Physically Freaky and Personally Relatable?

In the past a freak was someone with physical deformities or diseases – an extraordinary body that does not follow the normative standards. Unfortunately, similarly to “geek”, the term freak focuses almost completely on the physical body. This is something that I have noticed after reading Geek Love and Nights at the Circus.

I was shocked when I read various peoples blog posts saying they were completely unable to relate to the ANY of the characters in the various texts we have read.

To me, Oly, the narrator in Geek Love, isn’t a completely a freak or a geek. I think that there are some aspects of the characters of Oly and Fevvers that are personally relatable.

Oly, specifically in the “present” narrations, seemed to have a completely “normal” view on her families past. She is able to recognize that a lot of what was going on with performative family was completely abnormal. Additionally, Oly, herself, was both secure and insecure with her body and personalities – she isn’t any different from someone that society would deem physically “normal”. It is apparent that she herself doesn’t feel completely adequate with regards to her family. Who in their life can honestly claim that they have always, 100% of the time, felt like they completely fit in with their family or society. My entire family has naturally dark hair and I am the “blonde sheep” so to speak, with naturally dirty blonde hair. Growing up I always felt like the odd one out, not because my parents didn’t love me or treated me as a lesser, but simply because I personally didn’t feel like I quiet fit. I have been dieing my hair dark brown since I was 18…

Fevvers is also someone that I can relate to. While she is overly dramatic and leads a completely performative lifestyle, I can completely understand where she is coming from. I think it would be false for someone the claim that they have never felt the need to “sell them selves” or perform – whether it be in a job interview, to a professor or even to your friends. Dramatic performances in order to sell our selves are incredibly common. I know when I am in a job interview I am definitely “performing”. I dramatically sell the qualities that I feel the employer is looking for in a worker in hopes of securing income and wealth. I can completely relate towards the dramatic performance that perpetuates Fevvers.

While we may not physically be able to relate to theses characters, or even, at times personally (ex/ Oly’s love for her brother Arty, Fevvers' open sexuality etc), there are various characteristics that every reader should be able to pick up on and relate to on a basic human level.