The inspiration for my lecture came from a conversation between two members of my circus in Portland last October, over whether or not a woman who can turn her elbows backwards, but otherwise looks normal, is a freak. Our manager maintained that anyone who can pass for normal is a not a freak. I remembered this conversation while reading part of Leslie Feinberg's Transgender Warriors in which ze contends that transpeople who pass (as not-trans) are doing themselves and other transpeople a disservice. Our circus is working to redefine "freak" much as Feinberg and others worked to (re)define "trans".
I also wanted to debut a couple of sideshow skills I have been practicing and thought that a lecture on the difference between freaks and not-freaks was an appropriate context, since historically numerous average-bodied sideshow performers - sword swallowers, blockheads, fakirs and the like - have presented themselves as freaks. Indeed, the ability to mutilate, or appear to mutilate, one's body without pain or while suppressing pain is a very unique skill, but it doesn't make someone a freak.
Here are the stills from the performance piece (thanks David):
And here are the banners (each is 11"x 15", Prismacolor marker on watercolor paper).
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Freak Mama |