J M Wetherington Sr

Do you suffer from Coulrophobia? If you have a fear of clowns, you do.

I will confess to never having heard of such a fear until I met Cindy and she told me she has a very real fear of clowns. It was strange to me, as I always thought clowns were funny and made people laugh (with the exception of the, in my opinion, masterful twist that Stephen King used by making Pennywise the Clown a personification of fear and evil in his story, “It”), with their painted on smiles and exaggerated features.

Not so for those who are afflicted with Coulrophobia. The very things about clowns that make some people laugh cause fright in those with Coulrophobia. As a kid, I watched Bozo the Clown on TV most mornings or afternoons and when my grandfather took me to the circus I laughed and laughed at the faces, clothing and antics of the clowns. But those same aspects, especially the made up faces that feature huge smiles, white faces, and overly exaggerated features like eyebrows and cheeks, cause a totally different reaction for those with a fear of clowns. Experts say that it is because those very aspects hide the real person from being observed, causing unease and even fear in some.

So, if you are one of the countless people who would identify yourself as having Coulrophobia, please don’t look at the photo below.