We’re melting over the viral videos of parents like nickyknackpaddywack on TitkTok showing their children’s reactions to the new The Little Mermaid trailer: “Mommy! She’s brown like me!” We’re celebrating all the sirenas, from Hans Christian Andersen’s tragic heroine (who has translucent green skin) to those listed by author @natashabowen : the Ningyo (Japan), Yawkyawk (Australia), La Sirene (Haiti), Sedna (North America), Iara (Brazil), and the West African Mami Wata and Yoruban Yemoja which inspired her YA novel “Skin of the Sea.” While mythical, we couldn’t not talk about skin under water. For a creature at least partly human, constant water exposure can actually be damaging (see our VMVinSKIN.com blog post: “Water, Allergen or Not An Allergen?”). We like to think that mermaids would have evolved skin to deal with this exposure, of course, but if one did find herself on land, we’d be ready with the gentle washes, barrier-repairing moisturizers, and sunscreen. #SavingTheWorldsSkin means all skins and all people (and mermaids)! 🧜‍♀️ #ThoughtfulThursday #skintellectual #representationmatters