Plus-Sized S’pore Mermaid, Yakyra, Fights Stereotypes That All Mermaids Have to be Slim


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35-year-old Wu Shiyan, who goes by ‘Yakyra’ on social media, is a Chief Controller at SMRT Trains.

However, what people might not know is that she is also a plus-size mermaid diver in her spare time.

Yakyra Faced Discrimination Due To Physique

In an interview with the Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobaoshe shared that she fell in love with mermaids after watching “The Little Mermaid” as a child. She always had a dream to become a mermaid diver.

However, because of her physique, she often faced discrimination in her daily life. Even when she gathered the courage to contact local mermaid diving schools, they all rejected her due to her weight.

 

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A post shared by Yakyra (@muroromermaidseawitch)

She finally found a teacher in Liao Weiwen at the Mermaid Singapore Academy, who accepted Yakyra happily after confirming that she had no health issues.

Improved Mental and Physical Health

Being able to achieve her childhood dream brought Yakyra lots of joy, but the benefits weren’t just psychological.

She also improved her physical health through mermaid diving, as she lost weight and improved her asthma condition through breathing exercises.

This allowed Yakyra to become more confident in herself, and she started to share her mermaid journey on social media.

 

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A post shared by Yakyra (@muroromermaidseawitch)

She even collaborated with an American plus-size mermaid organisation to produce a calendar of mermaids from all over the globe.

Image: Lianhe Zaobao

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Yakyra Makes Mermaid Diving More Inclusive

After going through such a tumultuous journey to achieve her dreams, Yakyra wants to help others to achieve their dreams too.

She urges aspiring mermaids to not let others’ comments stop you from chasing your dreams. After all, we only live once.

Yakyra hopes that by breaking stereotypes of mermaid divers’ physiques, she can help to make the sport more inclusive.

“No matter how the result is, at least you tried and you won’t regret,” said Yakyra on Instagram.

 

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A post shared by Yakyra (@muroromermaidseawitch)


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Featured Image: Instagram (@muroromermaidseawitch)