Freak: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Joseph Merrick carte de visite photo, c. 1889.jpg|thumb|[[Joseph Merrick]], c.1889]] |
[[File:Joseph Merrick carte de visite photo, c. 1889.jpg|thumb|[[Joseph Merrick]], c.1889]] |
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A '''freak''' |
A '''freak''' is a person who is [[deformity|physically deformed]] or transformed due to an extraordinary medical condition or [[body modification]]. This definition was first attested in 1839, possibly as a shorter form of the phrase "[[wikt: freak of nature|freak of nature]]".<ref>{{OEtymD|freak|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref> The term's original neutral [[connotation]] became entirely negative during the 20th century; therefore, ''freak'' with the meaning of "abnormally developed individual" is viewed as a [[pejorative]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sherman |first1=Howard |title='Freak' is a slur and 'Freak Show' is propagating it. Disabled people deserve better |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/26/disabled-people-freak-show-horror-story-pop-culture |work=The Guardian |date=26 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chemers |first=M|date=2008 |title=Staging Stigma: A Critical Examination of the American Freak Show |location=New York |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |page=7 |isbn=978-0-230-61066-8}}</ref> |
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The term is also recently used to refer to someone's obsessive or abnormal behavior. |
The term is also recently used to refer to someone's obsessive or abnormal behavior. |
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Revision as of 16:56, 4 July 2021
A freak is a person who is physically deformed or transformed due to an extraordinary medical condition or body modification. This definition was first attested in 1839, possibly as a shorter form of the phrase "freak of nature".[1] The term's original neutral connotation became entirely negative during the 20th century; therefore, freak with the meaning of "abnormally developed individual" is viewed as a pejorative.[2][3]
The term is also recently used to refer to someone's obsessive or abnormal behavior.
Usage
Freak saw usage as jargon by promoters and performers of freak shows, though its use in this sense has decreased along with the popularity of freak shows.[4] One well-known example of this word was in reference to Joseph Merrick, the "Elephant Man."[5] As a jargon, side-show freaks were classified into two groups: natural freaks and self-made freaks.[6] A natural freak would usually have been born with a genetic abnormality, while a self-made freak was a person who was altered artificially (with methods such as surgical implants).
The term has a variety of much more recent meanings. An example is something strikingly unusual about one's appearance or behavior. This usage originated from "freak scene" during the 1960s and 1970s, most famously promoted by the album Freak Out! made by the rock band The Mothers of Invention.
A recent usage of freak is as a synonym for enthusiast, such as a health freak[7]; or referring to obsessive behavior, such as control freak.[8]
In science
Freak is used in science to describe plants and animals with a genetic mutation.[9][10]
See also
References
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "freak". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ Sherman, Howard (26 September 2014). "'Freak' is a slur and 'Freak Show' is propagating it. Disabled people deserve better". The Guardian.
- ^ Chemers, M (2008). Staging Stigma: A Critical Examination of the American Freak Show. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-230-61066-8.
- ^ The Rise and Fall of Circus Freakshows https://priceonomics.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-circus-freakshows/
- ^ Joseph Merrick at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Stephens, Elizabeth (2005). "Twenty-First Century Freak Show: Recent Transformations in the Exhibition of Non-Normative Bodies". Disability Studies Quarterly. 25 (3). doi:10.18061/dsq.v25i3.580. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ For example, in the name of the British television show, Teenage Health Freak.
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "freak". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ "Human and animal freaks of nature". New Scientist. 7 January 2009.
- ^ Whitfield, John (January 2009). "Freaks are forcing scientists to rethink evolution". New Scientist. 201 (2690): 42. Bibcode:2009NewSc.201...42W. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(09)60103-2.