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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Kari Paul in Sacramento

Inside the world’s longest-running mermaid gathering: ‘The first place I’ve truly belonged’

Disney PaDi
A woman dressed as a mermaid looks into a mirror while underwater.
A mermaid checks her reflection in a clam-shell mirror during the annual California Mermaid Convention near Sacramento. Photograph: Lee Harland/The Guardian

Last weekend, around a community pool near Sacramento, flippers were being unpacked, glowing bubble crowns secured to wigs, and glittery eye makeup donned: the annual US meeting of mermaids was underway.

Hundreds gathered for the California Mermaid Convention: a three-day celebration of the increasingly popular practice of “mermaiding”. Part cosplay, part athletic endeavor, the hobby ranges from casual dress up to certified divers who strap on “monofins” and swim together in a pool or the open ocean.

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