Would You Wear a Sparkly Mermaid Tail?

3:30 PM, July 18 2012

By Alison Syrett

Somewhere between an obsession with fairy princesses and the I-love-everything-that-involves-horses phase, most little girls go through a "mermaid" stage. Usually, this preoccupation is limited to neon-haired action figures and sea-themed coloring books. But now, there's a more tangible way to play out those dreams: pool friendly tails from 3-Fins.

Created by Canadian mom Monika Naumann and inspired by her daughter's love of mer-people, the Vancouver-based company sells custom-made fins you can actually swim in. The one-of-a-kind pieces are offered in an array of sparkly colors—green, red, blue, orange and fushia—and cost $250 CAD (about $246 USD) plus shipping. (You can order them here.) And the flippers aren't just for kids either. Monika also makes adult sizes and believes her product has great health benefits, which she recently touted on Today.com. "They [the mermaid fins] help you get a great workout and can have you swimming faster than you can imagine in the ocean," she told the website.

Despite the whole fitness argument and although I would have been BEYOND THRILLED to receive one when I was eight years old…I don't think I would ever swim in a mono-fin at the beach. And I'm positive I wouldn't at the local pool. For starters, how would I walk around? And what if I had to go to the bathroom? Would I need someone to help me in and out the tail? Also, guys, I'm a pretty vain person. I don't think my fragile ego could handle all those strange looks and comments from strangers. So for now, I think I'll just stick to my basic bikini and live my mermaid fantasies vicariously through the ladies in the video below. Watch it for some real-life Ariel action and then tell me—would you go swimming in an fully functioning tail?