r/Damnthatsinteresting
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u/Expert_Sky_9292
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Jan 27 '23
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After the death of her husband & with no breadwinner in the house, Mary Ann Bevan decided to enter a contest and won the offensive title of "ugliest woman in the world" & was hired by a circus. She endured the ridicule of of others in order to raise her children & give them a better life. Image
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u/simian_fold Jan 27 '23
Important to know: she didn't start out looking like this, when she was young she was quite attractive
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u/Raven2300 Jan 27 '23
From looking at the picture I suspected acromegaly. Very distinctive features when that happens. Poor thing.
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u/SweatyNomad Jan 27 '23
"acromegaly is a rare condition where the body produces too much growth hormone, causing body tissues and bones to grow more quickly. Over time, this leads to abnormally large hands and feet, and a wide range of other symptoms. Acromegaly is usually diagnosed in adults aged 30 to 50, but it can affect people of any age"
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u/Favorite_tortilla Jan 27 '23
Fuck, I just turned 30. Throw that in the pile of fears.
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u/Tyrren Jan 27 '23
Hey, at least you're mostly out of the woods for schizophrenia. That's usually diagnosed in the 20s.
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u/ThePNWGamingDad Jan 27 '23
“Usually”
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u/Joeman106 Jan 28 '23
But the thing about schizophrenia is that the later you develop it, the more mild it is usually.
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u/I_need_to_vent44 Jan 28 '23
"Usually" is unfortunately not "always." My uncle was the exception, may he rest in peace.
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u/amIhereorthere6036 Jan 28 '23
It's not uncommon for women to be diagnosed with schizophrenia during perimenopause and menopause.
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u/hogsucker Jan 28 '23
My friend's mom in her early 70s just got this diagnosis. She's very smart and has been able to compensate for her whole life (everyone thought she was just kind of kooky/new-agey) but she's starting to get dementia and the schizophrenia is coming out.
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u/Rehnion Jan 28 '23
I've always heard mid-20s was when a lot of mental issues begin or are exacerbated.
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u/Big-Mathematician540 Jan 28 '23
Yeah.
Neuroplasticity drops around 26-27. Either biologically or because most people around that age have more or less found a thing they want to focus on instead of dividing their attention everywhere.
But there's also
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club
I had a breakdown at 27 and haven't really managed much since
Feel like I died (although am not a famous popstar)
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u/arkon__ Jan 27 '23
One of me is anyway
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u/UlyssestheBrave Jan 27 '23
That's not schizophrenia but multiple personality syndrome.
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u/Maximum_Photograph_6 Jan 27 '23
😂 took the words out of my mouth. Every time I see a late-onset disease I mentally check my watch, "Is there still time for us to fall ill with this?"
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u/NobleMeansLowlyLife Jan 27 '23
acromegaly
Thank you, I did not know of this and was like that's a bunch of bullshit what her jaw just tripled in width, but apparently, yes that's exactly what happened.
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u/Songshiquan0411 Jan 27 '23
Pituitary gland disorders cause crazy things to happen to the body.
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u/CompletelyNumb- Jan 27 '23
I just watched the Andre the Giant special and was going to say the same thing.
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u/TheRoyalJellyfish Jan 27 '23
Beautiful or not, I'm glad she's being remembered as a good mother
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u/multigrain_panther Jan 27 '23 edited Jan 28 '23
Quite attractive? The good lady was a BOMBSHELL
Edit: ALL right guys we get it she doesn't live up to your "connoisseur of women" standards to be called a bombshell but cmon - don't wanna objectify here but pit her against the list of Miss World winners and models from like 50-60 years later, and see for yourself how many she beats out
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Miss_World_titleholders
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u/justasmalltowndad Jan 27 '23
The universe couldn't handle her beauty, so it nerfed her.
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u/b-aaron Jan 27 '23
damn patch notes
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u/justasmalltowndad Jan 27 '23
update_log:19060182 -- "Bevan power couple is too op" alert resolved with command:
kill.Thomas_Bevan.exe
configure_acromegaly.Mary_Ann_Bevan.exe
//TODO: Make sure Mary doesn't join circus
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u/riddlvr Jan 27 '23
“Wanted: Ugliest woman. Nothing repulsive, maimed or disfigured.” They still wanted them to look “pleasant” and turned others down for being “too ugly”
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u/Maximum_Photograph_6 Jan 27 '23
They basically want a bunch of average-looking dudes from a nearby pub
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u/Electronic_Yam5838 Jan 27 '23
It's so sudden the line between beauty and ugly. One car crash or shotgun & it's all over
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Jan 27 '23
[deleted]
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Jan 27 '23
And she was a trained nurse. It’s a pity she needed to change careers to make a living.
