Smallest Woman in the World

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May contain outdated and ableist language

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From the collection of

MACE is the strategic lead organisation for screen heritage for the East and West Midlands regions. An independent charity based at University of Lincoln, MACE preserves and makes accessible a collection of more than 100,000 historic moving images representative of the diverse cultures and histories of communities throughout the heart of England from the Lincolnshire coast to the Welsh border.

Smallest Woman in the World (ATV Today)

Media Archive for Central England
Bromsgrove
1972-12-11
Sound
Closed captions
Audio description
7m

Joyce Carpenter from Bromsgrove was thought to be the smallest woman in the world when she appeared in this ATV Today film in 1972. At twenty-nine inches tall she is, in her own words, "making the best of it", in an environment which presents her with a series of daily challenges from posting a letter to learning to drive and even cleaning her home. But these practical issues are only one side of her battle as it's the stares and words from unthinking people that cause the most hurt.

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