Professional mermaids say 'merverts' are making their lives a hassle

A mermaid at an aquarium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A mermaid at an aquarium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: NurPhoto/NurPhoto Via Getty Images Photo: NurPhoto/NurPhoto Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Professional mermaids say 'merverts' are making their lives a hassle 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

In 2018, it's felt impossible to get away from reports of inappropriate sexual behavior plaguing a bevy of industries and workplaces, from Hollywood to the restaurant industry.

Well, bad news: Apparently even the ocean isn't safe.

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Women who work as professional mermaids at theme parks, aquariums and children's birthday parties say they are increasingly besieged by inappropriate attention from people they've termed "merverts," Fox News reported this week.

"I've been swimming with sharks and that to me is not as scary as dealing with some of these aggressive men," Canadian mermaid Stephanie Norman told Fox. "Some people just imagine relationships that aren't there."

Like bronies of the sea, the merverts flock to their flippered targets online and in person to make obscene comments and send and solicit lewd pictures. They're giving the phrase "chasing tail" a whole new meaning.

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Apparently, across the pond, mermaiding has ballooned into a full-blown mermaid economy, although multiple women have been reprimanded for wearing their tails in public pools, according to the Telegraph.

The trend has also reached Hong Kong, where a business called Aquaticity charges hundreds of dollars for mermaid masterclasses teaching people to swim and pose in tails, the South China Morning Post reported last year. A woman who goes by Mermaid Kat has opened mermaid schools in Thailand, Germany and Australia.

And on Instagram, mer-mania has spawned its own sub-trend: Mermaid themed maternity photo shoots. Mer-mamma mia!

Professional mermaids, for their part, talk to each other and help each other stay safe, Norman said.

"Us mermaids have strategies and we all tend to share this information with each other," she said. "If there's one particular individual who's harassing a lot of mermaids, we all get together and everybody makes sure that their social media is blocking that person."

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter