If you wake up from nightmares that have you running from a Bozo look-alike wielding a knife, or if you feel a little ill at the mention of Ronald McDonald, then you may be suffering from
coulrophobia, the fear of clowns.
Coulrophobia has origins in the Greek language, where koulon means limb. This relates to the Greek term for those who used stilts, i.e., clowns and circus performers.
People afraid of clowns are called coulrophobes.
Most agree that the main reasons for coulrophobia are the make-up and exaggerated features of the clown. Painted eyes and painted smiles, as well as the red bulbous nose, can be frightening initially to children. In fact some children share a similar fear of Santa Claus as well.
True coulrophobia usually dates from an initial childhood incident with a clown that provokes intense fear. Many also consider coulrophobia to be a basic dislike or distrust of the painted face of the clown, which obscures true facial expressions.
In a more general sense, the concept of obscured facial features appears to be most concerning and may in part account for coulrophobia. The multiple horror films that feature serial killers with masked or disfigured faces can scarcely be counted. The big three, of course are Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers, from Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween, respectively. The tradition continues in horror films like Scream and Saw.
Still, it is unlikely that coulrophobia will cease to exist, since most seem to have an innate distrust in being unable to read the expressions of the typical clown face. Naturally, media portrayal of clowns continues to enhance coulrophobia, by literally turning clowns into our worst nightmares.
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