In the first episode of MerPeople, the new docuseries about the rapidly growing community of professional mermaids, someone approaches mermaid Chè Monique from behind and taps her on the shoulder.
“My family told me there’s no such thing as a fat mermaid,” the woman says, starstruck and holding back tears. “It’s an honor to meet you. You just make it okay for me to be me.”
It’s the kind of thing Chè Monique has gotten used to hearing in the five years since she started mermaiding. Though she’d been in the water her entire life (she says she has no recollection of not being able to swim), it was only in adulthood that she realized she wanted her time spent in the water to be more than just bobbing aimlessly in the brine. She wanted to be a mermaid.
“I’ve loved mermaids my whole life,” Chè Monique tells Tudum. “Growing up, my mom always made sure I had Black representation — but that meant no princess stuff. My favorite movie was The Little Mermaid, but I never had any Ariel swag.”
Then in 2018, right around the time her own interest in becoming a mermaid was percolating in her brain, Chè Monique saw a plus-size Latina woman wearing an Ariel shirt.
“I was like, ‘If someone was wearing a shirt with a mermaid who looked like me, that would be pretty radical,’ ” she says.
But Chè Monique didn’t just want to fulfill her own dream to become a mermaid — she also wanted to be a trailblazer for her community.
Chè Monique created the Society of Fat Mermaids, a size-inclusive mermaiding community that celebrates fat bodies. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, it is growing exponentially and is more diverse than ever –– making an impact across the larger industry, particularly when it comes to what is arguably the most important part of any mermaid’s routine.
“When I first started, it was hard to find tails that went beyond a 1X. They’re usually made out of a four-way stretch fabric, so I could fit into those. I have seen multiple tail-makers expand their sizing since the Society at Fat Mermaids has popped up.”
Chè Monique says that it isn’t just the Society of Fat Mermaids bringing a new level of diversity to the mermaiding industry. Over the years, the larger mer-community has grown, bringing endless love and support in the process.
“I think a lot of us are misfits and rebels,” she says. “It’s adults who are daring to be weird. We value our safe space, we value that community, and we want everybody to have the magic we have. Our community is so diverse in so many different ways and meeting people who don’t look, think or act like the people you see in your hometown just makes you more open to different types of fish folk.”
Currently, Chè Monique has had some major mer-developments since MerPeople filming wrapped. In the series, we see her audition for the Circus Siren Pod, an elite mermaid performance troupe founded by mermaid Morgana Alba. She doesn’t make the cut, and Morgana advises her to work on her upper arm strength, a requirement for dipping in and out of the tank with ease.
“I’ve finally joined the Circus Siren Pod,” Chè Monique says. “I had my first gig with them two weeks ago. So far, I’ve just been in the little tank — I’m still working on my upper body strength to get in the big tank, but hopefully, by the time the Ren Fair’s open in the fall or late summer, I’ll be strong enough to get in.”
Chè Monique is also in the process of launching an online mermaiding school called the School of Fish, where students can learn about breath work, the ins and outs of swimming with a monofin, how to build an essential mermaid shopping list (nasal spray and eye drops included), and various strokes that can help you move gracefully under the water.
Follow Chè Monique and the Society of Fat Mermaids on Instagram.
For more of Chè Monique’s story, watch MerPeople on Netflix now.
