Annie Collinge documents the real life mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs

Date
3 April 2012

My desire to wear a shell bikini and have a big flipper instead of legs was ignited, like many others, upon seeing Disney’s The Little Mermaid. It’s also responsible for the several weeks I used a fork to brush my hair like Ariel did. But there is a place where being a mermaid can become a reality, oh yes. In Weeki Wachee, Florida, the City of Live Mermaids is one of the state’s oldest attractions where beautiful ladies perform in underwater shows, living out the fishy fantasy with their very own tail.

Amazed by this surreal place, London born photographer Annie Collinge’s newest project, ‘The Underwater Mermaid Theatre’ sees her documenting the day-to-day life of these ‘mermaids’ giving us a glimpse into the cheesy glamour that’s managed to survive all these years.

Above

Annie Collinge: Mermaid MaggieAn

Above

Annie Collinge: Mermaid Karri

Above

Annie Collinge: Maggie through the glass

Above

Annie Collinge: Make up

Above

Annie Collinge: The surface

Above

Annie Collinge: Mermaid Marcy

Above

Annie Collinge: Fishnet

Above

Annie Collinge: Wet hair

Above

Annie Collinge: The spring

Above

Annie Collinge: Kylee and the turtle

Above

Annie Collinge: Mermaid Maggie before the show

Above

Annie Collinge: Plunge

Above

Annie Collinge: Mermaid Kylee

Above

Annie Collinge

Share Article

Further Info

About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.