While Jaclyn Andrews can91裸聊视频檛 rationally explain her fear of clowns, she91裸聊视频檚 been avoiding them for years.
Walking the midway at local fairs is totally out of the question, and lately she91裸聊视频檚 considered double checking with fellow parents before attending kids91裸聊视频� birthday parties.
She realizes that might sound a little silly to some, but the clowns that haunted her nightmares as a young girl still evoke bad feelings.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 panicked, can91裸聊视频檛 breathe, sweaty,91裸聊视频� says Andrews, 35, describing how she feels when she sees a clown.
91裸聊视频淚 get the overwhelming need to get out 91裸聊视频� and now.91裸聊视频�
The fear of clowns, known as coulrophobia, is a relatively new phenomenon with very little research behind it. And while it91裸聊视频檚 not considered an official phobia by the World Health Organization, its sufferers say the experience is very real.
Pshh, you guys are afraid of EVERYTHING.
91裸聊视频� IT Movie馃巿 (@ITMovieOfficial)
Andrews, a resident of Hamilton, feels anxious thinking about the days ahead when evil clowns will be a focal point of popular culture and practically impossible to avoid.
A remake of Stephen King91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频� arrives in theatres next week and is expected to draw huge audiences intrigued by the titular shapeshifter, also known as Pennywise, who often takes the form of a clown.
And the upcoming sixth season of 91裸聊视频淎merican Horror Story,91裸聊视频� which begins airing Tuesday on FX Canada, is generating buzz for the return of Twisty, a demented clown with a taste for trickery and murder.
Clowns have existed since ancient Egypt, although their trademark white faces and colourful costumes weren91裸聊视频檛 established until the early 1800s when British entertainer Joseph Grimaldi began playing Joey the Clown. A similar look was adopted by Scottish businessman John Bill Ricketts when he brought the modern circus to the United States a few years later.
For many decades the happy-go-lucky personas of modern clowns like Bozo and Ronald McDonald seemed in style, but a notorious American serial killer is considered to be the inspiration for the advent of the more sinister brand of clowns.
Before he was convicted for the murders of 33 young men in 1980, John Wayne Gacy seemed like a relatively average guy, who sometimes dressed as Pogo the Clown, a character he created while volunteering at children91裸聊视频檚 hospitals. After he was jailed, Gacy painted portraits of himself in clown costume and the artwork became the focus of exhibitions 91裸聊视频� and protests.
91裸聊视频淧eople learn to be afraid from the movies they see, and from the news they read 91裸聊视频� watching other people be afraid,91裸聊视频� said Martin Antony, a professor of psychology at Ryerson University.
91裸聊视频淕acy may have triggered certain directors and writers to portray clowns in that way, and that may have exacerbated fear of clowns.91裸聊视频�
Two years after Gacy91裸聊视频檚 conviction, the film 91裸聊视频淧oltergeist91裸聊视频� featured a scene in which a young boy is dragged under his bed by a toy clown brought to life in the middle of the night. And King91裸聊视频檚 novel 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频� was released in 1986 and adapted for TV in 1990, with Tim Curry playing the creepy Pennywise.
Andrews swears watching the 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频� miniseries in middle school scarred her for life, especially moments like its opening scene in which a young boy is lured by the killer clown to a sewer.
91裸聊视频�(91裸聊视频業t91裸聊视频�) just did it in for me,91裸聊视频� she says.
The fascination with vicious clowns only grew as 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频� became a favourite at video stores during the 1990s and other forgotten films like 198891裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淜iller Klowns from Outer Space91裸聊视频� found another life on DVD alongside the clown-like doll used by serial killer Jigsaw in the 91裸聊视频淪aw91裸聊视频� horror movies.
Much to the dismay of professional clown performers, those portrayals helped take the wholesomeness out of a character once considered a fixture of family entertainment.
Rami Nader, a psychologist at the North Shore Stress and Anxiety Clinic in Vancouver, says some people are leery of clowns because they fear their exaggerated painted smiles obscure their true emotions, which makes them unpredictable.
91裸聊视频淵ou don91裸聊视频檛 know really what they91裸聊视频檙e feeling, what they91裸聊视频檙e thinking or what they91裸聊视频檙e going to do,91裸聊视频� Nader says.
A spate of creepy-clown sightings reported across North America last year didn91裸聊视频檛 help their negative perception. Perhaps inspired by popular prank videos on YouTube, reports of individuals wandering through neighbourhoods while wearing menacing clown masks began to spread. In the U.S., Target stopped selling scary clown masks as a result.
Frank McAndrew, a professor of psychology at Knox College in Illinois, says he learned how deeply opinions of clowns have eroded after his study of 91裸聊视频渃reepiest occupations.91裸聊视频�
The online survey, which canvassed 1,341 people, found respondents were bothered by people whose jobs held ambiguous threats, and in particular individuals who made physical contact or exhibited 91裸聊视频渘on-normative, non-verbal behaviour.91裸聊视频�
Clowns ranked as the creepiest, worse than taxidermists, sex shop owners and funeral directors.
McAndrew says he found the ambiguity of a clown91裸聊视频檚 performance art seemed to rattle the respondents the most.
91裸聊视频�(They said), 91裸聊视频榃e don91裸聊视频檛 know if there91裸聊视频檚 something to be afraid of, but we have a paralysis about not knowing whether we should be scared,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� he said.
The professor also discovered some members of the clown community weren91裸聊视频檛 exactly helping rebuild their reputation as non-threatening. After his study was published, McAndrew said some clowns began to 91裸聊视频渟talk91裸聊视频� him on social media and called the president of his college in an attempt to get him fired.
But McAndrew also found that discussions about his findings online revealed a stark apathy from even those who aren91裸聊视频檛 afraid of clowns.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 recall seeing anybody ever saying, 91裸聊视频榊ou know, I really like clowns,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� he added.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
