The story of Sarah Baartman is a tragic reflection of colonial exploitation and the dehumanization of Black women’s bodies. She was a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa who, in the early 19th century, was taken to Europe under false promises and then paraded around as a spectacle due to her physique, particularly her curves, which Europeans at the time saw as exotic or unnatural.
Baartman’s treatment was not just about curiosity—it was rooted in racial and gendered exploitation. She was displayed in human zoos, subjected to invasive examinations by so-called scientists, and treated as less than human. Even after her death in 1815, her remains were dissected and kept on display in France until they were finally returned to South Africa in 2002, more than 150 years later.
Her story connects deeply with modern conversations about the commodification and appropriation of Black women’s bodies. What was once deemed “freakish” by European standards is now imitated, fetishized, and commercialized in Western culture, often without acknowledging the history of how Black women were devalued and exploited for those same physical traits.
It’s a reminder of how colonial narratives distort beauty, power, and identity—and why reclaiming our own narratives is so important.
Video Credit: @rizzaislamix
