Thursday 19 December 2013

A Whale or a Mermaid?

I found this is the comments page of a blog the other day, and have since found it elsewhere set in different cities - when it comes to things like this, you never really know how real it is, and there’s never an accurate source… but this is so wonderful I wanted to share it.

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Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tanned woman appeared in the window of a gym.

It said: “THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?”

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins, stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

A beluga whale rescues a drowning woman in Harbin, China.
A beluga whale rescues a drowning woman in Harbin, China. 

Mermaids don’t exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they don’t have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

vintage Mermaids taking the booty after wrecking a ship
Mermaids taking the booty after wrecking a ship

The choice is perfectly clear to me; I want to be a WHALE!

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We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny, and young, people are beautiful. It's hard to ignore but I for one am trying.  I prefer reading vintage magazines - yes the models were still thin, but they were often older, and many ads and stories used illustrations instead of real (photo-shopped and airbrushed) models.   I also prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a glass of red with my husband and coffee with the girls. What about you?

If you want to help real live whales stay that way, take a look at the Greenpeace website. Or if you are stuck for a Christmas gift, why not Adopt a Blue Whale at WWF.

Deb xx

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