Underwater clothing

Thomas_Anderson · Jul 17, 2009

I was worldbuilding my mermaid society, and I came across a question I just couldn't answer.

Would they wear any form of clothing? Naturally it would be made of cloth as we know it, since that'd be pretty counterproductive in the ocean. Naturally it'd have to be rocks, the famous seashell bra, sewn seaweed, or some sort of fish skins.

Would merfolk wear tops though? I mean, our society evolved clothing for protection against the elements, and bras are for support. My merfolk evolved underwater (duh), and support wouldn't really be an issue for the females. As for protection against the elements, there aren't any underwater are there? At least, not any that can be siginificantly reduced by clothing. If a being wanted to keep themselves warm underwater, is there anything they could do about it?

Hettie · Jul 17, 2009

I am assuming you are a man, and do not have breasts....

Being a non-man I can tell you that there are certain things you must wear while running, biking, walking, and especially swimming. A bra is the most important one of 'em...

Thomas_Anderson · Jul 17, 2009

You would be correct in that assumption.

I thought bikini tops were just for modesty. I just figured breasts are buoyant, and swimming isn't quite and forceful as walking, so less bouncing. But I'll take your word for it, since you've swam with breasts and I haven't.

Vespertilion · Jul 17, 2009

Also being a non-man (with fairly buoyant flotation devices myself) I have to say I could see no reason for a mermaid to need to wear a bra except to keep the fish from nibbling. Terrestrial sports, hell yes, but bounce and gravity aren't that big a deal when they're always reaching for the surface.

As to heat conservation, may I suggest your mermaids be very strong, but a little zaftig? Look a lot of the champion swimmers and ama divers from the last century or two--they'll have a bit of padding for insulation.

ETA: Thomas, I would have said modesty too, and for when you get out of the water for your triumphant Baywatch run through the surf.

Hettie · Jul 17, 2009

Been skinny dippin' lately?

Imagine: Your mermaid self jumps out of the water to make a spectacular splash... As you head back into the water you remember.... you have forgotten your support shells and end up with your knockers ringing your bell instead of bouyantly floating on the surface.

Greenify13 · Jul 17, 2009

Okay as another one with these floatation devices...I think it may depend on the size of said "floatation devices". *clears throat* some aren't as small as others, and need, um, support. Seriously, if I were a mermaid, I would be a bitch if I didn't have support...
Oh wow, I said it, and now I am gone... :gone:

Vespertilion · Jul 17, 2009

I have, and I guess with everything else, everyone's body is different.

I certainly bow to being outvoted, but if can extrapolate a little? Yeah, they definitely move, but I think if his mermaids are mostly aquatic, and she has her arms tensed for the graceful arc, the denser muscle and fat of a sea creature is going to be stretched tauter against the pectorals. Also, cold water makes skin and fat contract, etc.

Sorry to be the odd duck, there, Thomas;-)

shethinkstoomuch · Jul 17, 2009

Unless, of course, the merfolk aren't mammals. Then there'd be no need for support.

Hettie · Jul 17, 2009

AHHHHH, they would not have breasts if they were not mammals....

Shethinkstoomuch... thinks too much!!! JK... you are correct... no breasts, no need!!!

Rabe · Jul 17, 2009

shethinkstoomuch said:
Unless, of course, the merfolk aren't mammals. Then there'd be no need for support.

The scary part is that it took seven replies to get someone to ask why *FISH* based creatures have mammary glands to begin with!

Rabe...

Hettie · Jul 17, 2009

Ok, so I have been in the pub all night.... Naaa, I never would have thought of that!!! I am a visual person, all the merfolk pics I have seen have breasts....

Vespertilion · Jul 17, 2009

*shrug* I assumed he was going for the classic mythological look, and had his reasons for giving them breasts, and probably hair and eyelids.

ETA: Me too, Hettie! I was picturing figureheads and such.

Vincent · Jul 17, 2009

You're overlooking all the pretty little bits of jewelry and shiny bits of junk that have gone down with ships over the last few thousand years.

