“She finds people like you hilarious!”: Why do we laugh at people with dwarfism?

Pritchard, Erin (2021) “She finds people like you hilarious!”: Why do we laugh at people with dwarfism? Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies, 15 (4). pp. 455-470. ISSN 1757-6458

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Abstract

For centuries, people with dwarfism have been sought after for humorous entertainment purposes. Even today, dwarfs are employed within various forms of lowbrow entertainment that is unique to them. This begs the question, why do we laugh at people with dwarfism? Using superiority and inferiority theories this paper aims to demonstrate why we laugh at dwarfs by exploring both historical and present forms of dwarf entertainment. Laughing at dwarfs, I argue, is a form of disablism that permits dwarfism to be deemed inferior within society due to their non-normative embodiment. Lastly, the paper demonstrates some of the social implications this sort of humour has upon how people with dwarfism are perceived and subsequently treated within society. The paper calls for a more ethical consideration of the humour used in relation to dwarfism with the entertainment industry.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	This is an author accepted manuscript of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies, published by Liverpool University Press. The final, published version is available from: https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/jlcds.2021.35
Keywords:	dwarfism, superiority theory, incongruity theory, disablism, social implications
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Education and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Erin Pritchard
Date Deposited:	26 Nov 2021 11:31
Last Modified:	15 Dec 2022 16:34
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3438

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