A man who has been obsessed with mermaids since the age of nine and regularly dresses up as a real-life 'merman' has detailed the cruel, and often homophobic, abuse he is subjected to while pursuing his passion for the mythical sea creatures.
Douglas Borges, 24, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who spends much of his time dressing up in one of his many elaborate merman tails, has been captivated by mermaids and mermen for decades - and wholeheartedly believes that they are real.
However, as well as attracting a variety of women and children who are eager to learn more about the history of merpeople, his unique hobby has exposed him to a great deal of negativity and hatred from what he sees as 'sad, close-minded people'.
'Guys call me a "mermaid," a "stupid gay guy" and other comments like that coming from very sad, closed-minded people,' he said.
'It happens very often on the beach,' he added.
'And unfortunately, also within the mermaid/merfolk world, there is still a lot of discrimination against those who own fabric tails, rather than a silicone tail.'
Along with discrimination, there is also jealousy as well, which comes in the form of mean comments on Instagram.
He said: 'Jealousy happens, especially if you look great. I know that I have a very strong, awesome look, even if I have a fabric tail. It doesn't matter to me.
'Since I was a little boy at the age of nine, the mermaid tales and pictures have fascinated me.
'It's amazing to see that beautiful woman with long hair, crossing the oceans and being so strong and powerful on her own; half fish and half woman - how amazing is that?'
'I really believe that mermaids and mermen exist,' he said. 'A mermaid is a mythological creature that empowers women with her beauty and show all that beauty and freedom that she has.'
'I love the ocean, sea life and the beach. I live one block from the Copacabana beach, and I always use my merman tails to swim, because I love to be a merman for few hours.'
'Since I was a boy I used to make my mermaid tails with towels and blankets. There is a lot of discrimination about guys being mermen and I hear a lot bullying and stupid stuff sometimes.'
But Douglas doesn't let that get to him and instead, he tells them to get a life and worry about their own lives.
'It's me, I am what I am. At the age that I am at, I will not accept bullying,' he said.
'I am having fun and entertaining myself and others; the kids, girls and women get crazy on the beach to touch my tail and ask me how long can I be outside the water, what I eat in the ocean, and even if I talk with the fish.'
'It's magical and I let their imagination fly high - mine too. I love Disney fairy tales, I collect many movies and cartoons, Ariel and Princess Aurora are my favorite but I love them all. My dream is to visit Disney World in Florida.'
Douglas also likes to post pictures and videos of himself cleaning the beach and asking people to keep the water clean from the beach, free of garbage, or many turtles could die eating plastic or straws.
He also likes to share glamorous images on his Instagram that show him wearing brightly colored makeup and covered in jewelry while posing on a rock with his purple tail.
More photos show him majestically sitting on a rock with trident, the weapon of Poseidon, the god of the sea, while another picture shows Douglas wearing a towel on his head with his chic purple tail in a bubble bath.
One picture even shows Douglas taking his trident into the sea, revealing his scaly green body and a shell crown on his head.
While his obsession with the merworld started when he was a young boy, Douglas didn't buy his first two professional mermaid tails until 2016.
'I got my two professional mermaid tails in 2016, and I am very happy about them. They came from the US and I am planning to get two different ones, so that I can fully pursue my dream of being a merman,' he said.
'There are many mermaids and mermen all over the world, on Instagram and Facebook. We connect with each other and talk about the mermaid lifestyle, we call ourselves 'merfolks'.
'Mermaid and mermen could be any person: Whites, Blacks, Asians, Latinos, it doesn't really matter, and they can have any body shape.'
'I want to keep doing it for a long time - it's great exercise for your back, spine and swimming is something that I love too.'
Douglas Borges, 24, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who spends much of his time dressing up in one of his many elaborate merman tails, has been captivated by mermaids and mermen for decades - and wholeheartedly believes that they are real.
However, as well as attracting a variety of women and children who are eager to learn more about the history of merpeople, his unique hobby has exposed him to a great deal of negativity and hatred from what he sees as 'sad, close-minded people'.
'Guys call me a "mermaid," a "stupid gay guy" and other comments like that coming from very sad, closed-minded people,' he said.
'It happens very often on the beach,' he added.
'And unfortunately, also within the mermaid/merfolk world, there is still a lot of discrimination against those who own fabric tails, rather than a silicone tail.'
Along with discrimination, there is also jealousy as well, which comes in the form of mean comments on Instagram.
He said: 'Jealousy happens, especially if you look great. I know that I have a very strong, awesome look, even if I have a fabric tail. It doesn't matter to me.
'Since I was a little boy at the age of nine, the mermaid tales and pictures have fascinated me.
'It's amazing to see that beautiful woman with long hair, crossing the oceans and being so strong and powerful on her own; half fish and half woman - how amazing is that?'
'I really believe that mermaids and mermen exist,' he said. 'A mermaid is a mythological creature that empowers women with her beauty and show all that beauty and freedom that she has.'
'I love the ocean, sea life and the beach. I live one block from the Copacabana beach, and I always use my merman tails to swim, because I love to be a merman for few hours.'
'Since I was a boy I used to make my mermaid tails with towels and blankets. There is a lot of discrimination about guys being mermen and I hear a lot bullying and stupid stuff sometimes.'
But Douglas doesn't let that get to him and instead, he tells them to get a life and worry about their own lives.
'It's me, I am what I am. At the age that I am at, I will not accept bullying,' he said.
'I am having fun and entertaining myself and others; the kids, girls and women get crazy on the beach to touch my tail and ask me how long can I be outside the water, what I eat in the ocean, and even if I talk with the fish.'
'It's magical and I let their imagination fly high - mine too. I love Disney fairy tales, I collect many movies and cartoons, Ariel and Princess Aurora are my favorite but I love them all. My dream is to visit Disney World in Florida.'
Douglas also likes to post pictures and videos of himself cleaning the beach and asking people to keep the water clean from the beach, free of garbage, or many turtles could die eating plastic or straws.
He also likes to share glamorous images on his Instagram that show him wearing brightly colored makeup and covered in jewelry while posing on a rock with his purple tail.
More photos show him majestically sitting on a rock with trident, the weapon of Poseidon, the god of the sea, while another picture shows Douglas wearing a towel on his head with his chic purple tail in a bubble bath.
One picture even shows Douglas taking his trident into the sea, revealing his scaly green body and a shell crown on his head.
While his obsession with the merworld started when he was a young boy, Douglas didn't buy his first two professional mermaid tails until 2016.
'I got my two professional mermaid tails in 2016, and I am very happy about them. They came from the US and I am planning to get two different ones, so that I can fully pursue my dream of being a merman,' he said.
'There are many mermaids and mermen all over the world, on Instagram and Facebook. We connect with each other and talk about the mermaid lifestyle, we call ourselves 'merfolks'.
'Mermaid and mermen could be any person: Whites, Blacks, Asians, Latinos, it doesn't really matter, and they can have any body shape.'
'I want to keep doing it for a long time - it's great exercise for your back, spine and swimming is something that I love too.'
Music: "Dub Eastern" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Daily Mail
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