Mary Ann Bevan
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Mary Ann Bevan (born Mary Ann Webster, 20 December 1874 – 26 December 1933) was named as "the ugliest woman in the world" in the early 20th century after developing acromegaly.[1][2] Born in Plaistow, London, England as one of eight children, she worked as a nurse for much of her younger life. In 1903 she married Thomas Bevan with whom she would have four children.
Bevan started exhibiting the symptoms of acromegaly soon after she was married, around the age of 32.[3] She began to suffer from abnormal growth and facial distortion, which led to her "homely" appearance, along with severe headaches and fading eyesight. When her husband died in 1914 she no longer had the income to support her family and had to find work herself. In 1920 she was hired by Sam Gumpertz to appear in Coney Island's Dreamland sideshow, a form of freak show, where she would spend most of the remainder of her life. She also made appearances at the World's Fair for the Ringling Brothers Circus until she died on 26 December 1933.[1][2] When she died she weighed 12 stone (168lbs or 76 kg) and measured 5 feet 7 inches (170 centimetres) – not excessive for someone with acromegaly.
In the early 2000s her image was used on a birthday card in the United Kingdom made by Hallmark Cards. The card made reference to the dating show Blind Date. This was poorly received and a complaint was made by a Dutch doctor that it made fun of a woman who had become physically deformed as the result of a disease. Hallmark decided that the card was indeed inappropriate and removed it from shop shelves.[2][4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b National Fairground Archive. "Extracts from World's Fair, 1931-1940: Death of the World's Ugliest Woman". Accessed 22 August 2007.
- ^ a b c The Human Marvels. "Mary Ann Bevans (sic) - 'The Homeliest Woman'". Accessed 22 August 2007.
- ^ American Philosophical Society. 6 August 1924. "Mary Bevan and her children". Accessed 22 August 2007.
- ^ Danzig, Jon. British Medical Journal. 4 November 2006. "Doctor protests at greeting card manufacturer making fun of woman with acromegaly". Accessed 22 August 2007.
