09/27/2025
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Julia Pastrana was a performer and singer during the 19th century who had hypertrichosis. An indigenous woman from Mexico, born in the state of Sinaloa, she became one of history's most exploited sideshow performers.
Born with a genetic condition called hypertrichosis terminalis, her face and body were covered with straight black hair. Her ears and nose were larger than average, and her teeth were irregular. Today, the official diagnosis for her conditions is generalised hypertrichosis lanuginosa, which produced the hair covering her face and body, and gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her lips and gums.
Standing at no more than 4ft 5 inches, Pastrana was billed as the "Ape Woman," "Baboon Lady," and other dehumanising names. She married her manager, Theodore Lent, who exploited her condition for profit across Europe and America.
In March 1860, she gave birth to a boy in Moscow who was born with the same congenital traits. The child died two days later from asphyxia, and Pastrana died from complications on March 25th, 1860. The official cause of death was metro-peritonitis puerperalis (inflammation of the peritoneum about the uterus).
Tragically, her exploitation continued after death. She was exhibited for over 150 years in an embalmed state until finally receiving a proper burial in 2013 in her native Mexico.
