Annie Jones the Bearded Woman

Annie Jones Elliot was born in Virginia in 1865. She was famous for having a full grown beard as a woman and that is how she got her name "Bearded Woman". She got famous in Circus because of P.T. Barnum, the greatest showman in America. We decided to talk about the Bearded Woman because of a notorious month long journey called No-Shave-November. This is where participants forgo shaving in order to raise cancer awareness. The Bearded Woman is a great fit for this time of the year. As you all know our blog was greatly inspired by the movie "The Greatest Showman" starring Hugh Jackman, and that is why we are focusing on the history and some interesting things of all the freaks from that movie. The bearded woman in the movie was played by Keala Settle, who had a powerful voice! If her song "This is me" inspired you to read more about her then this is the best place to know some interesting facts about her

Did you know that Keala Settle initially was reluctant to take the role of the Bearded Woman? Yes, according to her interview with Express, she admitted that.However, little did she know that she would become famous for that role and will get nominated for Oscar for her song. Before she agreed to do the movie, she was doing Broadway for 25 years. She gives the credit to Hugh Jackman for making her believe in herself to do the role. That beard became her strength. 

Annie was not the only one with such distinctive feature, there are plenty of women with the same condition. The most notable ones in the history include Julia Pastrana, Krao Farini, Jane Barnell and Josephine Clofullia This condition was not only common in the 19th century but has stayed on even now. Today's Annie is known as Harnaam Kaur, she is a famous anti-bullying and body positive activist who lives in London. She has been in the Guinness World Records as the youngest woman in the world to have a full beard. She is an inspiration for people suffering from a similar condition of Hirsutism. But, today's world is different than it was in the 19th century, where such people would only be accepted as freaks for Circus to make a living for themselves, today, these people can get accepted in the society if they stand up for what is their right and speak on behalf of their kind. People like Harnaam are making more difference in the world than any of us combined.

Please see the link below to discover more information in regard to No-Shave-November. This is a great way to evoke conversation and raise cancer awareness. 

No-Shave November