Mermaiding going swimmingly
Yasmin Awan, 28, from Liverpool, England, is living a double life, but not in the way you may think — in her full-time job, she’s a physician assistant, but in her spare time, she transforms into a beautiful mermaid. When she’s not working in the Aintree Hospital’s trauma unit, Awan is a qualified mermaid performing for kids’ birthday parties and even weddings. Her mermaid name is Athena Storm. “Six years ago when I was doing my Master’s program, I was working late in the library and procrastinating online, I found an ad which said ‘Learn to be a mermaid’ and went and did a weekend.” After that one weekend, Awan claimed that the side gig — in an industry worth $500 million, one professional mermaid claimed — became a “huge part” of her life.
She works as a professional mermaid, performing at children’s birthday parties, corporate events and more. In order to become a qualified mermaid, she had to learn how to hold her breath underwater, breath from a hose and swim with a monofin, a flipper that looks like a mermaid’s tail. “People don’t think being a mermaid is very complicated but it’s not just dressing up,” Awan explained. “It’s all very technical but people don’t realize it, part of it is athletic and part of it is acting. Now, she and her best friend run their own business together called Aquatic Mermaids, which has a fleet of professional mermaids available for hire at children’s parties, corporate events and even aquarium performances.
In addition to playing the part, Awan also dresses the part, making all the tops herself and hand-sewing each sequin, a method that ensures her costume will be safe for marine animals in the water she swims in. Awan also has two custom made tails made from different materials — rubber and fabric. “I used to separate my life into being a doctor and being a mermaid, but it’s all one,” Awan said. “Junior doctors have tricky rotations. If I’m on call or on late nights, I can’t do as much as I would like.” However, what Awan seems to love the most about the job is making a difference in people’s lives, especially kids. “It’s really special, what I do makes a really positive difference,” Awan said. “Children think I am real so to give them that magic in their life, it fills me with life and with joy.”
Mermaids Madness
PETA says Mermaids shouldn’t be called mermaids,
They should be called hu-manatee.
Why was the audition for The Little Mermaid so competitive?
Because every actress there was striving for Ariel Supremacy.
Why do drones get so many pictures of mermaids?
They’re Ariel photographers.
Three fishermen were fishing when they came upon a mermaid, the mermaid offered them one wish each if they let her go, so the first fisherman said: “Double my I.Q”…so the mermaid did it and he started reciting Shakespeare. Then the second fisherman said, “Triple my I.Q.”…and sure enough the mermaid did it and amazingly he started doing math problems he didn’t know existed. The third fisherman was so impressed that he asked the mermaid to quadruple his I.Q and the mermaid asked: “Are you sure about that? It will change your whole life!” The fisherman said, “Yes,” so the mermaid turned him into a woman.
June 19th Birthdays
1958 – Phylicia Rashad, 1962 – Paula Abdul, 1963 – Laura Ingraham, 1954 – Kathleen Turner
1964 – Boris Johnson, 1978 – Dirk Nowitzki, 1690 – Giancomo Gianniotti, 1947 – Salman Rushdie