What kind of people become clowns

There are lots of reasons people become clowns. Some like to entertain people and see them smile and laugh. You might be a little scared by the makeup that hides their faces, their bright costumes or even the pranks they pull. But that's all part of clowning around. Toggle navigation Menu. Explore Videos Games.

Explore All. How did funny clowns become scary? More cool posts! Frank T. McAndrew does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

In fact, a study conducted in England revealed that very few children actually like clowns. While the study was not specifically looking at the creepiness of clowns, much of what we discovered can help explain this intriguing phenomenon.

Clown-like characters have been around for thousands of years. Historically, jesters and clowns have been a vehicle for satire and for poking fun at powerful people.

They provided a safety valve for letting off steam and they were granted unique freedom of expression — as long as their value as entertainers outweighed the discomfort they caused the higher-ups. The now familiar circus clown — with its painted face, wig and oversized clothing — arose in the 19th century and has changed only slightly over the past years.

Nor is the trope of the evil clown anything new. The persona of the creepy clown really came into its own after serial killer John Wayne Gacy was captured. When the authorities discovered that he had killed at least 33 people, burying most of them in the crawl space of his suburban Chicago home, the connection between clowns and dangerous psychopathic behavior became forever fixed in the collective unconscious of Americans. Then, for several months in , creepy clowns terrorized America.

Reports emerged from at least 10 different states. In Florida, fiendish clowns were spotted lurking by the side of the road. Are you creative and feed off of people's energy? You may want to consider becoming a clown! A clown performs before an audience and uses comedy, slapstick and other types of physical humour to make people laugh.

A clown is typically dressed in a colourful costume and distinctive makeup, and will wear outlandish wigs and exaggerated footwear. The clown's act largely depends on how big of an audience he or she is performing for, and if he or she works independently or with a theatre troupe, circus or other organization.