Facial painting and adornment forms a staple of countless cultures past and present. It is often used in ceremonies, particularly those that encourage communion with supernatural beings, like gods and spirits. Strange faces and masks easily evoke otherworldly images. Even in the modern age of pragmatism and materialism, face painting survives in a myriad of cultures, including in America.
From birthday parties to circus performances, clowns carry on the tradition of ceremonial pigmenting -- with a typical American twist. What was once spiritual is now facetious. Clowns entertain children with balloons. They act the buffoon before popcorn-laden audiences awaiting entertainment from trained animals.
But somehow, clowns have not become the unidimentional purveyors of cheap cheer. There is an element of creepiness about them -- something disconcerting in their misshapen costumes and painted smiles. Why do so many Americans, fully aware that the "otherworldly creatures" are ordinary people, find clowns disconcerting? Well, clowns have painted expressions, usually of giddiness or joy, which makes it more difficult to read a clown's facial expressions. In a culture of "look me in the eye," unreadable faces betraying little true emotion are unsettling. There are comparatively few ceremonial behaviors in the United States, making it important for people to read each other's emotions to determine their actions. And people want to know each other and interact positively and make impression. They have trouble reading emotion behind the painted smile.
This unequal communication just might be sinister, which is why the evil clown theme is so popular in the United States. See, the murderous Joker:
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