Real World MERMAID: Melissa Dawn

If you’ve seen Disney’s The Little Mermaid, then you know it’s the story of a mermaid who swaps her tail for two legs so she can join her Prince Charming on dry land. Melissa Dawn’s story, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. She started off bipedal and earthbound, but then one day, she took to the water and launched one of the weirdest enterprises imaginable. You see, Melissa Dawn is a professional mermaid, and for enough money, she’ll perform at your birthday party or corporate event, complete with a clamshell top and a 25-kilogram (60 lb) tail.

Originally a free diver at SeaWorld Orlando (she’s since spoken against the theme park), Dawn was billed as “Mermaid Melissa,” and she could hold her breath for a whopping five minutes. At first, the whole “mermaid” thing was just a nickname. There weren’t any actual fish fins involved . . . not until she hit upon a particularly inventive business plan.

After starting a YouTube channel in 2006, Melissa opened her very own company, “Mermaid Aquatic Entertainment.” Along with a group of professional mermaids and mermen, Melissa travels the globe—showing up in places like Japan, Dubai, and England—and entertains at resorts, festivals, and charities. For enough clams, Melissa and friends will put on their fishy appendages, dive into one of their rentable performance tanks, and dazzle audiences with their impressive underwater acrobatics. 


In addition to wowing guests with her amazing swimming skills, Melissa wants to promote “ocean education through underwater entertainment,” hoping her company will inspire people to “save the oceans before all creatures become mythical.” Of course, if you ever decide to hire Ms. Dawn, you should probably call her “Mermaid Melissa.” That’s her real name. That’s right. This free diver is so in love with her job that she legally changed her name to “Mermaid.” Talk about dedication.



SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1XWieiS