It’s not coincidental that the men of the Mermaid Parade get overlooked every year. There are no pole-dancing dudes (correction: according to Paul in the comments, there were!), no scandalous body-painted Greek god specimens for photographers to swarm and obsess over. Sure, some guys proudly wear pasties or cross-dress to much success. They bust out the big guns and tote barbells, haul post-apocalyptic space trash down the parade route, and scare the living daylights out of kids on the boardwalk. But they just don’t get the same treatment as their scantily-clad counterparts, and that has got to change.
Every year I am so impressed by the creativity of the mer-men. This year, let’s hear it for the boys!
Untitled, by Oscar Rivera:
Untitled portraits, by Silvia Saponaro:
“Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2012,” by Vivienne Gucwa:
“Mermaid Parade,” by Mika Sato and Untitled by Rob Feiner:
Untitled, by Mike Ratliff:
Untitled Portraits, by Oscar Rivera:
“Smoking Crab,” by Travis Keyes:
“Mermaid Parade 2012,” by Paul Ker:
“Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2012,” by Scott Lynch:
Mermaid Parade portraits, by Joe Alfano:
“There are no pole-dancing dudes,…” Not so fast! I was the male pole dancer in the Poleriders’ float for this year’s parade. Certainly not as popular as the ladies I was working with though…
Paul — Oh really??! I totally didn’t see you! I’m sure you were awesome — please share video if you get a chance! :D
Hey Jill, I’m the pirate with the pimp chain in your photos. Thanks for mentioning the men. We do get overlooked and I know some of us put in a lot of effort to make a fun and interesting showing each year. I love the ladies and am glad they are brave enough to strip down to almost nothing for our viewing pleasure, but sometimes feel like the flocking photographers get carried away with capturing them. The ones who deserve the most attention are those who display the most creativity, not the most skin.