Seashell Bra: Difference between revisions
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For some reason, [[Our Mermaids Are Different|mermaids]] feel compelled to fashion bras for themselves out of seashells, but they never care about making any other kinds of clothing. Although this provides [[Fan Service]] and [[Fetish Fuel]], it was originally created for the reverse reason. Logically (as in, using the same logic that would apply to humans *cough*), a mermaid would be an [[Innocent Fanservice Girl]], but we can't have that in a kids' movie, can we?
Since, by definition, a mermaid is a fish from the waist down, it's only her top half that must be covered, and often [[Godiva Hair]] just won't do. Thus, the
Of course, not every culture shares the notion that the sight of [[Nipple-and-Dimed|female nipples]] somehow corrupts children, hence the [http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/507/ Japanese animated version] of the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale features bare-chested mermaids. It's also possible to avert the whole issue entirely by making the "fish-parts" ascend all the way to the [[Non-Mammal Mammaries|bustline]] and mimic a one-piece swimsuit or a strapless dress as Disney did with [[The Little Mermaid|Ursula]].
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Compare [[Fur Bikini]], [[Bare Your Midriff]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch]]'' takes [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]] to the extreme, so of course, mermaids always have seashell bras that match their tails. They do, however, wear other kinds of clothing at times, such as skirts, but these are purely ceremonial, and usually a mermaid is depicted in only the shell bra.
* Somewhat related example from ''[[Love Hina]]'': Having found an oasis after getting lost in the middle of the desert, Naru makes improvised bikinis for herself and Nyamo (and then later, Shinobu, whose [[Clothing Damage|clothes had been destroyed]] by one of Motoko's sword techniques) out of giant leaves. Not explained is why Kitsune put Motoko in the exact same type of outfit when they were still in civilization. This also allows a "trap" that unleashes ''caterpillars'' to be [[Clothing Damage|somewhat threatening]], in a way.
* ''[[One Piece]]'':
** Sanji has some [[Imagine Spot]]s of gorgeous sirens wearing Seashell Bras, but it's averted when they meet an actual mermaid, who wears a T-shirt. Also, [[World's Most Beautiful Woman| Princess Shirahoshi]] often wears a blue blouse or golden bikini top, and while both [[Absolute Cleavage| are rather daring]], she avoids the seashell style.
** [[Gonk]] mermaid [[Nightmare Fuel|Kokoro]], on the other hand, does wear a Seashell Bra. One person asked if they really were seashells -- [[Word of God|Oda]]'s initial response: "Does '[[Squick|I don't want to think about it]]' count as an answer?"
** Also, a few of the younger mermaids, especially the dancers, do. It's just not normal mermaid clothing.
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* ''[[Galaxy Angel Rune|Galaxy Angel 3rd]]'' (manga) has the girls turned into mermaids at one point, complete with Seashell Bra.
* In an episode of the ''[[Ranma ½]]'' anime, during an [[Eyecatch]] showing Akane as a mermaid, she wears a pink Seashell Bra ([http://www.anime-fanservice.org/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=26&pid=584#top_display_media can be seen on this] [[Caption Humor]] site).
* Guu from ''[[
* There is an episode of ''[[Maicching Machiko-sensei
* In book 10 of the ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' manga, both Lum and Shinobu are disguised as mermaids and wear seashell bras.
* Towards the end of the ''[[Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt]]'' episode "If Angels Wore Swimsuits", Panty's bikini becomes ripped by a Giant Crab Ghost and falls off. Unfortunately for all the onlooking male beach-goers, two Mini-Starfish Ghosts and a Sea Anemone Ghost jump up and latch onto her in ''just'' the right places.
* Averted in [[Marine Boy]], in which his mermaid friend Neptina uses [[Godiva Hair]].
* In ''[[K-On!
==
* Old joke: Why did the mermaid wear seashells? {{spoiler| Cause she outgrew her B-shells.}}▼
* Featured in a joke by comedian Ron White:▼
{{quote|'''Ron White:''' I didn't know this. If you find a girl wearing a seashell bra, and you pick her up, and put her to your ear, you can hear her scream. I thought I'd hear the ocean, but not over that bitch.}}▼
* Issues drawn be Adam Hughes (and some other artists about the same time) of the ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes]]'' and ''Legionnaires'' comics have had seashell bras (and bottoms) indicating nudity (simply assume they aren't there, then the characters' reactions make sense).
