On Juli 17, it finally hit the shelves. I had been looking forward to it for a month, and now it was here: the issue of LINDA.magazine featuring a portrait of six mermen — and I was one of them.
Together with Maurice, I appear in the magazine as a merman, on the beach in IJmuiden. I had been curious to see how the photo would turn out, whether the interview would come across well. And I was nervous — or rather, a little afraid I might look awkward on camera. But when I opened the magazine, I mostly felt proud. And happy. And a little bit in disbelief.
It all started a few months earlier with an email from zeemeerminshop.nl. I had ordered ten mermaid tails from them for LoveSwim, our swimming event. Not long after, they messaged me: a journalist from LINDA.magazine was looking for adult mermen for a photo feature and interview. Would I be interested?
Normally, I probably would’ve said no. I’m not someone who enjoys being in the spotlight. But at that time, organizing mermaid swimming within my swim club was proving difficult. I had started thinking about taking it outside the club — and for that, I needed to find others who wanted to swim too. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.
So I said yes.
It took a while before LINDA had enough candidates — mermen are apparently hard to find. I suggested Maurice, with whom I was preparing a mermaid swimming demonstration for LoveSwim. He was selected too.
On May 13, I had the interview with journalist Nicole. We spoke over the phone, and it turned into a surprisingly fun conversation. She asked thoughtful questions about what it feels like to glide through the water as a merman, about expression, freedom, and how it spills over into everyday life. There wasn’t enough time to share everything I wanted to say, but she turned it into a beautiful 250-word portrait. The only thing I regretted was forgetting to mention how important mermaid swimming has been for my personal growth — how it helps me do things I might otherwise be too shy for. It literally and figuratively gets me out of my shell.
The photoshoot took place on June 3 in IJmuiden. Maurice and I had agreed I’d ride with him — he had a car, and it was nice to go together. On the way, we talked about all kinds of things, including topics we rarely get to at the swim club. We were both a bit nervous, but also excited.
The shoot itself was relaxed. I had brought several tails, but my dark blue one — the one I secretly liked most — turned out to be the photographer’s favorite too. It matched my red hair perfectly. Maurice chose his rainbow tail. We were allowed to take a few photos of our own, as long as we didn’t share them before the magazine came out.
And then we waited.
On June 17, it finally appeared in stores. And it turned out beautifully. I gave a copy to all my coworkers. Normally, you have to request leave weeks in advance, but they made an exception for this photoshoot. As a joke, I had promised each of them a copy.
We received lots of positive reactions. And what made it even more special: it became an opportunity to promote LoveSwim — the cheerful, inclusive swimming event we organize with our teammates.
Without this invitation, I probably wouldn’t have done it. But mermaid swimming gave me that extra push again. And that’s what it keeps giving me: movement, courage, and visibility — both in and out of the water.