‘The Wolf Man’ Hid from People Due to His Looks — Later Welcomed Daughters Who Look Like Him

• Jesus Aceves was born with a rare condition that led him to be bullied as a child.
• At 12 years old, he joined the circus as an attraction and worked globally within the industry for many years.
• He has returned to his hometown, where he has three daughters, but because his condition is hereditary, they are not immune to the discrimination he faced many years ago.

At 12 years old, Jesus Aceves joined the circus with two of his cousins as an attraction. A circus owner had approached him when he worked at the amusement park in the summer because of his appearance.

Aceves and numerous family members have a condition called hypertrichosis, which earned him the name “The Wolf Man” or, as he was nicknamed as a child, “The Little Wolf.”

Hypertrichosis means that Aceves has dark, sturdy hair covering his entire face. It also means that he and his family were not treated with kindness as he was growing up.

In Loreto, a little town in Mexico, the residents shunned his relatives, while Aceves was tormented by other kids when he was young. They used to verbally bully him by calling him names and also tugged at his hair.

His years spent in the circus were not perfect. As attractions, he and his cousins were locked away so individuals on the street wouldn’t spot them. However, according to the “Chuy, The Wolf Man,” movie by Eva Arid and as translated by BBC he expressed:

“It’s not a bad place where you make money doing something bad. It’s a decent job. As an artist, you entertain people and make them laugh.”

Aceves learned numerous skills, such as walking the high wire. He did experience a dark period of isolation and depression where he abused alcohol, but he recovered.

“The Wolf Man” returned to his childhood hometown after traveling with many circuses for years. Now has three daughters, a wife, and an extended family that live there. Until recently, he commuted between the United States and Loreto, where he performed in the circus to support them financially. Sadly, his children face the same discrimination he did. His oldest, Karla, has expressed:

“Sometimes kids will say things that offend me because sometimes adults will put things in children’s heads. They call me names and they even tell their kids not to be my friends.”

Her father says it has been worse for women as it is not accepted as much by society to have so much hair on their bodies as compared to men.

His wife, however, sees the condition in a more positive light. She said that she was aware that her children would be born with the condition and stated:

“…for me it has been a blessing to have a daughter like this. I don’t think it’s a curse. Quite the opposite. It’s a blessing for whoever has hair.”

Karla seems to have embraced her condition, stating that she tried to get rid of her hair, but it just grew back, concluding: “I was born like this, and I want to stay like this.”

It is sadly not uncommon for people to be treated with disdain in society because they are different. One man going by the nickname “Papa Smurf,” struggled to get a job because he had blue skin. Click here to read his story.