Elizabeth Castro on Yvette Abrahams "Images of Sara Bartman"

The author explains how Sara Baartman's exhibition changed the way black people were represented in the British culture during the 1800s.  She was portrayed as a "savage" woman for having an abnormal buttocks and a curvature frame. Her sexuality was one of the many things that categorized her as not human therefore unquestioning European control over her. 

With Sara Bartman’s freak exhibit as being the center of attention at the time, all eyes were on her. Since Sara Bartman was African, other Africans were automatically classified as being “savage”, “bestial” and “monsters”.  According to the author, African freak exhibits showed them as “ bestial, thus serving to reinforce the common perception that there was little or no distinction between black people and animals” (225).  Black men were portrayed as "poor and degraded" yet never as something sexual. On the other hand, black woman, like Sara Bartman, had to wear sexual clothing. During her performances, she had minimal clothing exposing certain parts of her body parts.

British women during the 1800s were covered from head to toe; Sara Bartman had a thin piece of linen covering her body, was this done to set her apart from white women? Clearly. White women were seen as decent. Not only did Sara experience sexism but racism as well. To Europeans, it was acceptable to perceive black people as animals because of their skin color. 

The color of ones' skin still determines how people look/approach you. There are many stereotypes that classify one's race as being better than the other. Racism is still alive.