Recognize that clown in the picture? It could be you from a Halloween long ago. Cute as a button! And not scary in any way shape or form. Remember when someone dressed up like a clown and it didn't creep you out? What happened?

Popular culture is what happened. Movies and books began to make clowns into creepy characters. Yes, there has always been a segment of the population that has feared clowns, but that number is now much higher. I can trace my fear of clowns back to one specific show. I know I'm not alone when I speak of Stephen King's 'It'. I never read the book, but when the mini-series hit TV I was glued to it. You don't remember how terrifying Pennywise the clown is? Take a look!

That was it for me. Clowns were now horrible creatures. There have been countless other movies that have portrayed clowns the same way. Now, there are stories of people dressed up as deranged clowns haunting neighborhoods across the country! What have we done to clowns, the supposed purveyors of cheer and happiness? We've turned them into zombies and vampires. I almost feel sorry for them.

Now, the story behind MY clown outfit. I got hit in the face by a baseball that fall, shortly before Halloween and had horrible bruises on my face. So the clown makeup helped hide my pain. Now, my pain is a fear of clowns. At least I know I'm not alone.

More From 94.1 KRNA