Freak show

A freak show is an exhibition of rarities, "freaks of nature"-- such as unusually tall or short humans, and people with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics--and performances that are expected to be shocking to the viewers. Heavily tattooed people have sometimes been seen in freak shows, as have fire-eating and sword-swallowing acts. Freak shows were popular in the United States from 1840 to 1940, and were often, but not always, associated with circuses and carnivals.

The term "Freak show" is archaic and widely seen as pejorative, shows such as mentioned and at Coney Island above are more politely termed sideshows.

Rotten.com is a modern day Internet freak show.

It was a central theme of the Lemony Snicket book The Carnivorous Carnival, featuring a contortionist, a ambidextrous individual, and a hunchback, as well as, later, the disguised Baudelaires. The book uses the freak show to make the point that people often exagerate differences idiotically.

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