You get into the water. The shark is in the water. And that’s fine.
The infamous swimmer sentenced to moments of cruel death in the iconic “Jaws” poster offered a clear message half a century after posing for the anxiety-inducing image: There is no reason to fear sharks.
Allison Maher Stern, a former model turned wildlife advocate, warned that the widespread galeophobia that emerges each summer is largely unfounded and urged swimmers to embrace the ocean rather than fear it.
“You should always be careful when you are in the water. There is some super predator there. You have to be careful, but they’re basically not there to help you,” Stern said on an episode of Wildlife Conservation Society’s “Wild Audio” last week.
Then she added a fashion tip: “Don’t dress like a seal.”
Former model Wilhelmina said the terrifying image of her nude 1974 self swimming on top of a massive shark has become synonymous with the yearly rise in shark fears each summer when the beaches open.
The anxiety hasn’t been completely unwarranted in recent years: A woman lost 20 pounds of flesh when she was attacked in shallow waters off New York City last month and a Russian man was eaten alive in front of his family during a trip to Egypt in June.
Allison Maher Stern posed for the cover of Peter Benchley’s 1974 book “Jaws,” which was also used for Steven Spieberg’s hit film the following year. Everett Collection / Col Everett
Stern, now a prominent philanthropist with an area named after her at the Central Park Zoo, posed for the photograph when it was only meant to be the cover of Peter Benchley’s book.
The iconic image was cast in Steven Spielberg’s film the following year and has appeared on a steady stream of T-shirts, posters and other memorabilia in the five decades since.
The movie “Jaws” painted an ugly and unrealistic picture of shark behavior and has been blamed for contributing to the stigma against the massive fish, for which Speilberg himself apologized last year.
Stern (center) said he once came face to face with a shark during a snorkeling trip. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Stern also added some fashion advice: “Don’t dress like a seal.” CJ GUNTHER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Although the illustrated poster would suggest otherwise, Stern never had a negative interaction with sharks, though he did learn to revere them after coming face to face with one during a snorkeling trip off Guana Island in the British Virgin Islands.
“There were a billion little bait fish in the water and suddenly I realized I was swimming on a cloud. And I said to myself, ‘You know, I really shouldn’t be swimming in the food chain. That’s not a good plan,’” he recalled.
“And when I kicked my fin, all the fish parted ways, and I was face to face with this huge shark and I was laying in the water. We looked at each other…he tucked his tail up to his nose and shot over my shoulder as he brought it back. “That was really eye-opening.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn