Basic Trope: Mermaids cover their breasts with seashells,

starfish, seaweed, etc.

• Straight: Marina wears a bra or bikini top made out of

scallop shells.
• Exaggerated:
• The "fish" part of Marina ascends to her bustline,
like a strapless dress.
• Even prepubescent mermaids with no boobs to speak
of cover their chests like so.
• Downplayed: Marina wears a pearl necklace, consisting
of several strands of pearls.
• Justified:
• Even in the world of mermaids, breasts are

considered "private," so they are to be covered.

• It's a fashion statement.
• Mermaids need supporting too given their human
upper body.
• It's protection. Swimming around things like coral
mean their breasts are more likely to scrape against
them.
• Inverted: Marina is topless, perhaps covered only by
Godiva Hair or several strands of pearls, if at all.
• A clam or starfish decorates itself with mermaid
scales.
 • Marina wears seashells on everything except her
breasts.
• Subverted:
• Marina appears to be topless.
• Marina wears a top that's made of fabric.
• It's revealed that mer-society is clothing-optional.
• Marina wears a fur coat (either waterproof or Water

Is Air), because she lives in cold Arctic water. So she

wears it to keep warm, not to hide her breasts.
• Double Subverted:
• But then it's revealed that she has limpets or sand

dollars covering her nipples, like pasties.

• But many mermaids like to wear some kind of
brassiere or other top, for fashion-related reasons.
• She visits tropical waters, and switches over to a
seashell top.
• Parodied:
• A merman (or a human man pretending to be one)
wears something like this.
• Marina wears these, but she's always behind a

Scenery Censor, such as a piece of coral.

• Marina experiences A-Cup Angst when she sees her

friend Pearl wearing larger shells.

• Mermaids wear full bikinis, even though they lack

visible genitalia.
 • Marina wears tiny shells over Gag Boobs.
• Marina freaks out when she is seen wearing her

seashell bra.
• Marina wears conch shells, like a cone bra.
• Zig Zagged: ???
• Averted:
• Mermaids in-story wear either normal tops, or are
topless.
• There are no mermaids in-story.
• Enforced: "We can't have topless mermaids; this is a
family-oriented show and/or we're in a place where
uncovered female breasts are unacceptable. Let's give
them some Improvised Clothes!"
• Lampshaded: "Hmm...should I wear seashells or starfish
today?"
• Invoked:
• Seashells and such become fashion statements in
Marina's society.
• A new ruler comes to power who dictates that
mermaids must cover their breasts.
• Exploited: Stealing this from a mermaid will cause her to
transform into a human, ready for Abduction Is Love.
Bob tries to take Marina's top from her.
• Defied: Marina chooses to go topless.
 • Discussed: "Why would a mermaid need to wear a bra? I
mean, wouldn't her boobs be supported by the water
around her?"
• Conversed: "Well, they can't have topless mermaids on
TV! Think of the Children!!"
• Implied: Though Marina wears more typical clothing,
her breasts are also clearly big enough a human would
need support. Yet as she's never seen without a shirt,
nobody is certain.
• Deconstructed: Not having the technology of the surface
dwellers, the mermaids are unable to disinfect the
components they use. Thus it isn't uncommon for them to
get sick using these constructed bras.
• Played For Drama: Essentially strapping corpses to
themselves, mermaids like Marina are just creeped out
using these bras.

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