Life as a mermaid in Brazil

Reuters

featured

Aug 11, 2017

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The Wider Image: Splash! Life as a mermaid

Children with disabilities being treated at Brazil’s hospitals, where economic hardship has crimped services, are getting an emotional lift from a mythical creature of the sea: a mermaid. REUTERS

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Carol Catan has earned her living portraying a mermaid and teaching mermaiding since 2012, when she left her job of 10 years as a veterinarian. She is paid for performing at events such as children’s parties but donates her time at hospitals. REUTERS

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Catan says volunteering at hospitals is among her most rewarding experiences. REUTERS

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Dressed in costume with a long, shiny green tail, she chats with young patients and “they feel included, cherished.” “It is a very beautiful and gratifying thing.” REUTERS

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Catan says demand for her services, which declined in the midst of Brazil’s worst recession in more than 100 years, recovered because of a soap opera called “A Forca do Querer” (“The Force of Will”), in which a woman deceives her family so she can work as a mermaid at an aquarium. REUTERS

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Like the fictional character, Catan is hired by aquariums in summertime, but much of her work entails classes and parties. REUTERS

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She does her mermaid routine in a pool whenever one is available at an event. Otherwise, the “mermaid” assumes her throne in an armchair. REUTERS

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A student participates in a mermaid lesson in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. REUTERS

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Catan practices every day and can spend up to four minutes underwater between breaths when she is in peak condition. REUTERS

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Girls prepare to take part in a mermaid lesson in Rio de Janeiro. REUTERS

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Mermaid tails are hung up during a mermaid lesson in Rio de Janeiro. REUTERS

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A woman takes a photograph of a girl as she participates in a mermaid lesson in Rio. REUTERS

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A girl prepares to take part in a mermaid lesson in Rio. REUTERS

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Classes are held as far away as Texas and some folks wonder if mermaiding will be the next fitness craze. Only time and tails will tell. REUTERS

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