Mermaids and Drag Gueens: A Queer Look at Mermaiding

Abstract

Mermaiding is the practice of wearing a tail designed to look like that of a fish. In this work I look at this phenomenon from the lens of gender and performance, aiming to understand if mermaiding constitutes a form of drag, by establishing the position of the mermaid symbol in queer and transgender spaces, then comparing testimonies of drag performers and professional and amateur mermaids. I also look at this practice through the lens of post-human theory, determining in which ways the mermaid body constitutes an object of identification for the person wearing a tail. By doing so, I demonstrate the similarities between the phenomena and their meaning, and show that the emergence of this practice affirms posthuman predictions of a future where the connection between human body and identity dissolve and enable new, hybrid identities.