s also a conservationist, which is something she takes really seriously.
“My biggest purpose with my mermaid work, other than bringing magic into the world, is to spread the word on protecting our oceans,” she said.
“I have created a YouTube series called Mermaid Elle #SavingtheSeas to educate kids at home on the importance of protecting our planet and how that alone is a mermaid’s number one job!”
Follow Elle on Instagram , TikTok and Facebook .
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