mermaid

sunflowers · Post by **sunflowers** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:44 pm

I'm making a mermaid costume for my 8 year old daughter. Does anybody have any advice on how to make the tail so she will be able to walk? Also, I was considering just having her go topless since she's totally flat-chested anyway. Do you think she should have anything on top?

HOSGAARA · Post by **HOSGAARA** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:42 pm

I WAS A MERMAID ONCE BUT FOR THE TAIL YOU CAN WEAR A SKIRT AND BUNCH IT UP IN THE BACK SO IT SORTTA LOOKS LIKE A MERMAID TAIL. I WAS A MERMAID WHEN I WAS 7, THAT WAS 8 YEARS AGO, I CANT REMEMBER HOW MY MOM DID IT!

MHooch · Post by **MHooch** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:52 pm

Hi sunflowers, and welcome. Shape the tail in front and back, but leave the bottom open for her feet. Or, make it sort of split in the front and shorter, with long peices trailing in the back. And if she was my little girl, I'd definitely have her wear a top to the costume. Hope she has fun!

BlkAsH · Post by **BlkAsH** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:56 pm

Hi there sunflowers. I don't see anything wrong with it but I am sure others probably will. As to how to make the tail my suggestion would be something similar to a skirt but have it come down all the way to the ground and then flare out into what looks like a fin (something like ruffles that are fin-like). I would suggest something shimmery as well. Just my 2 cents worth hope it helps. Also here are some urls that have mermaid costumes maybe something there will spark an idea.

http://www.costumeexpress.com/products/ ... 1d4404e28c

http://www.lillianvernon.com/catalog/pr ... ?pdId=8261

http://www.wackyplanet.com/mehaco.html

kiki · Post by **kiki** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 12:54 pm

I was a mermaid one year but, I rented the costume but. I had a great 3/4 real (real as in bought a wig shop) long curly wig with ringlets I took green and blue and clear ribbon (for packages) and curled them with scissors and tied them into wig and sprayed myself and wig with craft glitter. Made it look like seaweed. It was beautiful. And, people thought it was my real hair.

sunflowers · Post by **sunflowers** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:47 pm

Yeah those are good ideas. I want the tail to look sort of like the tails of the mermaids on the following website.

http://www.myplanet.net/greganddoreen/mermaids.htm

About the top, when she's at home, she often walks around with no top, and when she's at the beach, she wears just a bottom with no top. The chest of an 8 year old girl is the same as the chest of an 8 year old boy, so why would you say an 8 year old girl should cover her chest any more than an 8 year old boy would cover his chest? To me, it just sounds silly! Some day, when she starts to develop, I'll make her wear a top, but until then, why can't we just let her be a kid! They grow up so fast as it is, why try to hasten it? It's only in the United States that this would even be an issue. If you go to Europe, on the beach, adult women are topless, and kids run around naked!

BlkAsH · Post by **BlkAsH** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:52 pm

sunflowers said: "It's only in the United States that this would even be an issue. If you go to Europe, on the beach, adult women are topless, and kids run around naked!"

Even though I was born and raised in the U.S. I agree most Americans are very touchy about naked bodies. I'm not sure exactly why this is though. Different cultures different ways of thinking about things.

mandy0221 · Post by **mandy0221** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:27 pm

I personally think that you should have her wear a top. Even if it is skimpy such as a seashell bra or glittery top. Although you may not think she is any different looking then a boy - there are plenty of people who would disagree.

You never know the kind of doors you approach to trick-or-treat at and you wouldnt want someone looking at her the wrong way. I think it is best to keep a top.

MHooch · Post by **MHooch** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 12:45 am

Well said, mandy0221.

sunflowers · Post by **sunflowers** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:26 pm

I understand what you're saying, but there exist people in this world that would have inappropriate thoughts seeing a child wearing anything. By that logic, you should not let your child go trick-or-treating at all. In fact, you should never let your child go in public at all. A pedophile could see your child walking down the sidewalk, in a store, in a resturant, and have inappropriate thoughts. There exist people in this world who have inappropriate thoughts seeing a child fully dressed. If you are so afraid that someone might have inappropriate thoughts about your child, why let your child step foot outside your house? Despite that, you have no problem with your child wearing only a swimsuit on the beach. Mandy herself apparently would have no problem with her daughter trick-or-treating wearing a "skimpy" top, such as two strategically positioned seashells, as if that would prevent anyone from having inappropriate thoughts. Should a boy also wear a "skimpy" top, or do you think there is no one in the world who would have inappropriate thoughts seeing a bare-chested boy? Where do you draw line?

