Are You Afraid of Clowns?

If you aren’t, you might be now.

Neil Patrick Harris - Are You Afraid of Clowns - PIC

Neil Patrick Harris attempts to completely terrify everyone who has a fear of clowns. I’d say he’s doing a rather good job at it too. Harris, the “How I Met Your Mother” star wore this clown ensemble to a Halloween party in Hollywood on Saturday.

Out of curiosity, I’ve done a little research:

The official term for this irrational aversion to red-nosed entertainers is coulrophobia. While many are merely creeped out by clowns, the fear runs much deeper for others, affecting their daily lives.

Several theories attempt to explain the origins of the phobia, though none seem definitive. One of the more interesting comes from Kathryn Cillick. She believes most people are afraid of clowns because it’s impossible to gauge a clown’s true emotions. Thanks to painted-on smiles, people can’t distinguish if the clown is as happy as he seems or if he’s actually about to bite somebody’s face off.

Several celebrities are decidedly anti-clown. Rapper P. Diddy has a “no clown” clause in his concert contracts. Johnny Depp had nightmares of clowns as a kid. And, of course there’s Bart Simpson, whose utterance “Can’t sleep, clown will eat me” speaks volumes about his feelings on the subject.

source: A Killer Look [tmz]

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Are You Afraid of Clowns?

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