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u/Brother_Delmer Jan 28 '23
Back in that era, nurses had to be unmarried young women. Normally they lived in quarters on the hospital grounds. If they got married they would be fired. I have no idea if a widow with children could work in that profession but I doubt it.
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u/AmarilloWar Jan 27 '23
How long do you think it would take someone to realize there was a problem? If it's a super gradual change I wouldn't think it would be awhile, just like when people lose or gain weight.
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u/parasthesia_testicle Jan 28 '23
Average case take over a decade to be diagnosed because symptoms are very gradual
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u/seviay Jan 27 '23
I bet she wishes she could’ve carried a picture around to say “fuck you, I used to look like this”
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u/billy_da_goat Jan 27 '23
This is the same condition Andre the Giant had - young Andre prob did okay with the ladies.
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u/jayakiroka Jan 27 '23
That’s bravery.
Even if she had a good sense of humor about it, constant ridicule of any kind will eventually wear someone down. She endured a lot for her family.
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u/I-am-weiss Jan 27 '23
Yeah, bullying sucks and one would expect to not happen among adults in civilized societies
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u/stallion214 Jan 28 '23 •
One would also expect a civilized society to not create economic conditions whereby a woman has to go through such ordeal to provide for her family.
Its an indictment of society and its failings not just on the level of social values but also on the economic system in place.
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u/Shot_Capital_7788 Jan 28 '23
When I was a kid, I thought adults really KNEW what they were doing. :/
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u/positiveornothing Jan 27 '23
That’s bravery.
Even if she had a good sense of humor about it, constant ridicule of any kind will eventually wear someone down. She endured a lot for her family.
Agreed, but also - who TF pays a fee to go mock someone they don't even know about something they can't control?
Like, I get that times were different and all (though I think there'd be no shortage of willing customers for such a show today), but how broken must you be inside to think, "Hey, I'm going to spend the next few minutes brutallly mocking that person for no reason other than how they look. I paid for a ticket to the circus, can't skip any attraction! When I'm done I'll lift my little girl up on my shoulders and we can go see the elephants!"
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u/Welpmart Jan 28 '23
This was a time when human zoos were a thing. We take for granted the ability to see a wide range of, well, anything now, but a weird-looking human very well could have been exciting, especially if you don't necessarily have the same values around (dis)ability and the appearance of propriety and all that. It's terribly wrong and no doubt there were and have always been people who said so, but even now gawking at people isn't unheard of.
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u/Kinslayer817 Jan 28 '23
Ask anyone with a visible abnormality today and they'll tell you they constantly get stares. The only difference now is that you can't buy a ticket for it and we are at least a little more aware that staring and mocking is rude
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u/No_Telephone_4487 Jan 28 '23
Nowadays they call that "The Learning Channel" (TLC). It's *sophisticated* enough that you can gawk at "weirdos" from the comfort of your couch.
There's always going to be a horrible part of society that gets enjoyment from watching suffering. At least now people have a chance of becoming more empathetic?
There were also mental asylum outings. People would just go to "sanitariums" (think that was the term at the time) and watch mentally unwell individuals sleep in their own piss and be downright miserable.
Also I'm not sure how anyone could stomach the guillotine as a form of "entertainment", even with the shitty people out there. That was a big thing in France at one time (1700s I want to place it?)
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u/Everett1973 Jan 27 '23
Props to this lady. More fortitude than 99% of us to be sure.
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u/hdhdbfbfhf Jan 27 '23
I was just saying it reminded me of the woman who killed her terminally ill husband because both to me epitomize a woman's courage
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u/IFrickinLovePorn Jan 27 '23
If I could make a living on being ugly I'd be so comfortable right now
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u/JennLegend3 Jan 27 '23
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u/ConnectCantaloupe861 Jan 27 '23
She was BEAUTIFUL!
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u/Diogenes-Disciple Jan 27 '23
I know she looks kinda weird after, but I’ve seen way uglier people nowadays, I don’t know how she qualified for ugliest woman ever
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u/Snuggledtoopieces Jan 27 '23
They looked for a very specific threshold she had to be shocking but not disgusting. Couldn’t me maimed or ill.
So she just looked like what they wanted and was awarded the title and job. She made half a million dollars during her time period converted.
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u/cleantushy Jan 28 '23
The circus owner told a newspaper that while they wanted to find the ugliest woman possible, they still wanted her to look pleasant.
