Have you fallen for the mermaidcore aesthetic like the rest of the fashion world?
You want to embrace it, but something just doesn’t feel right about it. What is it? Are you just not ready to dress as a mermaid, or is it something deeper that you can’t wrap your mind around?
A tale of women settling for less
Don’t get me wrong; I fell for the mermaidcore aesthetic at first, too, just like any other magickal being. But the tale of the little mermaid, at least the one we’ve been told, is a tale of women settling for less and having to choose to either stand on their own feet or lose their voice trying to. And that right there is the true meaning of misogyny.
What would you choose if you were the mermaid Ariel: the prince, your legs, or your voice? These are the choices the patriarchy wants you to make.
The choice you want to make is: YOU. Always, YOU!
Don’t fall for misogyny wrapped in a glittery tail. Keep your voice and stand on your own two! And the prince? Why would a queen need a prince anyway?
Women empowerment through fashion
The Psychopomp collection is a story of the mermaid Marianne, who on the cusp of womanhood seeks guidance with Hecate, the divine Goddess of transformation and magick.
Hecate, inspired by Marianne’s thirst for knowledge, takes her through the rite of passage and teaches her the ways of the psychopomp.
Marianne shares the mysteries of the feminine power with her sisters—Ophelié, Nyx, Selene, Echo, and Ekvorna—empowering them as she passes on the knowledge.
Learning to master the art of transformation without sacrificing their voice, Marianne and her sisters travel to distant lands and rivers to ultimately find a home amidst the waters of the Ljubljanica river. They spend their days immersed in the whimsical fauna and flora, chasing fish and playing hide and seek through the marshes.
When the moon graces their fins, they take on human form and enjoy their nights unapologetically tasting the delights of humanity and womanhood.
Princes come and go...
...but the coven knows where their true power lies—in empowering each sister to stand on her own feet. And that is the message behind the Psychopomp collection—value your power, follow your dreams and stay true to yourself.
Image from the Psychopomp editorial.
So, to answer your question, what do misogyny and the mermaidcore aesthetic have in common?
Mermaidcore is inspired by the romanticised fairy tale image of a mermaid, swimming in the oceans and unable to reach higher ground by herself. The only one who helps her achieve this is the old evil hag that tricks her into losing her voice.
Bundled up in this stereotypical story are two misogynistic views of women: either we're naive and powerless, or we're the old evil hags or the man-eaters.
The story of Psychopomp changes this narrative: the mermaid decides to own her power by learning the mysteries of transformation, and instead of the old hag, we have the Goddess of transformation and magick herself—Hecate.
Now, I don't know about you, but I'm done with the mermaidcore aesthetic.
And if you’d rather be a badass Psychopomp lady as well, your first step is to start dressing as one!
Ready?
