It's no surprise that since the release of the trailer for Stephen King's It and all those creepy clown sightings, times are hard for non-evil clowns.

In fact, it's become so difficult for clowns that they fear they're in a dying profession. MEL Magazine spoke to several clowns working in the Los Angeles area and many said that the resurgence in interest in Stephen King's It has made life very difficult for them.

“It’s ruining our business,” said Nick Kane, who operates under the clown name Mr. Nick, which isn't a creepy name for a clown at all. "It’s a dying profession. And the people who do it and scrape together a living have to grapple with the fact that it’s cool and hip not to like clowns,” he added.

"No one sticks up for a clown. The only thing cooler to dislike is a mime. It’s silly and stupid, and I wish people would focus on the good clowns out there," said Guilford Adams, who performs under the name Gilly The Clown.

Although creepy clowns are a somewhat modern theme, coulrophobia  - that's a fear of clowns - has been traced back to children's minds developing familiarity with faces and their dimensions. In other words, seeing someone with a bright red nose, white facepaint and other exaggerated features is just naturally scary to them.

At least that's what we're telling ourselves to rationalise it. Ahem.

 

Via MEL Magazine