Exhilaration or Exploitation?

It seems an anomaly that in the politically correct age we live in, the circus ‘freak
show’ remains, and remains popular. Is the freak show an unwelcome throwback
to a less tolerant past? An exhibition of talent? Or simply a bit of harmless fun? As
the Easter Show rolls around once more Emily Shipp speaks to Psycho Side Show
performer ‘Goliath’ to find out.

‘Goliath’, also referred to as ‘The World’s Smallest Strongman’ and known to his
mother as Jeremy Hallam, is flushed and brimming with excitement. His words
tumble over each other in his bid to describe his exhilaration.

‘I feed off the energy of the crowd. When they’re all screaming and cheering you
can’t be flat.’

Hallam has just finished one of his many performances as part of the Sydney
Easter Show’s Psycho Side Show, which continues in the long tradition of circus
freak shows. In his performance he lifts, he bends, he strips. Possibly the
collective-audience-intake-of-breath moment comes when he hoists a fully-
grown woman straight into the air and continues to hold her there while the
crowd whoops and cheers. Quite impressive - made even more impressive by the
fact that he weighs only 40kg and stands at only 122cm tall.

Hallam claims he never tires of his Goliath performance, enjoying the rush of
performing and the perks of celebrity.
‘It’s just been phenomenal. The kids absolutely love it, they want to meet you,
have photos with you.’

‘I get a lot of groupies here at the Easter show.’

Mainly under the age of 8 I’m led to believe, looking around at the audience as
Hallam dons his Goliath persona on stage, lifting, strutting and posing. Children
all around stare up at him entranced.

‘Everyone, feast your eyes on the washboard six-pack’ calls the host as Hallam
rips off his shirt. ‘Check out those biceps.’

Obviously we have come a long way from the exploitative freak shows of the
Victorian period and this performance clearly showcases a lot of talented
individuals (Hallam’s six pack is indeed of washboard caliber) but there is still
something slightly unsettling when Hallam strips off his shirt during the
performance to the soundtrack of stripper music and laughter. Are we laughing
with him or at him?

The echo of less sympathetic times, when physical difference was simultaneously
abhorred and desired and was almost always exploited, makes politically correct
folk squirm. Individuals with physical differences were deemed ‘freaks’, had few
employment opportunities and were served up to the public to be voyeuristically
consumed. Dwarves were a particularly popular form of entertainment.

As Betty M. Adelson, author of Dwarfs: The Changing Lives of Archetypal

Curiosities’ writes, “among many people with dwarfism the current association
of dwarfs with freak-related entertainment has provoked irritation and distress.”

She quotes the actress Meredith Eaton as saying “at times I turn down parts
when they become freak stereotypical. I always want to be proud of my work
and I never want to compromise my dignity. I feel a tremendous responsibility to
the dwarfism community at large.”

Hallam shrugs off the assertion that his work is somehow undignified, or a
throwback to a more exploitative era. ‘Everyone I work with is so supportive. I
love the crowd and the audience.’

‘I’ve been training for over 10 years now, since I was 14 years old. This is what I
want to do.’

Hallam’s laid-back nature is borne from a happy childhood, where he was

surrounded by supportive friends, family and institutions.

Unlike many other dwarves who turned to performance as a self-defence

method, a get in before they do kind of mentality, Hallam says he had no issues
with bullying as a child.
‘Going through school was easy because I had older brothers to look out for me. I
made lots of friends who I still have today.’

Of course he received the ‘occasional drunken slur’ but in his typically confident
and self-assured fashion Hallam quickly assures that he ‘knows a response to all
of them.’

Hallam recognises that he stands out and says that whilst in high school he
learned his lesson that whilst he is remembered for the good things, he is also
remembered for the bad.

‘A few mates and I went to a park and lit fire to a bin and a teacher recognised
the school uniform, informing the school “they’re just normal students and a
dwarf”.’

‘So I thought let’s be remembered for good things not bad and I’ve been doing
good things ever since.’

As Alderson states, amongst dwarfism forums online a common profession

deemed to be demeaning is a career in the circus, for his part however, Hallam
relates his current employment choice back to self-determination.’

‘I chose to work here and I work on my own terms.’

‘At the end of the day we’re all unique and different. Some things are freaky but
that’s why we do this show – to give people a different perspective on life.’

In fact, fellow Psycho Side Show performer Shep Huntley is actively seeking to
bring back old-style side show entertainment.

‘The extreme kind of performances got fazed out due to political correctness in
the 1950s and 60s, but now people are empowered again and can make their
own choices’ Huntley says.

‘The more old things we can bring back the better.’

The Psycho Side Show is definitely in a different league from obviously

demeaning activities such as dwarf tossing or midget wrestling. Looking around
at the children’s rapt faces and sensing Hallam’s obvious thrill from performing,
it is tempting to say political correctness be damned.