The point is that you have to draw the line somewhere, otherwise you would have to never let your child leave your house, or ever go in public under any circumstances. You can't live your life cowering in fear, afraid of some imaginary bogeyman. That is not a rational response. I personally strongly advocate the death penalty for anyone who sexually molests a child, or looks at child pornography. They should be killed. However, the likelihood that a pedophile would answer the door when my daughter is trick-or-treating is infestimally remote. What percentage of the population do you think are pedophiles? One person out of 10,000? At any rate, there is no risk of my daughter being somehow harmed while trick-or-treating since I'm there to chaperone the entire time. Protecting your child means taking reasonable precautions. You don't let your child walk around the neighborhood without adult supervision. However, making your daughter wear a "skimpy" top does nothing to protect your child whatsoever.

I'm sorry to write such a long response, but I'm offended at someone suggesting that I am not taking adequate measures or that I'm unconcerned about the risk of daughter being the victim of a sexual predator. That is very insulting. How would you feel if someone said that about you?

MHooch · Post by **MHooch** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:40 pm

Well, sunflowers, you are absolutely right. You're the mom, so you get to decide. I don't think any of us intended to make you feel that you are not taking adequate care of your daughter, or that you are unconcerned about her safety. You asked our opinion, and we offered it. Take it or leave it. Here's wishing you and your daughter lots of fun on Trick-or-Treat night, 'cause that's really the whole point, right?

mandy0221 · Post by **mandy0221** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:17 am

Goodness my intention was never to offend you or tell you how to protect your child. I was just offering my opinion on the subject. Ultimatly it is your decision and you seem like you are comfortable with letting her go without a top. With that said - take her out without one and have a great night trick-or-treating.

I am sorry if you felt that my comment was an attack on you as a mother.

LittleDollClaudia · Post by **LittleDollClaudia** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:31 am

I'm a mom as well and although I wouldn't personally do it, you are entitled to raise your daughter however you feel is right. But I am sorry when I have to say that 8 years old is a little old to be running around with no shirt, regardless. I have known some girls who have developed at that age.

It is not a personal slam on you, just we do live in a society that does have some major issues with nudity. And while most of us on this board support your right to choose, the people that you take your daughter TOTing to may have a different response and call Protective Services because of their ideas on what is appropriate.

I don't believe that pedophiles was the major concern on the answers you received. It is the fact that as an adult or a parent, we try to protect children no matter what the cost. Sometimes, it may hurt other people's feelings and I regret that. I also have to say though if I saw a child of that age come to my door without a top on, I would be very tempted to say something to the parent about their child's welfare.

As for my suggestion, if you aren't going for the seashells, why not just a bikini top? It will cover her and still look cute. Or a flesh colored leotard like the Ariel at Disneyland wears. Then she has seashells over that. Either way, it is not worth getting into an heated discussion over. I hope you can find a happy medium and enjoy Halloween and TOT with your daughter.

midnight kitty · Post by **midnight kitty** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:05 am

sunfloweer, where are ou from?
will it be warm enough to let your kid not wear a top?
that's all i want to know. if you live in an area where it's acceptable, then go for it

sunflowers · Post by **sunflowers** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:11 pm

Thank you for your responses. I think everyone who posted here had good intentions, so I want to thank everyone who has posted here for sharing their thoughts. I'm currently making the tail, and I think it's beautiful. It's a lot of hard work. Her brother is going as Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, so we're a nautical theme.

As for the top, I've decided that she's not going to wear any top at all. I think it's alright if someone else chooses for their daughter to wear seashells or a bikini top, but I think it's also perfectly alright to allow your daughter to wear no top all, so that's what I choose. She herself wants to have nothing on top, and I don't see any reason to to force her to wear a top.

From my point of view, there is nothing wrong with adult women going topless in public. There is nothing sexual about breasts. Breasts are for feeding infants. There is nothing sexual about that. We're talking about a non-sexual non-reproductive part of the body. Why do women in the United States feel the need to cover this non-sexual non-reproductive part of their body. If you go to any beach in Europe, you see women walking around with bare breasts and nobody cares. Now here we have people saying that you should cover the chest of an 8 year old girl, who does not even have breasts, and has not even begun to develop. It is just silly!

Also, if you look at any artistic representation of mermaids before the middle of the 20th Century, they always had bare breasts. Someone mentioned Ariel from "The Little Mermaid". In the original book by Han Christian Anderson, the illustrations show her topless. In the 1930's, Disney did several animated shorts, showing topless mermaids. Disney made the movie "Fantasia" that showed the bare breasts of female centaurs. However, when they made "The Little Mermaid", they instead put a seashell bra on her. They are afraid someone is going to see a drawing of a non-reproductive part of the body?

We live in California, and it's still warm where we live. We don't stay out that late, so I don't think it will be that cold out.

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