Catching up with the JMU student who is a mermaid

Meet Hannah Burgess, a junior Media Arts and Design major from JMU. She appears to be a typical 21-year-old college student, but she is far from it.

Sometimes Hannah is found doing schoolwork in the library, but when it’s time for business, this isn’t the case. She ditches her legs and gracefully glides through the ocean with a long, lush tail splashing about in the whitecaps on the surface behind her. This is when she is Nova Sirène, or Mermaid Nova: the professional mermaid performer.

The Tab got together with this full time student and part time mermaid to get the scoop on her double life.

So what made you want to become a professional mermaid performer?

I’ve really loved mermaids forever and I started seeing pictures on Instagram and Tumblr of girls with mermaid tails, and I’d be like, ‘Oh my god! It’s actually possible to look like a real mermaid!’ I would always look at pictures and watch videos and I wanted to do it too.”

How old were you when you finally started? 

Well, I got my first tail for my 18th birthday. It was just made out of spandex and had a plastic fin inside of it. Like the type of tail parents get for their kids to try out because they’re affordable and safe. I could take off the spandex part and wash it like a bathing suit.

I really started to pursue it during the first semester of freshman year here. I performed at birthday parties that I just heard about from other people and I started performing for a tank show called The Real Mermaids. There are two other mermaids in Virginia that I met and we would meet up and swim in a pool together in our tails.

So obviously this has become your job. Do you ever get sick of it? Or do you always love going to work?

It’s gotten way harder because I actually have to travel distances. In the beginning, I really just took my tail to the pool to swim around. And I had more time because I was in Gen. Ed. classes but now I’m in my major classes and school is harder.

I do always get really excited about it because I’m able to market myself with the pictures taken of me. But as time has passed, the routine things, like birthday parties, get repetitive. I still come out of them happy that I did it though.

Do you work all year? Obviously it’s cold during the winter, so how does that work?

The events are a lot more limited during the winter. If I go somewhere during spring break, I always go somewhere where it is warm. But every year in the beginning of January there’s a mermaid convention. It’s usually in Raleigh, North Carolina, but this year it was organized by different people so it was in Greensboro.

What do you do there? 

[The event] is open to the public so anyone who really likes mermaids can go. We have an event schedule for the whole weekend. There’s swim time in a big pool where you get to go swim with your friends and take underwater pictures. And also nighttime activities like a cocktail mixer and a masquerade ball. That’s always fun because now that we’re older we don’t get to go to formal events anymore.

Do you go to this convention as a guest or are you performing while there too?

Some mermaids who are especially famous will be featured as guest speakers, but I’ve never been hired for that because I’m newer than them. A lot of them are doing things like going out to swim with whale sharks for conservations.

Where have you traveled for different photo shoots or performances?

I do private parties in Virginia, tank shows traveling to North Carolina and Maryland, and I do tank festivals. I’ve also had pictures taken of me in Florida.

How does it feel to see kids freaking out when they see you in costume? Do they truly believe you’re a mermaid?

The little ones really do believe I’m a mermaid. I love seeing the reactions. A lot of times I talk a lot and ask a lot of questions because some of them are so shy and don’t know what to say. I usually get them to open up by asking me if they want to touch my tail.

Of all of the times you’ve been in costume, do you have any specific favorite memory or experience?

My favorite experience would have to be last January when I went to Key Largo in Florida. I got to go on a boat to the coral reefs with beautiful blue water. It was something I’ve never seen. I just remember seeing the actual coral and actual tropical fish and thinking, “Wow, this is amazing.”

Are your parents supportive of all of the things you do? Do they go with you when you travel?

Yeah my parents are really supportive about it. They listen to my stories in great detail and tell all of my relatives about it. It’s so embarrassing. But they always tell me that my first job is being a college student. So as long as it doesn’t get in the way of my schoolwork, they like it. And my mom always talks about it and gives me ideas for things I can do at parties. They’re definitely really positive and supportive about what I’m doing.

They’ve actually never been to events with me because none of them have been close enough. One of my goals is to have my parents watch me in action one day and not just pictures and videos.

What about your friends? Do you have any close friends who are also involved in this? Have your friends gained a love for mermaids?

My boyfriend is really supportive of it. He hasn’t been to any of the events, but he’s going with me on spring break to Florida this year and he’s going to be involved in the photos.

Some of my friends tease me about it, but in a joking way obviously. My two closest mermaid friends live in Virginia and we have a girls’ night once a month at one of their houses in Richmond. But I’ve made a ton of friends from all over the place. Like, my whole newsfeed on Facebook is full of people I met through being a mermaid and stuff. It’s just mind blowing to see the amount of people I’ve met. Some are even from other countries like France and Canada. I see them usually once a year at the convention, but sometimes, like if someone from Canada or something comes to the East Coast, we arrange to hang out and meet up.

How many tails do you have?

I got the tail I have now in March of 2014. It was a full silicone mermaid tail and I bought it used, so it was a lot cheaper than brand new tails. I got that one for $1200.

Right now, the one being made for me was $2,000. I always explain to people that it’s like buying a car or an important piece of sports equipment or something. I paid for this one all by myself and I’ve definitely made the money back already.

If you had to describe your mermaid “look,” what would it be?

I guess kind of edgy. Like some mermaids wear pastel colors and have blonde hair and look like happy Barbie dolls or fairy tale mermaids. But my tail was actually designed by a guy so it’s technically a guys’ tail. It’s all dark blue and I made myself fake dreadlocks over winter break. So my look is kind of tribal.

For my pictures I wear extensions because my hair is only collarbone length. I’ve been branching out into full wigs, but it’s tricky to keep them on under water. Kids are picky so you have to make sure you can’t see the extension clips or anything.

What is the hardest part about doing this? Does it ever get overwhelming?

At this stage in my life, my first job is to be here and be a student. There are so many opportunities to go do photo shoots and stuff, but I have to work around school, so I think that’s probably the hardest part. I see pictures of all my mermaid friends going to Hawaii and all these cool adventures. It’s frustrating. Most of them have graduated or are doing some type of online school. The majority of them are like 24 and 25, which is also cool because I’m one of the youngest ones and they tell me what they did wrong when they were my age and what to avoid while performing.

Do you ever feel pressured to look a certain way?

Well, in some contexts I am pressured to look a certain way. The owner of the tank show encourages natural looking makeup and no wigs. It’s all about the natural aesthetic. You always want to look nice and happy. Not like, an all black tail or something. You kind of have to tailor your look a little bit specifically for whatever you’re doing.

There are some curvier plus-size mermaids, but most photographers want to hire attractive, young, thin girls as mermaids. So I do feel pressure about how I look, but I fit the criteria. I still pick myself apart sometimes and I’m definitely more aware of how I look. It also gives me self-confidence though. Seeing awesome pictures of myself in cool places makes me feel above average.

Can you see yourself doing this forever? Do you think you’ll stop eventually?

I honestly can’t see myself ever stopping. Like, one of my good mermaid friends is a journalism professor at LSU with two kids and she still does it.

What would you say is the most gratifying part about this job and hobby? Have you grown from it?

I feel more confident in myself and in my ability to make a difference or some type of impact. I love making kids happy. It makes me happy to bring kids joy and know I’m the reason for it. They see me doing it and it teaches them that they really can do whatever they want.