Say what you will about society as a whole these days, what with our diet colas and mayonnaise on-the-go packets, at least we show freaks some respect, despite my usage of the word “freaks.” Julia Pastrana, the so-called “ugliest woman in the world” who suffered from hypertrichosis (lots of facial hair) and gingival hyperplasia (thick-set jaw), was finally buried in her native Mexico yesterday, more than 150 years after she passed away.
During the mid-1850s, Pastrana met Theodore Lent, a U.S. impresario who toured the singing and dancing Pastrana at freak shows across the United States and Europe before marrying her.
In 1860, Pastrana died in Moscow after giving birth to Lent’s son, who inherited his mother’s condition. The son died a few days later, and Lent then toured with the mother and son’s embalmed remains. After changing hands over the ensuing decades, both bodies ended up at the University of Oslo in Norway. (Via)
This news delights Lady Buscemi to no end, as she is now officially the ugliest above ground female.
