Since the invention of Instagram, snap-happy millennials have been quietly competing for glossier, more impressive, and more extreme photos to add to their online collections. Some photoshoots, however, are far more precarious than others.
In one case, an ocean scenery was to be the idyllic backdrop for a classic portrait of a young lady perched on a jutting rock. But Mother Nature had plans to upstage the photographer’s ambition to get the perfect shot.
The photographer starts recording as his wife experiments with elegant, mermaid-like poses on the ocean rock. She sits in a lacy white dress on a picturesque perch of a shoreline of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All looks well ... for the moment.
And then, all of that tranquil perfection is shattered.
The affectionately dubbed “Awkward Mermaid” (whose real name is Rosangela de Silva) is sitting poised on her chosen rock one moment and is suddenly swept away the next.
That’s right; the lounging beauty gets blindsided by a suddenly stormy swell of ocean froth from behind, spoiling the perfect shoot. The unexpected force sends her sprawling into the water.
The soaking-wet video star has a split-second decision to make. Will she despair, burst into tears, and lament her disastrous photoshoot? Or will she wade to safety and see the funny side?
To her credit, Rosangela chooses the latter.
“On a beach day, I decided to take a photograph on a rock that I found gorgeous,” Rosangela later regaled in the video caption. “I was not aware my husband was making a video.
“While I was posing,” Rosangela continued, “he started to scream about the wave. It really took me by surprise!”
Many voiced their relief that Rosangela was safely washed ashore. Many found her misfortune relatable, and some even cracked jokes.
“I guess you could say that the photo session was a wash,” teased one viewer.
With Rio de Janeiro having a tropical climate, the shoreline is prone to rainfall and choppy waters. Rosangela and her husband may have selected a beautiful day for their outing, but here’s hoping the aspiring mermaid chooses a more predictable location for her next photoshoot!
