Why Was It Illegal to be “Ugly”?

Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: Subscribe to Origin of Everything! You can learn more about CuriosityStream at For nearly 100 years it was illegal to be “ugly” in America. Of course, “ugly” wasn’t actually about physical attractiveness, it was a way to criminalize disability and disfigurement and it lead to the rise of the freak show. So how did we put an end to these ridiculous laws? Watch the episode to find out. Written and Hosted By: Danielle Bainbridge Graphics By: Noelle Smith Edited By: Linda Huang and Mike Petrow Fact Check: Sarah Edwards Produced By: Kornhaber Brown () Works Cited: The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public Susan Schweik Rachel Adams. “Disability and The Circus .” Published in The History of the Circus in America, ed. Kenneth Ames. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012. 2-20. Keywords for Disability Studies Ed