This page is referenced by:

• 1 2021-02-26T07:52:48-08:00 Big Women 26 plain 1060626 2021-04-29T14:14:26-07:00 A feature in many sideshows during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were women who did not fit into society’s standard size. Whether it be height or weight, these women were ostracized from regular society due to these visible differences. Advertised as "fat" ladies and "giantesses", their purpose in the sideshow was simply to be observed, awed, and gawked at by the paying customers.
  
  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. 
• 1 2021-02-26T07:54:28-08:00 Ida Williams 15 Biography plain 2021-04-29T14:15:07-07:00
  A young woman in her twenties, Ida Williams was a very popular "fat" woman in the circus. Over the years she was employed, from 1884-1895, she traveled with three different circuses: Sells Bros. Circus; Ringling Bros. Circus; and the Great Wallace Shows. They used many different names to introduce her in their programs, ranging from “Monster Girl” to “Fat Lady” to “Mastadonic Fashion Plate”. According to a short biography, she was a very prominent singer, thanks to the musical talents she got from her father. She was able to make a living for herself with her music before joining the circus, and used her time within it as a final celebration of her talents before retiring. ⁷
  
  Though the circus used such boisterous names to title her, Ida was described as an unusually beautiful and attractive woman with a happy disposition. She was also well known for her elaborate costumes and jewelry. Little is known about her personal life during her time in the circus and after, but according to the Great Wallace Shows route book in 1895, she had a husband and a daughter who came to visit her at the circus.