Beautiful people are always surrounded by attention. But this attention can be enjoyable, boosting self-esteem and increasing the number of admirers. The ugliest people are treated less favorably; they are often pointed at, their appearance flaws are discussed in whispers or out loud, and many other unpleasant things happen to them.
Some of the people on our list of the worst people in the world have adapted to this, and some even enjoy this attitude, making good money from it.
20. Joseph Merrick
Let's begin our list of the most terrifying people with the famous "Elephant Man" of Victorian England. His terrifying exterior concealed a sensitive nature: Joseph wrote poetry and built paper models of cathedrals. However, he had to earn his living by working at the local circus and performing in freak shows.
Merrick is a victim of Proteus syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes excessive growth of the head, skin, and bones. Due to his enormous head, he was forced to sleep sitting up. When the weight of his head forced his thin neck down, 27-year-old Merrick died of asphyxia.
19. Jocelyn Wildenstein
Some call this billionaire a lioness, while others call her a monster or a victim of plastic surgery.
Only she knows the exact number of plastic surgeries she voluntarily underwent to transform her once-beautiful face into that of a lion. This was Jocelyn's attempt to impress her ex-husband, Alec Wildenstein, who had a passion for lions.
However, in 1999, Alec traded his cat for Russian model Lyuba Stupakova. Jocelyn was left with a strange obsession with plastic surgery and a billion-dollar payout as a memento of him.
18. Didier Montalvo
For most people, moles are merely a minor cosmetic concern. However, for a Colombian boy, moles became a true curse. One of them took up most of his back, transforming it into a turtle-like shell.
English surgeon Neil Bulstrode performed a successful operation to remove a huge birthmark, after which six-year-old Didier lived the life of an ordinary child.
17. Rudy Santos
This Filipino man is a victim of a rare condition called craniopagus parasiticus (a parasitic twin). He has a pair of arms and legs on his abdomen, as well as an underdeveloped head with one ear and hair, which belonged to his unborn brother.
Because of this, Rudy was nicknamed the "Octopus Man." In the 1970s, he actively participated in various freak shows and even refused surgical removal of his extra limbs, explaining that he had become physically and spiritually fused with his twin.
16. Melanie Gaydos
Sometimes, a hideous appearance doesn't hinder, but rather helps, one achieve fame. Melanie, born with ectodermal dysplasia, has virtually no body hair and only three baby teeth (the rest have fallen out, and the permanents never appeared).
But the girl was at least lucky in one way: she connected with photographers on Craigslist who were looking for people with unique looks. Now, Melanie is a sought-after model and actress.
15. Jose Mestre
Living with a tumor is a horrific ordeal that José Mestre endured his entire life. He was born with a hemangioma—a benign tumor that grew and grew until it weighed 5.5 kg. It literally buried José's face, blinded him in one eye, and almost completely stifled his ability to breathe.
Fortunately, Chicago physician Mackay McKinnon was able to relieve the patient of this heavy burden. This required three surgeries.
14. Jason Schechterly
One of the world's most terrifying people is known as "the man with the missing face." A car accident was to blame. Jason's car caught fire, leaving him with horrific burns, and the skin on his face was completely charred.
Doctors managed to save Shechterli's life, but his former appearance was lost forever.
13. Supatra Sasufan
There are very few people in the world who suffer from Ambras syndrome, and Supatra is one of them. It's also known as werewolf syndrome. She's been called "wolf" and "monkey-faced," but being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the hairiest girl in the world has made Supatra popular among her classmates.
However, despite her "wolf-like appearance," Supatra managed to find love. She got married and now shaves her face every day.
12. Carlos "Half and Half" Rodriguez
He's not the only man to suffer a serious head injury, but he's perhaps the most famous. Carlos, under the influence of alcohol and drugs, was involved in a car accident, flying out the front window and landing on his head.
Many didn't believe he wouldn't survive, but he did. Rodriguez now advocates for policies that prohibit drunk driving and discourages drug use.
11. Claudio Vieira
A Brazilian man also known as "The Man with the Upside-Down Head." When he was born, doctors advised his mother not to feed him. No one believed Claudio would survive except his family.
Claudio eventually earned a degree in accounting and then went on to work as a motivational speaker.
10. Dennis Avner
This American was obsessed with becoming a cat. And he became one. At least, his face resembles a cat's muzzle: his upper lip is split in two, his teeth are sharpened, and his fingernails are more like claws. Would you dare pet such a cat? I wouldn't.
9. Abigail and Brittany Hensel
These girls are conjoined twins—they share one body but two heads. Abigail and Brittany have two spinal cords, but they share all their organs below the waist. Even more interesting is that they have different eating habits, clothing choices, and favorite colors.
8. Sain Mumtaz
A Pakistani man looks like a monster. But not because he enjoys being one. He suffers from a rare condition, Proteus syndrome, which has deformed his head. However, he is mentally normal and suffers greatly from the attitudes of those around him.
He's not hired, and when Sain was a child, locals often ran away at the sight of him. Over time, they got used to his appearance. Unfortunately, there's currently no cure for people with Proteus syndrome that stops excessive bone growth.
7. Mohammad Kaleim
Among the most terrifying photos of people, there are also those of children. Alas, nature can sometimes be cruel even to its young creations.
Mohammad Kaleim from India was born with a rare condition: his hands grew to gigantic sizes—33 centimeters. In 2015, he underwent surgery to reduce the size of his hands. However, Kaleim still ranks among the most unusual people in the world.
6. Billy Owen
In 2013, Billy lost half his face and one of his eyeballs. This tragedy was the result of a rare form of cancer. To save his life, surgeons removed part of his nasopharynx and upper palate.
Owen embraced his new life by joining Freakshow and now makes his living performing at zombie festivals and shows.
5. Yu Zhenghuang
This Chinese man looks like a hybrid of ape and human. He's even been nicknamed "Half-Monkey." Hair covers 96% of his body.
4. Mandy Sellars
Fourth place in the top 10 ugliest people is occupied by a woman with unusually large feet. Due to a rare genetic mutation called Proteus syndrome, her lower limbs were far larger than the rest of her body.
Mandy had to have one of her legs removed up to her knee. This unique woman was the subject of the television documentary "Losing One of My Giant Legs.".
3. Eric Sprague "The Lizard"«
A shining example of how one can voluntarily become one of the most feared people on Earth. This man makes his living performing for the amusement of audiences, both live and on television.
He has sharpened teeth, a full-body tattoo of green scales, subdermal implants, and green lipstick.
There were once rumors that he wanted to have a tail transplant, but Eric said it was impossible.
2. Petero Byakatonda
A Ugandan man is nicknamed "Egghead Boy," and after looking at photos of the world's ugliest people, you'll immediately understand the reason for this nickname.
He suffers from Crouzon syndrome, a deformity of the facial and cranial parts of the skull that occurs in the womb. Because of this, Petero's eyes and ears are misaligned.
1. Elizabeth "Lizzie" Velazquez
This woman was born with a rare congenital disorder, Wiedemann-Rautenstrauch syndrome. Because of this condition, Lizzie doesn't accumulate fat, and her weight never exceeded 29 kilograms. As a child, she became blind in her right eye and has poor vision in her left.
As if Lizzie's physical suffering weren't enough, people added emotional ones to it. Someone posted a video of her on YouTube, and it was dubbed "The Ugliest Girl in the World.".
When Velasquez watched the video and read the comments underneath, she didn't fall into depression; instead, she began posting responses to the most offensive posts. She is now a motivational speaker, explaining how to respond to bullying and combat stereotypes. And while she continues to be called the ugliest woman in the world, Elizabeth Velasquez's fortitude is the envy of many physically healthy people.