Struggling from the start of her journey, Insyirah Moidu shares her experience as Asia’s first plus-sized mermaid.
Written by Afiah Mazlan | Photo Courtesy of Insyirah Moidu
In the Danish fairy tale, ‘The Little Mermaid’ tells the story of a mermaid who trades her voice for human legs and immortality. She sacrificed her mermaid life for a human soul, leaving her loving family.
The Birth of Merliah
“I never enjoyed ‘The Little Mermaid' because she was a mermaid who wanted to be human. That never sat right with me,” said Merliah.
Insyirah Moidu, also known as Merliah Mermaid, is a 27-year-old full-time mermaid. The name Merliah was inspired by the movie ‘Barbie in a Mermaid Tale'.
Merliah’s mermaid journey began when she was 17. While on an island, a girl in a mermaid costume sparked her curiosity.
“I went up to her and she told me all about it because I was super interested. From there, I got my first monofin.”
Against the wall of her bedroom, a line of rainbow-coloured tails hangs neatly. Clutters of seashells, pearls, and seahorses fill up the shelves of aqua-themed accessories.
Out of everything hanging on the walls, a majestic golden and teal tail encrusted with shimmering seashells stands out proudly and untouched by the sea. The tail costs her USD 5000, making it her most expensive tail.
The difference between her first monofin and most expensive tail is stark, but also serves to symbolise her mermaid journey of 10 years.
Against The Current
Merliah was always bullied for her size while growing up.
“I grew up with people telling me I can’t be a mermaid because I’m too fat. They’d say: ‘that’s not a duyung (mermaid), that's a dugong’.”
Despite the bullying, Merliah has always felt confident in her skin. She expresses gratitude towards her parents, who have always been extremely supportive of her.
Behind the screen, Merliah observes tank shows performed by plus-sized mermaids around the world. She shared that even when she lands a gig, the experience turns out to be “not so magical.”
“I see the look on their faces and although they’re just kids, it still breaks my heart,” Merliah recalled the scrunched-up expressions of children and the distasteful looks thrown at her by their parents.
She expresses her frustration of not receiving as many opportunities in Asia in comparison to her time in America, due to the lack of body representation.
“I try reaching out to companies here and they just don’t want me. Why should they hire me when there’s someone else smaller and skinnier?”
Staying Afloat
Growing up, Merliah did not have anyone to look up to who looked like her – plus-sized and brown. When asked what keeps her going, a smile lit up her face as she shared heartwarming messages sent by other plus-sized people.
In a society where she finds everyone so fixated on their size, she advocates body liberation. This is evident through her pastel-themed Instagram page where she uploads dream-like photos of herself in her tail with fiercely empowering captions.
“It’s easy for me to go somewhere else where I’m accepted but I want to stay here and do the work. I want to show people that this is acceptable and they have to accept me.”
After contemplating her mermaid career many times and almost giving up, Merliah always finds her way back to her love for the sea and her want to help people recognise that they are worth more than just their bodies.