Zoyara Whirligig: Cross-Dressing Circus Delight

A cross-dressing circus craze began in 1860 when Omar Kingsley performed as “Ella Zoyara” on horseback. A man posing as an equestrienne, he-she sparked a sensation, with many imitators. That included a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman, and extended into blackface minstrelsy. Although the sensation only lasted a few months, the circus act persisted, while lingering in memory for decades. To recognize the cultural impact, it’s helpful to dig past the idea of simple amusement to the cultural centrality of antebellum circus in American life and to build on gender studies to see the fun shared by performers, writers, and audiences.