Meet & Geek: Strange Girls

Life, Love, and Disability in the American Freak Show 

What does it mean to be a "freak?" During much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the answer was simple: having a physical disability or being "atypical" in a way people would pay to see. 

The "freak show" was once a dominant force in American popular entertainment. This was the era of the "four-legged girl," the "bearded lady," the "giantess," and the "fairy queen"—people with extraordinary anatomies who performed or were displayed in traveling sideshows or big-top circus tents. Whether or not their audience realized it, the "freak" was a constructed persona; the real people behind the costumes and stage names were so much more. 

Through extensive research, local author, journalist, and "lobster lady" Kim Kelly has unearthed fascinating new details about the complex lives these "strange girls" led on and offstage. In this illustrated talk, we'll meet some of the real women behind the sideshow banners and dive into how ideas about disability, labor, gender, race, and imperialism shaped their world. 

Note: Tickets are non-refundable but are transferable to other people. By entering the event premises, you consent to photography, audio recording, video recording, and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, promotional purposes, advertising, inclusion on websites, social media, or any other purpose by The College of Physicians/The Mütter Museum and its affiliates and representatives. Please email  with any questions.