Clowns, are they scary?

I hope I don't offend any one....but does anyone belive that clowns are a thing of the past? So many people are either scared or freaked out by clowns. What r ur honest opinions?

I, for one, have always LOVED clowns. When I was little, I wanted to be one (and I kind of still do...) and would put pictures of them on my wall--which made one of my friends who was terrified of them afraid to come into my room. I don't think they're a thing of the past--they don't even have to have all that makeup on to live up to what they are, hence how many clowns nowadays are taking the minimalistic route with their makeup so as not to frighten little kids.

I think clowns that are not properly trained can be pretty scary. It takes more than putting on a costume to become a clown & too many try to fake it for an extra buck(kind of like having a face paint hooker use craft paint & undercut our business). I think there are some amazing clowns! Like Perry! She is mega cool & knows the trade quite well & has spent time & money to perfect her craft!
Now that said... I'm finding several of the people behind the clowns in my area to be down right rude, & unprofessional & are making the industry as a whole look very bad.

I honestly think that there was a time when clowns were much more unique and special. As the childrens entertainment industry grew, the art of clowning evolved into the business of clowning. Unfortunately, there are many people out there who are more concerned with making money than investing in training and learning the art of clowning. It's just like people who buy craft paint and call themselves face painters. There are definitely some clowns out there who are scary because they think being loud and obnoxious is how to be a clown. Just like any profession, there are both good and bad. When I started my business, there were only two other clowns in my pretty large area, and at the time, only clowns did facepainting. Within ten years, that number has grown to well over 20 people. Some are unbelievably talented, and others just out to make a quick buck. Lastly, I don't think clowns are a thing of the past. I just think the market for birthday parties has become so saturated with other options. You can have a princess party, cowboy party, Dora the Explorer or Barney the Dinosaur. I am booked for a party next week and they only want facepainting because they didn't want to pay the extra for balloons or games that I do as a clown.

Flopsie ur a cute clown... good luck to u, and thanks for the insight. Before I got into this I came upon some clowns for my lil ones 5th bday once he saw their pics he refused so we hired a face painter I guess some of it has to do with the way u look

My clown character has been with me for about 14 years. It has been an amazing adventure. I do run into people who have a fear of clowns(but say they aren't afraid of Twink-elle) and there are those children who think my character isn't a real clown because she isn't loud and obnoxious enough. In this day and age I think there is more of a need than ever for clowns and the opportunities to grow in the art and beauty of clowning are increasing all the time.
There was quite a heated debate on this forum recently about clowning.

Thanks rxtorre. Chicneek, I agree that new opportunities are constantly popping up. I continue to grow and learn everyday. I'll never understand how people judge an entire industry by a few bad performers. We just have to look for ways to show our talents and increase our market.
Where was the heated clowning debate? I missed it.

Here is my version of an au juste clown for a friend so he wouldn't freak out his terrified-of-clowns-girlfriend.

Wow, thanks for the compliment... I like to THINK I know what I'm doing. I'm still actually fairly new to the art of clowning as I've only been at it for two and a half years now. But as with most things in my life, I don't do anything half way and made a huge effort to really learn as much as I could about what I was doing.

I don't think it has as much to do with the amount of makeup as it does with the way you present yourself as a clown. I'm sure we all remember Binky from the Garfield cartoons... that is a perfect example of what NOT to do

There are some people out there that I have found who like to SAY they are afraid of clowns from all the silly media stuff about clowns eating people and such... it's become cool to be afraid of clowns or something. Then there are those that are legitimately afraid of clowns. You can see the difference immediately... if they are really afraid, they won't come over to you at all.... they'll turn around and walk the other way. They won't make a big spectacle of themself or draw attention to their fear.

As for small children, more often than not, it isn't a fear of clowns... it is an insecure feeling about something new (unless of course their parents have said something stupid to give them the impression that they SHOULD be afraid or something). Most of the time, this insecure feeling can be overcome by getting down to their level (or lower if possible), letting them feel in control of the situation and allowing them to come to you while you do things as quietly and gently as possible. At a party, it can take a while... at an event, there may not be enough time at all, but I've found that I can quickly overcome a lot of those situations by playing shy and giving them a sticker (through a parent if necessary). I think of it as a peace offering and it usually helps immensely. If not, then I get away from that child because I refuse to be burned into their mind as their phobia... I move away as gently as possible while making sure they know that they are welcome to come back later if they want to.

On the topic of the earlier debate about clowns, it was a question of people dressing up as clowns without really "being" clowns for monetary purposes. Without opening that can of worms again, let's just say that I feel that it is often those kind of clowns that can perpetuate that fear.... sometimes with faces that scare ME.

I know i did a party sunday and we got hired for 2 hours to do FP & BT well after our time was up were packing and a clown comes in, let me tell you she made us look amazing! she was so rude telling the kids to be quiet even as far as telling the parent "look they hired me to entertain so im going to need you to be quiet" i just could not believe that you know there are certain ways to handle that better, the client walked us out and wished we could have stayed longer. she loved us. so in the long run it did make uis look better. lol. I think it all depends how the clown carries themself.