Wark · Jul 17, 2009

Mer-man, Dad. Mer-man.

The men don't need anything since they're all eunuchs. [Is that right? That's what spell check suggested.]

Make all the mer-gals small breasted. Focus on hair accessories and what kind of food they eat.

Lyra Jean · Jul 17, 2009

Isn't it the more active a woman is the smaller her breasts are? Look at female gymnasts and female swimmers. They don't have large breasts. So wouldn't mermaids have naturally small breasts?

Hettie · Jul 17, 2009

*as she stares at the computer for another hour... did not make it to the gym today...

THEORY is good, however genetics has something to do with it in my world!!!

Thomas_Anderson · Jul 17, 2009

rosemerry said:
Isn't it the more active a woman is the smaller her breasts are? Look at female gymnasts and female swimmers. They don't have large breasts. So wouldn't mermaids have naturally small breasts?

But professional swimmers are racers, swimming for speed. Mermaids swim as their primary method of movement.

It's the difference between runners and women who walk (all of them that aren't crippled).

bettielee · Jul 18, 2009

I think your mergirls would have developed small boobies. I think big ones would be inconvenient under water, and evolution would weed them out.

Sorry guys.

JoNightshade · Jul 18, 2009

Breast support aside, I'd think merfolk might end up wearing clothing for a number of other reasons. Clothing isn't just about practicality. (Foot binding, anyone?) Clothing is in large part cultural. For example...

- Modesty... different cultures and time periods have different taboos. Who's to say merfolk wouldn't have some of their own?
- Protection. There's a lot of coral and sharp rocks and stuff underwater. Your average merperson might want to wear something like light chain mail or a scaled shirt to protect against scrapes.
- Decoration. Clothing used to enhance figure, glittery jewels, etc.
- Wealth and status - look, I have more sunken sea treasure than you.
- Religion/group affiliation - this is what I wear because I belong to this group.

bettielee · Jul 18, 2009

and don't forget looking purty and attracting the opposite sexifullness!

Vespertilion · Jul 18, 2009

I vote small chest and a little bit of extra fat.

Not all swimmers swim for speed--there are marathoners, also. What are the mechanics of your swimming--mostly undulatory and powerful tail swipes? Or are they going to use their arms and webby fingers to help pull themselves through? That will affect the chest muscle development and the overlying tissue, too.

Also, I was serious about nibbling fish--a dad of a childhood friend had a lot of skin tags and moles, and the fish went for those every time.

Matera the Mad · Jul 18, 2009

Clothes serve two purposes: protection, and cultural B.S.

Merfolk should have enough subcutaneous fat to protect them from cold, and their skin would not be overtender unless they were in the habit of wearing clothes. As for the culture side, that's up to them. Dressing non-humans is a frivolous habit of humans.

BigWords · Jul 19, 2009

If you go with clothing for the mer-peoples you will need to think about tools used to create the cloths. A knife would be an easy enough tool to get, even if they do not make anything themselves, considering all of the sunken vessels.

I like the idea of them skinning seals and wearing the pelts. This would fit both the 'warm' and 'protective' categories.

dourdog · Jul 19, 2009

JoNightshade said:
- Protection. There's a lot of coral and sharp rocks and stuff underwater. Your average merperson might want to wear something like light chain mail or a scaled shirt to protect against scrapes.

Protection is a good one. It is one of the main reasons humans adopted clothing. protection form the elements and other animals.

The same could be said for an underwater society. Jagged rocks, sharp coral, freezing cold, heat around lava tubes, abrasive sands thrown around by strong currents ect ect.

clothing would/could be made of the natural resources around them, like kelp and sea plants. Or for more substantial protection the hard scales of large animals woven into clothing.

Lyra Jean · Jul 19, 2009

If you do give them clothing then make sure it doesn't create a lot of drag. Otherwise it will slow down their swimming when they are trying to get away from predators such as sharks and meat eating whales, and possibly humans.

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