Analysis of Sara Baartman & the Current Self-Exploitation of Black Women in the Media

1. Analysis of Sara Baartman & the Current Self-Exploitation of Black Women in the Media Jelissa Brooks

2. Who Is Sara Baartman? • Born Saartjie Baartman in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 1789 • Orphaned by a commando raid, and taken into custody of a hunter and trader from Cape Town to later work as a wet nurse. • She was a mother at age 18 • She was smuggled to England by three men (Alexander Dunlop, Pieter Cesars, and Hendrick Cesars) and bribed with their promises for her to obtain riches and fame for the scientific study of her body • Upon arrival, she soon became the new act of London's thriving entertainment trade, taking on the name of “Hottentot Venus”

3. What the Names Mean? • Saartjie..(Saar-Key) An Afrikaans name In Afrikaans the suffix -tjie makes a diminutive a noun Among family and friends, -tjie diminutive is a form of endearment However, because a diminutive reduces the size of what it names, -tjie has also been used to enforce servitude/to subordinate Often used by whites to indicate contempt/belittlement • Black Women as.. • Porn Stars • Video Vixens –a female fox (Ex: Bria Myles, Buffy the Body, etc.) • Rappers & Singers in music industry (Ex: Nicki Minaj, Trina etc.) Often remaining within the public eye, black women within these fields rely solely on their bodily assets and the portrayal of sex to sell themselves. By degrading themselves in this manner, they’re inviting the negative name calling they often receive from outsiders. Her Khoisan birth name is unknown there’s no written records Their birth names are being replaced with derogatory names given to them as a result of their line of work and how they’re presented

4. Fragmentation of Women Rapper, Nicki Minaj has been called the modern Sara Baartman because of her constant flaunting of her bodily assets. However, I disapprove of this title because unlike Sara Baartman she volunteers herself to be viewed in a hyper-sexualized light. Former video vixen, Buffy the Body, once thin, yet purposely gained weight to obtain larger hips and a larger butt Sara Baartman was involuntarily subject to exhibit her body “The Importance of the Derrière”

5. YouTube Video Buffy the Body: Tyra Banks Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPksm-HVDGQ • Continuation of the fragmentation of women • Buffy the body discusses her dislike for being thin and how she went to a nutritionist to gain bigger hips and a larger butt.

6. The Hottentot Venus • Def: Hottentot- strange, disturbing, cultural alien, sexually deviant; Venus– sex synonym • Her costumers were to make her appear semi-nude while performing on stage • They were made to fit tightly to contour her body • Her bottom was to be demonstrated as the source of her fame along with her extended labia • Her musical skills helped entertain the crowd • (ex: ramkie) • Forced to dance • Subject to being touched by audience members as Britain was a nation obsessed by bottoms • Venus was added to the term Hottentot as a clever marketing technique to entice the audience

7. Time is Money...But is it worth it? • Women occupying jobs in fields such as pornography/video vixen/girl/model industries, often have to degrade themselves even more to advance. • The pay of video girls often depends on the budget of the video being shot. • While in both England and France Sara Baartman performed and was on display constantly. • Her exhibition was open 6 days per week; 4 hours per day. • She often was forced to do private shows for parties of 12 during the evening. • After endless hours of ridicule and humiliation, she never received pay. England: 2 shillings per show France: 3 Franks per show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz7jeVRQiIM

8. Conclusion In reading the book African Queen: The Real Life of the Hottentot Venus, I came across the following sentence, “It seemed increasingly that her value lay in her body, and the services it could provide for others.” I found that this statement still holds true today in the case of black women in the media and their willingness to exploit themselves as they relinquish the value that lay in their bodies. Though Hottentot was a demeaning term given to describe Khoisan people, the nickname of Venus was a gimmick used to lure and entice people. It seems as if sex selling will forever be timeless. When will we cease to perpetuate this trend, learn more about our history, and pay homage to those who came before us?

9. Works Cited • Crais , Clifton, and Pamela Scully . Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost story and a Biography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press , 2009. Print. • Holmes , Rachel. African Queen: The Real Life of the Hottentot Venus. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. • The Life and Times of Sara Baartman. Dir. “” Perf. Sara Baartman. Doc., 1998. DVD.