* In the comic book ''[[Boneyard]]'', one of the local Universal-like monsters is a female version of the Gill Man from ''Creature from the Black Lagoon''. Nessie, as she's called, covers her monstrous [[Non-Mammal Mammaries]] with tiny seashell ''pasties''. She also wears actual fishnet stockings.
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* When Namorita, [[Distaff Counterpart]] of the [[Sub-Mariner]], turned blue and changed her name to Kymera, she added a net skirt and one seashell "cup" to her bikinilike outfit.
== [[Film]] ==
* In ''[[Madagascar]]'', when Gloria washes ashore, she has two starfish on her chest (beside the fact that [[Barbie Doll Anatomy|there is nothing there to cover]]) and a crab on her crotch ([[Getting Crap Past the Radar|make of that what you will]]).
* Interesting variation in Disney's ''[[Fantasia]]'', with female centaurs wearing tops and necklaces made out of ''flowers'' that appear to be motivated more by the [[Theiss Titillation Theory]] than actual modesty, even though the centauresses otherwise exhibit [[Barbie Doll Anatomy]]...
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* Before ''[[The Little Mermaid]]'' there was ''[[Peter Pan (Disney film)|Peter Pan]]'', whose mermaids sported a motley mix of [[Godiva Hair]], seashell bras, and starfish pasties.
* The title character of ''[[Paprika]]'' wears one while briefly in mermaid form.
== Films -- Live-Action ==▼
* Averted in the movie ''[[Splash]]'' where Madison's obvious nudity is (mostly) disguised by [[Godiva Hair]], careful framing and artful camera angles.
* Also averted in ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean|Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides]]'', when [[Godiva Hair]] is used by the dangerous [[Just for Pun|man eater]] mermaids.
== [[Literature]] ==
* Averted in [[John Ringo]]'s ''[[Council Wars]]'' book ''Emerald Sea'': The Merfolk are naked solely because the ocean doesn't provide anything they can use to make clothing and it's explicitly mentioned that this forces them to burn extra calories to stay warm. One mermaid even complains about [[Male Gaze]] and expresses wistful envy for the heroine's bikini top (the bottom wouldn't do her any good.) The heroes promptly promote fabrics to the top of their list of proposed trade goods.
* Not a mermaid, but in ''[[Dinoverse|I was a Teenage T. rex]]'', one of the leads becomes a Leptoceratops, and despite not having anything to cover she didn't feel comfortable going naked. She tries sticking leaves on with sap—they fall off. She ends up getting the quetzalcoatl to make a top-and-bottom out of seashells with holes poked in them and strung together by vines; these last a little longer.
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* In an early scene from [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[[I Will Fear No Evil]]'', Eunice and her husband are discussing the mermaid body paint she'll be wearing to work the next day. (Office dress codes having gotten ''really'' casual in the future.) They make a bet over whether a literally painted-on Seashell Bra will fool her employer into thinking it's real. (It does.)
* ''[[Faerie Tale Theatre]]'s'' adaptation of ''[[The Little Mermaid]]'' used an interesting scheme: if a mermaid was out of the water (like sitting on the beach for instance), she had [[Godiva Hair]], whereas while she was underwater (and thus her hair would be floating around and unable to do its [[Godiva Hair]] function), she had a Seashell Bra, or more specifially, two scallop shells stuck to her chest with no straps whatever, not even one connecting the two shells.
== [[Music]] ==
* In the official [[Alestorm]] video for the song ''Shit Boat (No Fans)'', an animated Christopher Bowes is, for a short time, naked except gloves and having a sea shell over his genitals. However considering what is covering his junk changes without explanation, there is a solid chance the sea shell is a [[Gag Censor]].
== [[Recorded and Stand Up Comedy]] ==
▲* Featured in a joke by comedian Ron White:
▲{{quote|'''Ron White:''' I didn't know this. If you find a girl wearing a seashell bra, and you pick her up, and put her to your ear, you can hear her scream. I thought I'd hear the ocean, but not over that bitch.}}
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Averted in ''[[Old World of Darkness]]'' game ''Changeling: The Dreaming''. Female Merfolk (outlined in ''Blood-Dimmed Tides'') are just as topless as the men most of the time.
