Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Venus in the Dark: Blackness and Beauty in Popular Cultureby Janell Hobson
None Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. No reviews no reviews | add a review
In this second edition of the remarkable, and now classic, cultural history of black women¿s beauty, Venus in the Dark, Janell Hobson explores the enduring figure of the "Hottentot Venus" and the history of critical and artistic responses to her by black women in contemporary photography, film, literature, music, and dance. In 1810, Sara Baartman was taken from South Africa to Europe, where she was put on display at circuses, salons, museums, and universities as the "Hottentot Venus." The subsequent legacy of representations of black women¿s sexuality¿from Josephine Baker to Serena Williams to hip-hop and dancehall videos¿refer back to her iconic image. Via a new preface, Hobson argues for the continuing influence of Baartman¿s legacy, as her image still reverberates through the contemporary marketization of black women¿s bodies, from popular music and pornography to advertising. A brand new chapter explores how historical echoes from previous eras map onto highly visible bodies in the twenty-first century. It analyzes fetishistic spectacles of the black "booty," with particular emphasis on the role of Beyonc¿nowles in the popularization of the "bootylicious" body, and the counter-aesthetic the singer has gone on to advance for black women¿s bodies and beauty politics. By studying the imagery of the "Hottentot Venus," from the nineteenth century to now, readers are invited to confront the racial and sexual objectification and embodied resistance that make up a significant part of black women¿s experience. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)306.4Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Culture and Institutions Specific aspects of cultureLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |