SHELLO!: Save the Bay, Save the Mermaids

“I’ve yet to meet a little girl or a little boy who hasn’t told me they’ve always wanted to be a mermaid or a merman,” said Jessie Jewels, the recent titleholder of Miss Rhode Island Mermaid, Miss Mermaid Rhode Island, and Queen of the Seas, Rhode Island. “I think it’s in our psyche to imagine living in an underwater world. I think our brains are wired to dream about that, how magical would that be? Being underwater is an amazing place we’ve yet to fully explore. There’s so much about the ocean we don’t know anything about. There are all these great creatures we keep discovering. So why not mermaids and mermen?”

This past May, Jewels (a professional mermaid, fire dancer, model, artist, and yoga instructor) invited members from across her communities to join her at the Apple Cinemas in Warwick for a special screening of the new live-action The Little Mermaid. Merfolk of all ages arrived with made-up faces shimmering in brilliant purples and teals, dusted with glitter, and sparkling with gemstones. There were shell tops and tiaras and a sea of iridescent tails. 

“The whole point was to fill the theater with as many ocean loving mer-sea-creatures-pirates-whatever as possible and spread the word about what’s going on with Save the Bay Save the Mermaids.”

Jewels began volunteering with Save the Bay when she started pageanting as a mermaid several years ago. She volunteered as a beach cleanup captain and helped fellow volunteers obtain the supplies and information they needed before and during events.

“At the end of a cleanup, I’d jokingly say, ‘I must’ve gotten wet.’ And I’d be sitting in my tail on a chair and then we’d take pictures with the volunteers and all the trash. Over the years, I’ve come up with more ways to work with them, to bring more awareness to what they do, because they do so much. They do sea grass replanting, sewage draining marking, and they work really hard with the government to get legislation passed to protect the Bay.”

In 2022, Jewels created Save the Bay Save the Mermaids to introduce the mermaid community to her environmental work. She hosted different events throughout the state and gave a portion of event proceeds to Save the Bay. This August, she is hosting an underwater photo shoot with a couple from Bora Bora, a portion of the proceeds from those photo shoots will go to Save the Bay. 

“The photo shoot is also an excellent opportunity for mermaids here to get experience and content [for social media]. If you want to be a mermaid, you can, anyone can!” 

Although anyone can be a mermaid, Jewels advises novice mermaids educate themselves.  

“You don’t just want to throw on a tail and jump in the water. Maybe go find a class, there are mermaiding classes about the safety of swimming in a tail. Or go to a convention if you can. Conventions provide such a great opportunity because they have everything in one place, and you can buy a tail there and a beautiful shell top.”

In September, Jewels travels to DC to compete in the Monarch International Pageant for the title of Miss Atlantis Mermaid, which places a heavy emphasis on a mermaid’s environmental contributions. She looks forward to the pageant as another opportunity to garner support for Save the Bay Save the Mermaids. 

As for her thoughts on The Little Mermaid.

“It’s fin-tastic! The Little Mermaid was one of the first movies I saw in the theater. Getting to see the live-action was such a treat. They stayed true to the story and updated it in such smart, entertaining ways with new songs, while still keeping the old songs. It was much more vibrant and colorful, too. The “Under the Sea” sequence? I want a poster of every frame. Every. single. frame. I want wallpaper of that. It was so pretty.” 

To volunteer with Save the Bay visit savebay.org or contact Jessie Jewels directly on IG @mermaidjessiejewels and FB at Mermaid Jessie Jewels. To learn more about Jessie, including how to bring a mermaid to your next event, visit jessiejewelsart.com.