This is not a paywall You can keep reading for free! At Hyperallergic , we strive to make art more inclusive, so you’ll never hit a paywall when reading our articles. But, as an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to keep our high-quality coverage free and accessible. Please consider joining us as a member to support independent journalism.
Already a member? Sign in here. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider supporting us as a member.
Join Us Possibly because of the absence of a string of nucleotides in chromosome 8, fewer than one in a billion people have a hereditary condition known as generalized hypertrichosis terminalis, which leads to a covering of fur over most of their body. Historically, most of those who’ve had hypertrichosis worked in exhibitions and zoos, carnivals and geek shows. Turn-of-the-century performers such as Stephan Bibrowski (“Lionel the Lion-faced Man”), Krao Farini (“The Missing Link”), and most famously Fedor Jeftichew (“Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy”) were forced into dehumanizing performances, their stage names indicative of the cruel culture of spectacle that has so-often maligned those who physically don’t conform to an arbitrary ideal of beauty.
Before all of those figures, there was Pedro Gonzalez, the first to be identified with the condition, born among the Indigenous Guanche people of the Canary Islands in the 16th century. Brought.