Titled “Ugliest Lady On the Planet”, This ‘Ape Woman’ Was Buried 150 Years After Her Death
Tragic exploitation story of Julia Pastrana — the “Monster to the Whole World.”
Julia Pastrana was popularized as an orangutan-human hybrid, billing the ugliest lady’ on the planet. She owned two congenital disorders, hair all over and overgrown gums which gave an illusion of a second teeth set.
Victorian people called this 19th-Century show performer the “Ape woman,” “semi-human being,” “a baboon woman,” and what not?
The lady was not a beast but, according to spectators, a docile and intelligent lady. Her travel across North America and Europe was reasonably popular, where her performance sold halls.
This popularity didn’t do her much good because she simply led a lonely and sad life. Despite getting immensely popular, falling in love and finally getting married, the women lived a solitary, lonely life.
Let’s dig into the highlights of her short-lived life — a sad, tragic story.
The Confusing Origins Of Julia Pastrana, ‘A Baboon Woman’
Like any of the sideshow performers, Julia Pastrana’s story is full of exploitation, where sideshows had little to…
