Becoming The PINK Mermaid

I always find it funny when people comment on my mermaid tail not being a “natural” color. As if they’ve met mermaids and noted they’re all of freshwater descent with blue-green tails. 🙄 

Despite its ‘fantasy’ color palette, my pink & purple mermaid tail is one of the most realistic on the market- undeniably so in terms of craftsmanship (thank you Finfolk). In regards to color, they say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, so here’s a glimpse into what was going on inside my head when I designed my pink mermaid tail.

Why Pink?

I’m gonna give it to you straight. Pink IS my favorite color. But the thought behind my custom pink mermaid tail goes deeper than that…

Tropical Fish Mentality

On the topmost, geographic level, being a pink mermaid makes the most sense in Florida, home of North America’s only barrier reef and all the vibrant tropical fish that call it home! Living in Florida we are surrounded by water: oceans, rivers, canals, lakes, springs & sinkholes. While each location has its own draws and beauty, I’ve always felt most connected to the ocean and would definitely identify more with the warm-water, tropical fish lifestyle. 

“Tropical fish are popular choices for aquariums due to their often bright coloration.” This is how I saw myself fitting into the mermaid world: as the brightly colored mermaid loved for her vibrant personality and tail to match!

Color Preference & Purpose

When it comes to choosing your tail color, the two most important considerations should be preference (what colors / palettes do you like) and purpose (what do you want to use your tail for and will your preferred colors work best to serve that purpose).

First I scoured through the hashtag #siliconetail on instagram for weeks did my research to discover what I personally liked & disliked in a tail’s color palette. Although there weren’t m(any?) references for pink mermaids IRL at the time, I learned that warm colors popped best against the natural blue, teal, green and grey waters featured in most mermaid instagram posts.

Since my main goal was to “be seen” while swimming, it made sense to choose a warm, bright color to counter the cool blue hue that’s cast under the sea. Warm colors that would stand out well underwater include yellow, red, orange, and of course pink.

As I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion, pink is my favorite color, & I didn’t see any others out there claiming “The Pink Mermaid” title, so I decided to just go for it and invest in the pink mermaid tail of my dreams! After all, pink is the best tail color for a mermaid princess party performer IMO, and that’s exactly what I planned to use it for!

Although Ariel somehow managed to pull off- and furthermore popularize her classic purple, green & red combo, I prefer the more modern blue, pink, & purple mermaid aesthetic. This is part of the reason my tail has purple accents. Although I love pink & teal as a color combo, I thought if I tipped my fins in blue they would blend in with the surrounding water, losing my sharp mermaid silhouette and appearing to reduce my length. I opted to tip my fins and fluke in purple to stand out from the water and to stick to the mermaid princess vibes.

Color & Character: Choosing the Perfect Shade

It’s decided. Pink is a must – but different shades have totally different vibes. Personally, I’m a bubblegum pink kind of girl; my closet is full of pink neutrals & even my wedding accent color was blush. Light, bubblegum pink had to be my base tail color. 

My mermaid character, ehrm “mersona” if you will, is an extension of myself, but she’s also bigger than me- larger than life actually- and I needed a bold tail color to match that outgoing personality. I didn’t want people to just look because I was a mermaid, I wanted them to remember me because I was bright pink with a warm smile! I knew I needed some bright Barbie Pink to get that va-va-voom in neutral environments like tan sands and grey rocks, where light pink may get lost. I had Finfolk blend flamingo pink into the light pink waist, and pull the brighter hot pink color down into the fluke.

All in the DeTAILS

The ladies at Finfolk Productions have insane painting skills, and they did an amazing job of blending my pink & purple palette together beautifully and cohesively. I originally requested gold scale tipping, and they recommended I do an iridescent lilac tipping instead, to tie in the purple throughout the tail. The little details like this make my tail an absolute DREAM! 

Finfolk also offers mer-mazing striping options and other wild patterns; I have a few of their fabric tails with these designs, but I found them to be a little too abrasive for my main mersona. Instead I wanted to add a little dainty magic to my tail, which is where the whimsical white spotting on my fluke and fin tips comes from! They remind me of little pearls, which tie together my full pink mermaid costume, as most of my accessories are blinged out with pearls and sparkling jewels!

Mermaid Jules, The Pink Mermaid is Born

After much consultation with my sister, writing a full dissertation on the intricacies of my tail design, and some feedback from the Finfolk Team, the pink mermaid tail of my dreams was brought to reality!! 

I needed a tail to match my bubblegum princess personality, with a splash of tropical fish vibrancy! Finfolk understood the assignment. 

They used a pearlescent pink color at the waist, which compliments my skin tone nicely where the two meet. The sides of the tail introduce the hot pink color which is carried down into the fluke. My hip fins, heel fins, and fluke are all tipped in a lavender purple and speckled with white spots. The scales are tipped in an iridescent purple and the whole tail is coated in glitter that sparkles in the sun!

I couldn’t have asked for a more fantastical, believable, girly, perfect mermaid tail to define Mermaid Jules, The Pink Mermaid!

Follow The Pink Mermaid Jules

I hope you enjoyed learning how I came up with my mermaid tail design and can appreciate how much time and thought goes into creating a mersona. This is why it is so important to come up with a design that is unique to you, rather than trying to mimick an existing mermaid tail. Take your time with your design; silicone or fabric – a custom tail is quite a large investment! Hopefully some of my insights, along with your own intuition, will help you when deciding on your own tail colors!

Don’t forget to follow the pink mermaid on Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, & Pinterest!