The story of Mary Ann Bevan, who was considered “The Ugliest Woman in the World,” begins in the 19th century, a dark period in American culture when “freak shows”—traveling circuses featuring people with certain deformities and disabilities—were at the height of their popularity.
Nowadays, it’s extremely unacceptable to treat people with disabilities disrespectfully, but at the time, no one believed it was morally wrong to call them “freaks.”
Mary Ann Bevan was born on December 20, 1874, in Plaistow, East London, United Kingdom. She grew up to be a nurse and was respected by society. She was also a very attractive woman who was offered many opportunities.
In 1902, Mary met the love of her life, a man named Thomas Bevan. The two married and had four children together, but their happiness didn’t last long. After 14 years, Thomas passed away, leaving Mary devastated.
Her life became difficult when she was left alone to care for and support her children.
Unfortunately, around the time she turned 32, Mary began to show strange symptoms. Her face gradually changed, and she didn’t know what was happening or what caused this change, which affected her both psychologically and financially. Mary’s bones grew and her face became deformed. As a result, she lost her job and could no longer support her children.
At the time, no one could diagnose her, but this poor woman suffered from acromegaly, a hormonal disorder that develops when the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone during adulthood, when there is no change in height. Instead, the increase in bone size is limited to the bones of the hands, feet, and face.
Today, much more is known about this disease, and there are ways to keep it under control, which wasn’t the case at the time of Mary’s lifetime.
Broken, unhappy, and poor, this woman one day saw an ad that read: “Wanted: The ugliest woman. Nothing repulsive, mutilated, or disfigured. A good salary and long-term employment guaranteed for the successful applicant. Send a recent photo.”
As miserable as she felt in this “job,” she saw no other way out of her situation. She just had to do her best to feed her children. First and foremost, she was a mother.
Mary responded to the ad and was soon contacted by the circus agent, a man named Claude Bartram, who then shared Mary’s story.
“She wasn’t repulsive at all. She had the face normally found on a giant—a strong, masculine jaw, prominent cheekbones, nose, and forehead—but she was flawless, healthy, and strong. She told me she didn’t like the idea of exposing herself, that she was shy and didn’t want to be separated from her children,” Bartram said, according to the Daily Star.
“I told her I would earn £10 a week for a year, including travel expenses and all the money from selling her postcards, so she could support her children’s education.”
In no time, magazines were filled with pictures of Mary Ann, and everyone recognized her as “the ugliest woman in the world.”
Her popularity took her to the Dreamland Circus in Coney Island, New York, one of the most famous circuses in history. Mary Ann became an attraction, but then a doctor named Harvey Cushing, a prominent neurosurgeon, discovered her and knew there was more behind her enormous face that he wanted to fully explore.
“This unfortunate woman, sitting in the Ringling Brothers sideshow between the Fat Woman and the Miracle Without Arms and wearing white lace hats, wool gloves, and high-laced shoes,” has a story that is far from a laughing matter.
“She, once a strong and beautiful young woman, has become the victim of a disease called acromegaly,” she wrote in a letter to Time magazine.
Mary Ann spent her life in the circus and reportedly earned a small fortune that allowed her to send her children back to England, where they attended boarding schools.
She endured much, but she did it all for her children.
Mary Ann died of natural causes at the age of 59. Her last wish was to be buried in her homeland, England, and her children granted this wish for her. She rests in the Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery in South London.
This woman’s sad but fascinating life story speaks more of a mother’s love for her children than of her own. anything else.
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