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A Canadian revealed that she had made her career a professional 'mermaid' and that she had amassed a collection of $ 25,000 tails after years of struggle for the march.
Stephanie Norman, 32, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, transforms herself into a mermaid of the sea every morning and spends her days playing in front of stunned spectators.
The former teacher, who is named after Sirene Raina, adopted the lifestyle ten years ago after struggling with mobility issues during her studies.
The pain in the legs, associated with dyspraxia, a neurological condition that affects coordination, made walking difficult for Raina.
She also suffered from cystitis and endometriosis; the combination of illnesses left bedridden and battled depression for much of the university.
"These diseases affect my motor skills and all contribute to my leg pain," she said. "When dealing with chronic pain, it's so important to find a form of fitness that works."
Raina bought her first mermaid costume in 2008 after being diagnosed with dyspraxia, explaining that slipping into the water wearing it made her feel like she was losing weight.
"When I'm in the water, the pressure on my legs is less strong. I immediately notice the difference and feel completely safe, "she said.
"It's a totally nocturnal and diurnal situation. Even if I have a motor disorder and I am very clumsy on dry land, when I put the tail and I go in the water, I am agile, "she added.
"I have so much strength when I use it. Just a tail to cross the pool. "
Raina said that she had always loved the mermaids when she was growing up and pretending to be her.
"I grew up in the generation of the little mermaid. When I was a child, the audio book obsessed me and I listened to it every day, "she recalls.
"I would like to sit in the bath and pretend to be a mermaid." It started as an escape for me, but then the fantasy became a reality, now it's my life, my identity .
"What I like most about being a mermaid is the magic gift he brings to people," she said.
"I do not think I'm a fish or anything like that, but Raina's character is the perfect fusion of who I was and what I wanted to be."
Raina turns every morning into her aquatic alter ego by slipping into one of her tailor made tails, which cost up to $ 4,000 a unit.
She founded the Halifax Mermaids in 2014, and the company, which she runs with her 41-year-old husband, Sean, now employs 12 people.
The professional siren now spends up to 25 hours a week in costume and performs at events ranging from children's workshops to environmental summits.
To make sure she looks great, Raina Free dives and lifts weights four times a week.
Its cupboard is filled with shell heads and decorative mermaid tails, each made of medical grade silicone and spray painted with an elaborate design.
She also wears bathing caps under a wig to protect her hair from chlorine and applies underwater makeup each morning to complete her look.
Despite her appearance, Raina explained that life as a fish-fish hybrid was not always glamorous.
"We really have to use a lubricant to get into the tail, because that sucks your body," she said. "We can not walk once we are in our costumes. A "merwrangler" must bring us to the edge of water in a wheelchair.
Raina also admitted that she is often harassed by adult men when she wears her mermaid costume.
"We receive unwanted attention, often of a sexual nature, and we call these people" merverts. "We will do a children's concert and an adult man will call us and tell us to take off our clothes," she says.
"I had been swimming with sharks before and it was not as scary as dealing with some of these aggressive men."
However, she finds support from her husband, Sean, who also works as a simulation integration specialist.
"I constantly walk on the shells and gems of his suits, and I'm often covered in glitter – it's all over the place, siren stuffs filter your life in every way," he admitted.
"I work in an office, I'm not a social butterfly, but the people of Halifax started to recognize me through this one.
"You can not help but love that when she becomes a mermaid – she's contagious," he added. "I'm his biggest cheerleader."
Raina agreed, saying, "He just believes in me. You have to love someone very much to answer his strange siren interest.
"I'm happy because I can become that character and make others happy."
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