The Year of the Dragon

Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to Clémentine Delait — entrepreneur, entertainer, stuntwoman, bearded lady, badass….

February 9th is the lunar new year, where cosmically we move into The Year of the Dragon. I had this concept idea, the year of the bearded dragon lady, not long ago and just couldn’t shake it.

So naturally I began researching the history of bearded ladies, and discovered this badass human

Oh My Darlin’ Clémentine

Clémentine Delait was born in 1865 and it’s said that she became a “bearded lady” after supposedly being underwhelmed by another woman’s beard in a sideshow. She apparently claimed to be able to grow a better beard in just one week; a bet her husband took her up on, backing her claim with 500 Francs

Well it would turn out to be a successful move for their cafe. Clémentine became a local celebrity, so the pair renamed their cafe, Le Café de La Femme à Barbe, "The café of the Bearded Woman"

Clémentine at her cafe, Le Café de La Femme à Barbe, "The café of the Bearded Woman"

In addition to their cafe, Clémentine also supported her family through selling portraits and postcards of portraits of herself which helped turn her into a celebrity during the early 1900s in France. When she was widowed in the late 1920s, she toured as a bearded lady even more frequently.

It’s reported that Delait was extremely proud of her beard and took immense care of it for her life.

Clémentine’s beard was most likely the result of a hormonal imbalance, or possibly an ovarian cyst. Not much was known about hormones at all in the 1900s, let alone women’s health. I mean, consider where we’re at on that in 2024. Clémentine was perhaps unable or unwilling to bear children, but her and her husband did adopt a child orphaned after the Spanish Flu epidemic.

I want to pause for a moment to point out the fact that, while hirsutism/hypertrichosis, the cause of excessive hair on women, is rare but natural, it was not viewed equally amongst skin tones.

While hirsutism for white women was viewed as a health condition, for Black women it was used as evidence that they belonged to a different species. This is your reminder that, yes, everything, everyone, everywhere is racist. We would not know about Clémentine if she’d not been white.

Clémentine was also one of, if not the first, woman in France legally allowed to wear clothing made for men in public. She was granted permission by authorities to dress in men’s attire in 1904, the same year Saint Louis hosted the World’s Fair.

Yes! At one point, certain clothing items were illegal for women to wear! Can you imagine a world in which women’s bodies are policed like that?

This act of rebellion against gender norms may be one of the first recorded instances of modern-day “cross dressing” but was only only allowed because of Clémentine’s facial hair and fame.

Here Clémentine can be seen in what would be considered “men’s” clothing.

Clémentine always identified as a woman and was married to a man. She wasn’t transgender or queer in the way that we would necessarily describe today. However she certainly led an “alternative lifestyle”. I’d argue women like Clémentine paved the way for the next century of equality & gender expression.

Clémentine was a woman with a genetic abnormality who very deliberately chose to use that to her advantage rather than something to cause her shame and I think no matter what that would mean for her identity in the present day, it’s admirable and her life was fascinating.

Clémentine Delait died in 1939. At her final resting place her headstone reads, upon her request:

“Here Lies Clémentine Delait, the Bearded Woman”

“The Bearded Dragon Lady”

The concept of “The Bearded Dragon Lady” was one that made me giggle, but then couldn’t stop thinking about in terms of the perfect piece for the New Moon drop for Patreon this month.

Seeing as it’s the Lunar New Year [The Year of the Dragon] I couldn’t pass it up. I knew I would have too much fun researching & illustrating this!

According to eastern philosophy, Dragon Years focus on prosperity, inner power, resourcefulness, myth, growth, and luck to name a few. They bring an energy of the Yang, the masculine side, while also evoking a feminine air of charm and creativity.

These are all qualities I see exhibited in a person like Clémentine Delait. I hope if she were alive today, she’d enjoy my fan art!

cheers!

Ash