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| {{Redirect|Bearded Ladies|the radio show|Bearded Ladies (radio show)}} | {{Redirect|Bearded Ladies|the radio show|Bearded Ladies (radio show)}} | ||
| ] toured with ]'s circus in the 19th century.]] | ] toured with ]'s circus in the 19th century.]] | ||
| A '''bearded lady''' or '''bearded woman''' is a woman who has a visible ]. These women have long been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, ridicule, and more recently, ] statement and ] statement. |
A '''bearded lady''' or '''bearded woman''' is a woman who has a visible ]. These women have long been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, ridicule, and more recently, ] statement and ] statement. A small number of ] are able to grow enough ] to have a distinct beard. In some cases, female beard growth is the result of a hormonal imbalance (usually ] excess), or a rare genetic disorder known as ].<ref name="congenitallanuginosa">{{cite web |url= http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1072987-overview |title= Congenital Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa|last1= Taylor|first1= Sarah K |date= June 18, 2009 |work= Emedicine|publisher= Medscape |accessdate=December 4, 2009}}</ref> Sometimes it is caused by use of ]s. Cultural pressure leads most to remove it, as it may be viewed as a ]. Notable exceptions were the famous (and usually fake) bearded women of the ] ]s of the 19th and early 20th centuries, before so-called ]s became unpopular. | ||
| A small number of ] are able to grow enough ] to have a distinct beard. In some cases, female beard growth is the result of a hormonal imbalance (usually ] excess), or a rare genetic disorder known as ].<ref name="congenitallanuginosa">{{cite web |url= http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1072987-overview |title= Congenital Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa|last1= Taylor|first1= Sarah K |date= June 18, 2009 |work= Emedicine|publisher= Medscape |accessdate=December 4, 2009}}</ref> Sometimes it is caused by use of ]s. Cultural pressure leads most to remove it, as it may be viewed as a ]. Notable exceptions were the famous (and usually fake) bearded women of the ] ]s of the 19th and early 20th centuries, before so-called ]s became unpopular. | |||
| == In fiction == | == In fiction == | ||
Revision as of 19:21, 1 June 2011
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A bearded lady or bearded woman is a woman who has a visible beard. These women have long been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, ridicule, and more recently, political statement and fashion statement. A small number of women are able to grow enough facial hair to have a distinct beard. In some cases, female beard growth is the result of a hormonal imbalance (usually androgen excess), or a rare genetic disorder known as hypertrichosis. Sometimes it is caused by use of anabolic steroids. Cultural pressure leads most to remove it, as it may be viewed as a social stigma. Notable exceptions were the famous (and usually fake) bearded women of the circus sideshows of the 19th and early 20th centuries, before so-called freak shows became unpopular.
In fiction
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- In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the Weird Sisters have beards, among other strange facial attributes.
- The female dwarves in fantasy fiction are often depicted as having beards; examples include dwarves of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, and dwarfs of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
- In the movie SpaceBalls the antagonist Dark Helmet's escape pod is stolen by a bearded lady.
- The Kids in the Hall featured an Irish bearded lady as the best friend of Chicken Lady, a popular recurring character on the series.
- The HBO series Carnivàle featured a bearded lady as a performer in the carnival.
- In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the toddler Sunny Baudelaire disguises herself as "Chabo the Wolf Baby" in the House of Freaks by wearing a costume beard.
- On an episode of My Name Is Earl, Judy Greer plays a woman who has grown a beard and joins the circus.
- The first book in the series The Emigrants features a woman with considerable facial hair, Brita-Stafva, mistress at Hästebäck and of Robert Axel Nilsson, brother of the main character.
- The character Baba the Turk in Stranvinsky's opera The Rake's Progress is described as a bearded lady.
See also
- Jane Barnell as Olga Roderick in Freaks
- Hirsutism
- Annie Jones
- Jennifer Miller
- Wilgefortis
- Julia Pastrana
- Helena Antonia
References
- Taylor, Sarah K (June 18, 2009). "Congenital Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa". Emedicine. Medscape. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- Tolkien, J. R. R. (1994). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The War of the Jewels. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. "Of the Naugrim and the Edain". ISBN 0-395-71041-3.
External links
- How Facial Hair Influences Women's Everyday Experiences