The life of Mary Ann Bevan started in the 19th century, at the height of the American craze known as “freak shows.” By today’s standards, it seems unthinkable and rude to call her “The Ugliest Woman in the World.”
Born in Plaistow, East London, United Kingdom, in 1874, Mary Ann Bevan went on to become a well-respected nurse. Not only was she well respected in society, but she was also endowed with exceptional beauty and a wealth of opportunities.
Mary Ann’s lifelong love, Thomas Bevan, was introduced to her in 1902. Their lives were enriched with delight when they were married and had four children together. But tragedy struck after just 14 years when Thomas passed tragically, leaving Mary Ann devastated and having to take on the burden of supporting her children by herself.
When Mary Ann started having strange symptoms at the age of 32, her life took a challenging turn. She could not quite place the progressive changes on her face or figure out what was causing them. Her life was significantly impacted psychologically and financially by these physical changes in addition to how she looked. She unfortunately lost her employment as a result of her disfigured face and disproportionately huge bones.
Although Mary Ann’s ailment went misdiagnosed at the time, it is now known that she had acromegaly, a hormone illness. When the pituitary gland overproduces growth hormone in adulthood, it causes a condition known as amyomegaly, which causes the hands, feet, and face to grow out of control.
One day, crushed and crushed by poverty, Mary Ann saw an ad looking for the “Ugliest Woman.” She had doubts about this kind of work, but there was nothing else she could do to provide for her kids. Above all, she was a devoted mother who felt obligated to do whatever it took to provide for them.
After responding to the post, Mary Ann was contacted by Claude Bartram, a circus agent, with whom she later spoke. She had a distinct face, according to Bartram, with strong features including a prominent nose, forehead, cheekbones, and jaw that are typically associated with giants. But Mary Ann, for all her unusual appearance, was robust, healthy, and spotless.
She was hesitant to put herself on show, but she gave in when Bartram promised to pay her £10 a week for a year, cover her travel costs, and split the proceeds from the sale of postcards with her photo on them. She would be able to support her children’s education as a result.
As Mary Ann’s pictures began to appear in periodicals, she was dubbed “the ugliest woman on Earth.” Due to her fame, she was able to join one of the most well-known circuses at the time, the Dreamland Circus on Coney Island, New York. But when famous neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing saw Mary Ann, he saw that there was more to her unusual appearance than meets the eye, and he felt compelled to investigate.
Mary Ann was a once-bright and beautiful young woman who had to face the challenges of acromegaly, according to Dr. Cushing, who wrote a letter to Time magazine describing Mary Ann as an unhappy victim of this disease.
For the remainder of her life, Mary Ann worked in the circus, earning enough money to allow her to send her kids back to boarding school in England. She overcame daily obstacles because of her unshakable commitment to her kids.
At the age of 59, Mary Ann Bevan passed away due to natural causes. Her daughters kindly granted her ultimate wish, which was to be buried in her native England. She is buried now at South London’s Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery.
Although Mary Ann Bevan’s life story is depressing, it is also tremendously inspirational. Her experience demonstrates the unwavering love a mother has for her children above anything else.