reliving the "venus hottentot" circus

"the focus in hiphop [commercial rap] culture and media on the Black female posterior is eerily reminiscent of the venus hottentot circus act framing of a Black woman in the 1820s. in the name of science, a european doctor awestruck by khosian (of south Africa) women's posteriors and genitalia paid[?] one of the Black women there to travel to england then france with him as a specimen for display and study as the 'hottentot venus' (the europeans had named her tribe of heritage, hottentot[?], and dubbed her a venus). images of her display/visit in england and france depict her poised on a pedestal: her buttocks exposed, and men and women staring intensely at her and commenting 'oh! god damn what roast beef!' and 'ah! how comical is nature.' even if today's video hotties appear to have been initiated by [male negroes] and co-signed by [negro females] themselves -- instead of [and/or in conjunction with] white supremacy-informed europeans like those responsible for the 'venus hottentot' spectacle -- the predominance of such representations again circulates the Black female body and sexuality in a dehumanizing manner with far-reaching consequences. turning to the audience factors of the equation offers a cautionary look into how young Black women use these roles and identities from hiphop [commercial rap] culture."

--fatimah n. muhammad

*excerpted from "home girls make some noise" edited by pough, richardson, durham, raimist, pgs.126-127