The story of Mary Ann Bevan, who was considered ‘The ugliest woman in the world,’ starts in the 19th century, a dark period of the American culture when ‘freak shows,’ traveling circuses showing people with certain deformities and disabilities, were at the peak of their popularity.
Today, it is highly unacceptable to treat people with disabilities with disrespect, but back in the day, no one believed it was morally wrong to dub them freaks.
Mary Ann Bevan was born on December 20, 1874, in Plaistow, East London, United Kingdom. She grew up to become a nurse and was respected by the society. On top of that, she was a very attractive woman who was offered many possibilities.
In 1902, Mary met the love of her life, a man named Thomas Bevan. The two married and welcomed four children together, but their happiness didn’t last long. After 14 years, Thomas passed away, leaving Mary heartbroken.
Her life became difficult as she was left to take care and provide for her children all by herself.
Unfortunately, around the time she turned 32, Mary started experiencing strange symptoms. Her face started changing gradually and she didn’t know what was happening or what caused that change which impacted her both psychologically and financially. Mary’s bones grew big, and her face became deformed. As a result, she lost her job and was unable to provide for her children any longer.
Back in the day, 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 a change in height doesn’t occur. Instead, the increase in bone size is limited to the bones of the hands, feet and face.
Today, a lot more is knows about this condition and there are ways to keep it under control, which wasn’t the case during the time Mary lived.
Crushed, heartbroken, and poor, this woman saw an ad one day which read, “Wanted: Ugliest woman. Nothing repulsive, maimed or disfigured. Good pay guaranteed, and long engagement for successful applicant. Send recent photograph.”
No matter how awful she felt about this ‘job,’ she saw no way out of her situation. She simply needed to do anything in order to feed her children. Above all, she was a mother.
Mary answered the ad and she was soon contacted by the circus’ agent, a man named Claude Bartram, who later shared Mary’s story.
“She was not repulsive at all. She had the kind of face one usually finds in a giant, a powerful, masculine jaw, prominent cheek-bones, nose and forehead, but she was unblemished, healthy and strong. She told me she did not like the idea of placing herself on exhibition, she was shy and did not want to be separated from her children,” Bartram said, according to Daily Star.
“I told her she would earn £10 per week for a year, travelling expenses and all the money from the sale of picture postcards of herself, so she could provide for the education of her children.”
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In no time, magazines were filled with Mary Ann’s photos and everyone recognized her as ‘the ugliest woman on Earth.’
Her popularity brought her to the Dreamland Circus in Coney Island, New York, one of the most famous circuses there were. Mary Ann became an attraction, but then a doctor named Harvey Cushing, a leading neurosurgeon, spotted her and knew there was more behind ger huge face that he wanted to explore thoroughly.
“This unfortunate woman who sits in the sideshow of Ringling Brothers ‘between Fat Lady and Armless Wonder’ and ‘affects white lace hats, woollen mittens and high laced shoes’ has a story which is far from mirth-provoking.
“She, previously a vigorous and good-looking young woman, has become the victim of a disease known as acromegaly,” he wrote in a letter to Time magazine.
Mary Ann spent her life working at the circus and she was reported to have earned a small fortune which enabled her to send her children back to England where they attended boarding schools.
She endured a lot, but she did it all for her children.
Mary Ann died at the age of 59 of natural causes. Her final wish was to be buried in her homeland, England, and her children fulfilled her wish. She is resting at the Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery in South London.
This woman’s sad, yet fascinating life story speaks of the mother’s love for her children more than anything else.
A month after the Tom Cruise rumors, Katie Holmes has confirmed the truth about their daughter in a rare interview.
In an uncommon interview, Katie Holmes revealed that she wants to “protect” the daughter she had with Tom Cruise.
After six years of marriage, Holmes and Cruise, the star of Mission Impossible, called it quits in 2012. Their split was widely publicized.
Holmes kept custody of the couple’s daughter, Suri, following their divorce, the circumstances of which were the subject of widespread rumors. Holmes has been open about the fact that not much has been seen of the now sixteen-year-old throughout the years.
At the age of 19, Holmes rose to fame when she was cast in the teen drama Dawson’s Creek.
“I remember really wanting to grow as an actor and not just do things to capitalize on the moment when we were doing Dawson’s Creek and it was successful,” Holmes said in an interview with Glamour Magazine. “I desired to pick up knowledge from others.”
However, the Batman Begins actress reached new heights after she started dating Tom Cruise, a Hollywood A-lister. Following the couple’s daughter Suri’s birth, media interest in their family reached a fever pitch.
As a result of the intense scrutiny, fresh paparazzi photos of Tom and Kate’s little daughter began to appear practically every day. In reaction, Katie decided to stay away from the spotlight in an effort to preserve the integrity of her little daughter. This led to a career hiatus that ended in 2011.
As previously mentioned, five years after being married in an Italian wedding, Tom and Katie parted ways in 2012.
It might not be all that surprising that the rumors went crazy since they were among the most well-known couples on the planet. There was much conjecture on the reason behind their breakup, with Holmes being regarded as being suspicious of the Church of Scientology.
In fact, Katie filed for Tom’s divorce in New York. This was allegedly done to increase her chances of receiving full custody of Suri—the law is against awarding shared custody to parents who are at odds with one another.
Holmes was able to make sure Suri was kept away from Scientology once she was granted sole custody of the youngster. Tom was not able to control the narrative, as he was accused of doing during his break with Nicole Kidman, because it was claimed that he did not see the divorce coming.
Either way, Holmes still feels the same intense need to keep her child safe.
Prior to the premiere of Rare Objects, her latest movie, the 44-year-old stated:
“I really prefer to protect my kid, which has been incredibly essential to me because she was so visible at a young age. I’m so appreciative to be her mom. She is a truly amazing person.
It was just revealed last month that Tom Cruise and his daughter had almost no interaction. The 60-year-old Top Gun actor reportedly hasn’t seen Suri in years and is no longer involved in her life, according to Page Six.
Do you like Katie Holmes or Tom Cruise? Do you believe that Katie is doing the right thing by keeping Suri private from the media?
Please share your opinions with us in the comments section.
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