This week Kim Kardashian's pictures came out in a magazine - both completely frontal nudity and the cover you see to the left. Yes, She is a very beautiful woman. I just can't help but think .... is this really necessary?
Seeing the picture on the front of the electronic copy of USAToday, I couldn't help but remember the story of Sarah Bartman. For those unfamiliar with the story of Ms. Bartman, here is a very brief introduction:
Baartman had unusually large buttocks and genitals, and in the early 1800s Europeans were arrogantly obsessed with their own superiority, and with proving that others, particularly blacks, were inferior and oversexed.
Baartman’s physical characteristics, not unusual for Khoisan women, although her features were larger than normal, were "evidence" of this prejudice, and she was treated like a freak exhibit in London.
Ms. Bartman lived until the age of 26. A cast was made of her body, her brains and genitals were removed from her body, pickled, and put on display for everyone to see. They stayed in this state for 160 years, until 1974. Nelson Mandela demanded her body be returned to her homland in 1994. In 2002, Ms. Sarah Bartman was finally given a proper burial.
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| Baartman objectified: an early nineteenth century French print titled, 'La Belle Hottentot' |
Knowing this history, I wonder what was Kim Kardashian thinking? Not to mention, what was her husband and family thinking? Was this really necessary?
What do you think?
For those of you who don't know the story of Ms. Bartman, visit the Sarah Bartman Story
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