Wahidah Fowler

The first black women whom body, skin and over all imagery was introduced to the western society and exploited by them name was Saartjie “Sara” Baartman. 20 year old Sara Baartman whom was a Khoikhoi women, in 1810 willingly left her hometown in Cape Town Africa on a boat to London in search of fame in the western world. Upon leaving she was never to return again to her hometown in Africa and five years later she would be dead. Sara Baartman, soon became the poster child and icon of the implementation of racial inferiority.
She is the poster child of how western society views African Women when it comes to their body parts, such as lips, breast, wide hips and full gluteus maximus from during slavery to after slavery. Upon her arriving to london she was viewed as being a freak, enforced into slavery and was showcased in freak-show attractions throughout Britain. Sara was showcased on display as the “The Hottentot Venus” and her image was swept across Britain and glorified by popular culture. In the freak shows which she was showcased she was forced to gyrate her buttocks in the nude and showcase her elongated labia which Europeans never seen a women of Sara statue. This name symbolized the Roman Goddess of love which put fuel to the flame of the worlds first stereotype of the Black women’s sexuality. The exhibition she was showcased thrived after the Slave Trade Act of 1807. Due to this continuation, it caused lots of commotion from those that questioned her treatment. Abolitionist looked at the treatment of how Sara was treated as being inhumane and abolitionist groups such as African Association fought for her freedom though they failed. Their failure could be based on due Sara informing the Dutch courts while on trial about her enslavement that she knew exactly what she was doing and received half of the profits for her participation (some scholars argue that the conditions under her making this statement can be suspect). These statements made by Baartman also contradicted those that eyewitnesses said that they seen the negative treatment depicted towards her. Four years later she was taken to be a subject at a scientific research center. At only 24 she was living a life of torment and cruelty as if she was less than an animal. This research center was dedicated to black research sexuality. She than died a year after and even in death was she not able to peacefully sleep. Western society continued to exploit her African features and bone structure as she was still being experimented on by scientific investigation. Only until recently was her remains taken back to Africa…