The Goat Girl of Salem, an eclectic performer, poses next to the Salem Bewitched Statue. Photo: Brooke McCarthy/WBZ NewsRadio
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — It may be called the Witch City, but one eclectic performer there is an entirely different animal. To be specific, a goat. The Goat Girl of Salem is a street performer that's been turning heads.
She roams the streets in a 1950s-style dress, high heels, and a goat head. The persona started as a Halloween costume in 2018. The Goat Girl didn't want to be identified by her real name, and the goat head is home-made, too.
"It's mostly made out of trash that I found around my house, because most creative people make whatever they can make with whatever they can find," she said.
She's not a traditional busker either. Instead of a hat or bucket for money, she silently drifts around the city holding a book for people to autograph. Goat Girl says she's a big hit at during the city's famed Halloween celebrations. But you can find her off-season at events too, and she's the official mascot of MidnightTease, a local tea company.
"When you put on a mask or you become a character, you get to live this other life and be this other thing, and it's incredibly liberating," Goat Girl said.
Goat Girl thinks of her retro outfit as a parody about nostalgia of the "good old days" in the 1950s.
"Even if you're nostalgic for the past, it doesn't mean it was perfect. Maybe it was horrible for some people. Maybe it was this goat-headed nightmare," she said.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) sat down with the Goat Girl herself.
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