We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angie Braithwaite a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angie, appreciate you joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

The biggest way I have been mischaracterized is by my weight. I have had weight loss surgery (for health reasons) but for many years I was a plus size mermaid. There are events that will not hire my troupe because of that. Some people believe that these mythical beings should be a certain size. In reality a mermaid would freeze to death if she didn’t have some blubber on her.
The entire reason that I hire mermaids of all sizes, genders, ages, abilities and colors is because I want to teach everyone, especially children that they are beautiful just the way they are and that the things that they think make them awkward are exactly what makes them interesting.
I lacked confidence as a child and because of that I had a huge target on me for bullies. If I can help one child find their confidence then I have succeeded.

I have succeeded.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I go by Lady Aine when I am in mermaid form and I run Mermaids of the Great Salt Lake. We are a performing group of mermaids that you can see at many events. We love to appear at Rennaisance Faires and Festivals, Pride Festivals, Sci-fi festivals, Fan X, Mental Health fairs, fund raisers, birthday parties and other private events.
We also enjoy doing meet and greets at the Gonzo Rising shows that happen every other month. Basically, if you think a mermaid would make your event better, you’re probably right and we can do it!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Something I have noticed especially here in Utah is that events want to underpay or not pay performers and people who attend the events that we appear at don’t much or at all.
Performing often costs money for the performer. It is not cheap to be a mermaid. Our tails, tops, jewelry, makeup, wigs, crowns, performance tents, pools, decorations, transportation, hotel rooms (if needed), food, etc. it all adds up and more often than not we end up paying way more than we get paid. If you appreciate what we are doing, please show us. We love what we do but it’s so hard to financially keep up with sometimes.
Also, there are a lot of performing mermaids right now. Competition is a big thing. There is room for all of us. We can get further by being friends and working together. This is true in all forms of entertainment.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, it is seeing children that haven’t lost their sense of belief. When a child comes up to me and they are so excited to see a mermaid my heart just melts. I also love meeting adults that are so excited to see a mermaid and want to get a picture with me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mermaidsofgreatsaltlake @mermaidaine
• Facebook: @mermaidsofthegreatsaltlake @mermaidaine

Image Credits

Photos by Natural Bourne Photography, DJ Williams and Merella Photography