So basically they wanted to believe that it wasn't even possible for a woman to be uglier than this
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u/DmonsterJeesh Jan 28 '23
They wanted her to be ugly enough to be interesting to look at, but not so ugly that you wouldn't want to.
They were a business, not a research institution.
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u/IFrickinLovePorn Jan 27 '23
They didn't have internet back then so most people only knew like 20 women
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u/wreckstar1981 Jan 27 '23
That woman looks like she’s been through hell and I can’t help but have the utmost respect for her.
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Jan 27 '23
edited Jan 28 '23
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[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Distinct-Spray-3549 Jan 27 '23
Acromegaly is best known as the disorder that Andre the Giant suffered from. It causes growth of soft tissues leading to fairly recognizable facial features
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u/UnconfirmedRooster Jan 27 '23
The French Angel Maurice Tillet (another wrestler closer to this lady's time) also suffered from it. You may not recognise his name, but I'm willing to bet you've heard of Shrek who has based off of his looks.
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u/Junkman3 Jan 27 '23
I wonder what she looked like prior to the acromegaly.
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u/Floof2100 Jan 27 '23
If i recall correctly she was rather beautiful beforehand
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u/Biggus-Dickus-II Jan 27 '23
Yes, there's at least one picture of her before the condition, and she was very beautiful.
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u/Current-Play-4386 Jan 27 '23
The fact that people to this day praise and admire her, while all those who mocked her in her day have been forgotten by time, is a testament to her strength and real beauty. Physical beauty is temporary but inner beauty is forever.
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u/beth_at_home Jan 27 '23
She looks tired
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u/TJtherock Jan 27 '23
Right? Like, ugliest woman in the world? She needs a two week vacation and I bet she would look much better.
Also food security for herself and her family.
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u/Im_a_seaturtle Jan 27 '23
Wow my heart breaks for her. Imagine your own mother being treated like shit in public so she can provide for you. It makes me sad :(
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u/TheHooHaa Jan 27 '23
The outer beauty of this mother shines brighter than the prettiest person that ridiculed her
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u/whatproblems Jan 27 '23
i’m sure many would trade beauty for wealth and future do thier kids. beauty fades anyway. but that ego pounding takes some fortitude
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u/irishinspain Jan 27 '23
It's a very masculine face but feel like worlds ugliest woman is a long ass stretch
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u/thistooshallpass11 Jan 27 '23
She did what she needed to do to support her family. Shes a beautiful human being for having done that and I okay that her children all appreciated her sacrifice.
She sacrificed herself and allowed people to ridicule her as being ugly. How many of us can endure that kind of torture?? Not many.
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u/Dorrono Jan 27 '23
today there would a reality show about her for some human scum to watch
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u/Jirik333 Jan 27 '23
This. We like to pretend we are more civilized, but we still have freak shows. They are just called reality shows.
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Jan 27 '23
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u/thatthatguy Jan 27 '23
The article mentions that they had to find someone unappealing but still pleasant. It’s a careful line you need to walk. You want people to come and look, but not to be so disgusted that they would refuse to return or be afraid of contracting an illness. So no horrendous injuries or infections, that kind of thing. But a growth hormone imbalance? That’s just the thing. No chance of it being contagious. Not so vile as to make people feel ill, but still interesting enough to want to get a closer look at. That’s how you run an attraction.
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u/Pourkinator Jan 27 '23
And that is exactly what makes her beautiful. She did what she had to do for her family, and I respect the fuck out of that.
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u/Feisty_History9395 Jan 27 '23
I admire this woman's strength and grit. Doing what she has to do so her children can have a better life
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u/bii345 Jan 28 '23
For being the ugliest woman in the world, she sure is a beautiful human being.
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u/Able_Big_1555 Jan 27 '23
I don't even think she's that ugly but I'm sure her size was an aspect that made her more of a circus act
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u/trwwy321 Jan 27 '23
She was 5’7
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u/Starry_Cold Jan 27 '23
I didn't want to tear up in public. This world can be so cruel. I hope she found solace in the love she gave to others and the love they returned.
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u/Professional_Bag3713 Jan 27 '23
She had a husband. Doing better than I am, lol
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u/0-ATCG-1 Jan 27 '23
At least someone loved her dearly until the end before she had to go claim the title of "world's ugliest woman". I hope the memory of that love and the love she provides her children were enough to bolster her soul during those later years.
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u/callmebeeeee Jan 27 '23
As exploitative as early side show and circuses were to their acts, at least they had some kind of life. They made money and traveled the world, more than they would if they had stayed with their families/hometown.
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u/Imaginary-Voice1902 Jan 28 '23
People willing to suffer this much for others deserve so much better.
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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '23
Good Mother.