Setting the Record Straight About Scary Clowns
With all the negative attention clowns have received in the recent past, it’s no wonder there are some lingering misconceptions. When you consider movies such as IT (2017) and Joker (2019) it’s easy to forget that clowns are friendly entertainers, not murderous monsters! Also some individuals have chosen to dress as scary clowns in public, causing alarm and mistrust in some cases. But just because darker portrayals of clowns exist, doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of positive representations in society as well in circuses, events, and parties every day around the world.
The art of clowning has a long and storied history, and professional clowns have remained remarkably consistent over the years, with many of the makeup and costume styles being used by generations of performers. The work clowns do brings joy and laughter to millions of people each day, and their work might appear easy, but it’s more complicated than it seems. Here are some common misconceptions that people have about this unique art form.
Misconception 1: Clowns Are Scary
As mentioned earlier, there are several high-profile examples of scary clowns in pop culture. Children can be strongly affected by a scary representation of a clown because it symbolizes a threat from a thing that should have been safe. Luckily these are well within the horror genre, which is conveniently less accessible to children. The overwhelming majority of interactions you or your children are likely to encounter are comedic clowns, whose sole purpose is to entertain and make people laugh.
Misconception 2: Clowns are happy on the outside and sad on the inside
While I can’t speak for every individual, it’s my personal and professional experience that almost all clown performers are genuinely happy people. It takes a well-adjusted and content person to devote their time, talent, and energy to the specific task of making someone else happy. In certain clown acts you may notice that the clown is clumsy, or unlucky, or a perpetual loser, as if he just can’t win. What you’re watching, however, is actually one of the oldest clowning routines in existence, and it’s designed to make you think about the hardships that the clown is enduring, while you forget about your own, even if it’s just for a brief time.
Misconception 3: Clowning is simple slapstick
If you’ve ever watched a clown trip and fall down, or hit themselves with a prop object, or become tangled up in a folding chair then you’ve seen a trained performer in action. These routines require skill and experience to elicit laughter without sustaining actual bodily injury!
There is room in the world for all types of people, and all types of clowns. There will be scary clowns and there will be funny clowns, and those funny clowns out there will always be working hard to bring joy and laughter to the world.