* Averted in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' (3.5 ed.). The mermaid in the ''Monster Manual'' has [[Godiva Hair]]. The 2nd edition ''Monstrous Manual'', however, depicts an aquatic elf in a Seashell Bra and a mermaid in something a little scalier.
* In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'', Red Archery Girl [https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Card_Artworks:Red_Archery_Girl?file=RedArcheryGirl-TF04-JP-VG.jpg had this in the OCG], although the TCG made it look like a halter top with shells on it.
== [[Video Games]] ==▼
▲== Video Games ==
* The Neireid queen in ''[[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters]]''.
* The [[Pokémon]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20121122202306/http://www.arkeis.com/images/pokemonfactory/gorebyss.png Gorebyss] appears to have one even though it isn't remotely humanoid.
* Averted in ''[[Neopets]]''. Water faeries (mermaids) have scaly coverings that extend to cover the upper body rather than seashell lingerie
* Averted in ''[[The Goonies (video game)|The Goonies
* Averted in ''[[Harvest Moon]] DS''. Leia wears a blue halter top, although she does wear seashells in her hair.
* Used in ''[[King's Quest II]]''; Graham has to charm a merwoman that's sunning herself on Kolyma's shore.
* Helena's Godfather bikini (and its pallette swaps) from [[Dead or Alive|Dead or Alive Xtreme 2]] is this... though
== [[Web Animation]] ==
* Subverted in somewhat disturbing fashion by guro manga artist Shintaro Kago. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbYZnOFWFDw Watch at your own risk.]
*
== [[Web Comics]] ==▼
▲== Web Comics ==
* The Mermaids in the Monster-only world of ''[[Monsterful]]'' stick to this trope as well, featuring [https://web.archive.org/web/20130302032928/http://www.monsterful.com/chapter14page14.php Starfish] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20130302032928/http://www.monsterful.com/chapter14page14.php Shellfish bras.]
* Parodied in a recent{{when}} ''[[Questionable Content]]'' [http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1236 strip]. In a panel clearly labeled as shameless fanservice, Faye is clutching a pair of seashells to her breasts, claiming that her bikini top was swept away.
* The mermaids in Kate Beaton's ''[[Hark! A
* The page quote is from [http://rustyandco.com/comic/30/ this strip] of ''[[Rusty and Co.]]'' The "Monster Guide" page on the same site also mentions this about the siren:
{{quote|''Don't ask what keeps the seashells on.''}}
* The comic ''[[Tsubomi Blue Dreams]]'' has the protagonist wearing ''starfish'' as a bra. Say it with me now: "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!"
* In ''[[Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic]]'', [http://yafgc.net/?id=1535 Mi, the gen familiar of Sha'ir Waleed] (likely a maridan from the Elemental Plane of Water) is wearing a seashell bra. And bottom. And headband ornament.
== [[Web Original]] ==
* Asked about [http://xninjared.deviantart.com/art/The-Mermaid-Problem-155487940 here]. Considers the theory if females are born with it, and if not, how they measure cup/clam size. Also deconstructs it by asking why Mermaids wearing dead clams as their bras if they are friends with fish.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* AndrAIa from ''[[ReBoot]]'' is a bit more modest than the typical mermaid (at least at first), wearing one gigantic scallop shell that covers her entire torso. After the [[Time Skip]] she gets a more [[Stripperific]] outfit with a bra that appears to be made out of some kind of fish skin.
* The ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "Lois Kills Stewie" has a seashell speedo on a reverse mer-man: he's a fish on the top, and a man on the bottom.
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* Angel in ''[[Fish Police (animation)|Fish Police]]''.
* In an episode of ''[[Futurama]]'', Fry's mermaid fiancée wears a stereotypical clam bra (even though her father and other citizens of Atlanta wear full clothes). She strips it off and it floats away right as Fry learns about the [[Mermaid Problem]].
== [[Real Life]] ==
* Many companies that make swimwear have marketed actual bikinis with tops like this. Such swimwear tends to be very expensive, and usually [[Awesome But Impractical| isn't the type you should actually swim in]].
{{reflist}}
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