Agency through Otherness: Portraits of Performers in Circus Route Books, 1875-1925Main MenuIntroductionIntroduction to the book and information about ways to navigate the content.The American Experiment: Circus in ContextCircus performers and American history timelineRouting the Circus: The Things They CarriedCircus Routes Map, 1875-1925Ethnological Congresses and the Spectacleby Rebecca FitzsimmonsOutsiders in Demand: Chinese and Japanese Immigrant Performersby Angela Yon and Mariah WahlShattering Gender Roles: Women in the Circusby Elizabeth HarmanSide Show Sounds: Black Bandleaders Respond to ExoticismAnnexed Circus Musicians by Elizabeth C. HartmanNative Performance and Identity in The Wild West Showby Mariah WahlShowmen's Rests: The Final CurtainCircus Cemetery Plots by Elizabeth C. HartmanList of PerformersPerformers covered in this exhibitBibliography & Further ReadingsBibliography and readings for each chapterAcknowledgementsAngela Yon72f2fd7a28c88ceeba2adcf2c04fee469904c6f1
Bodybuilders and Strongwomen Showing off Their Gains, 1900s
12021-03-31T14:58:22-07:00Angela Yon72f2fd7a28c88ceeba2adcf2c04fee469904c6f1382941Citation Pageplain2021-03-31T14:58:22-07:00Angela Yon72f2fd7a28c88ceeba2adcf2c04fee469904c6f1Rare Historical Photos. “The First Female Bodybuilders and Strongwomen Showing off Their Gains, 1900s.” Last modified May 23, 2018. rarehistoricalphotos.com/first-female-bodybuilders-1900s/.
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12021-03-14T17:09:42-07:00Strong Women12plain10642852021-04-29T13:52:27-07:00A big obstacle for circus women was finding acceptance for their strength. Showing strength in any form, whether it be through demeanor or emotion, was considered inappropriate for women. The strong women of the circus who demonstrated their strength physically were therefore a truly dangerous and unbecoming group.14 Seeing women display improper gender traits by exhibiting their strength was simultaneously something that onlookers were horrified by but also enjoyed as the acts were popular in the circus.
It was such an unusual sight that many could not help but be curious how a woman could reach that level of strength without turning into a man, even doctors stated, “any other type of physical fitness ‘of a masculine character causes the female body to become fore like that of a man’.”15 While this sentiment caused many women to stray further away from physical activity out of fear, it caused others to push even harder and become even stronger to prove them wrong. The strong women in the circus were visible proof that women had more than just a little energy and could perform tasks outside of the home, breaking the stereotype of women’s immobility.
