Big Women
While men were not excluded from this profession as an exhibit for curious onlookers, women (especially "fat" women) were more often lauded. They drew in much larger audiences, as they were viewed “worthy of exhibiting” for the inappropriateness of their nature.5Similarly, giantesses were viewed as more unique than their male counterparts. This alone shows how strict standards were on women that, carrying the same ‘afflictions’ as men, were more of a spectacle.
Though the circus fervently advertised their side show performers and plastered them on posters and billboards to announce their impending arrival in the city, they were rarely given any spotlight in traditional news media at the time. Most often, the "fat" ladies were only listed among a large, general list of performers. If any other piece was made to specifically talk about them, it was usually regarding either their marriage or their death with the exception of a rare biographical piece explaining the events leading to their larger size.6
Comparatively, the female giants were more often portrayed and talked about in the news, with an illustration of them standing by another person, emphasizing their height. Articles about their daily life and the challenges being so tall had brought can also be found.
Despite the exploitive nature of their work, big women were able to find a place within the circus that they could not find outside, and though they were constantly stared at and compared with “normal” people, it was often less damaging than the torment they had faced trying to fit into regular American society. They were able to use that exploitation and that “otherness” to work and make a successful living for themselves.