They Stole It Part 2: The Commodification of Black Bodies

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They Stole It Part 2

Her Body Was Mocked. Now It's a Billion-Dollar Industry.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Identify Sarah Baartman and explain how her body was exhibited and studied as a spectacle of 19th-century scientific racism
  • Describe how the buttocks shape associated with Baartman's exhibition is reflected in today's multi-billion-dollar cosmetic surgery industry, including the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)
  • Explain the historical link between dark skin and racial violence in the United States, from slavery through Jim Crow-era lynching
  • Identify Melanotan II, explain why it is illegal in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, and describe its associated health risks
  • Analyze the contradiction between the historical devaluation of Black bodies and skin and their present-day commercial and cultural value
  • Describe the role of naturalist Georges Cuvier in using Baartman's body after death to support pseudo-scientific theories of racial hierarchy, and explain why this constitutes scientific racism

Key Vocabulary

  • Sarah Baartman — A Khoikhoi woman from South Africa, born around 1789, who was taken to London in 1810 and exhibited publicly for paying audiences under the name "Hottentot Venus." She died in Paris in 1815 at age 26. [1][2][3]
  • Khoikhoi — An indigenous pastoralist people of southern Africa. Sarah Baartman was a member of the Khoikhoi (also spelled Khoekhoe), historically referred to by the now-offensive colonial term "Hottentot." [3]
  • Steatopygia — A body characteristic involving pronounced fat accumulation in the buttocks and thighs, occurring naturally among some Khoisan peoples of southern Africa. This trait was the central focus of Baartman's exploitation and exhibition. [3][4]
  • Hottentot Venus — The stage name given to Baartman during her exhibitions in London and Paris. "Hottentot" was a colonial-era term for Khoikhoi people, now considered a slur; "Venus" referenced the Roman goddess of beauty. [3]
  • Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) — A cosmetic surgery procedure, more accurately called gluteal fat grafting, in which fat is removed from one area of the body and injected into the buttocks to increase volume and shape. It is one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures in the world. [5][6]
  • Colorism — Prejudice or discrimination based specifically on skin tone, often favoring lighter skin, including within communities of color. Colorism in the United States developed alongside chattel slavery and persisted through Jim Crow segregation. [9][10]
  • Melanin — The natural pigment responsible for skin, hair, and eye color in humans. Melanin production is the basis of the cosmetic skin-darkening trend discussed in this lesson. [7][8]
  • Melanotan II — A synthetic, unapproved peptide drug that stimulates melanin production to darken skin. It is illegal to sell in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, and has been linked in published medical case reports to melanoma. [7][8]
  • Scientific Racism — The use of pseudo-scientific theories and methods to justify and reinforce racial hierarchies, typically by treating Black or other non-white bodies as objects of study rather than as people. Sarah Baartman's dissection and the preservation of her remains by Georges Cuvier are a documented example. [1][3][4]
  • Jim Crow — The system of state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the United States, primarily across the South, from the post-Reconstruction era into the 1960s. The era overlapped with widespread racial terror lynching documented in this lesson. [9][10][11]

The Full Lesson

Part 1 — The Body On Display

Sarah Baartman was born around 1789 among the Khoikhoi people of what is now the Eastern Cape, South Africa. In 1810, at about 21 years old, she was taken to London, where she was exhibited publicly for paying audiences who came to stare at her body — specifically her steatopygia, a buttocks-and-thigh body type that was viewed by Europeans as an exotic curiosity. She was exhibited under the name "Hottentot Venus." British abolitionists attempted to free her through legal action, but the case failed after a contract bearing her signature was produced in court. In 1814 she was taken to Paris and sold to an animal exhibitor, who displayed her publicly and allowed patrons to pay for direct physical contact and abuse. [1][2][3][4]

Part 2 — Even Death Brought No Dignity

Sarah Baartman died in Paris on December 29, 1815, at the age of 26. The cause of her death is undetermined, though historians point to possible smallpox, pneumonia, or syphilis combined with the toll of years of exploitation and poverty. Even in death, she was not allowed dignity. The naturalist Georges Cuvier dissected her body, made a plaster cast of it, and preserved her brain and genitals in jars to support his racist theories ranking human beings by perceived evolutionary hierarchy — a documented example of scientific racism. Her remains were held and displayed at Paris's Musée de l'Homme for well over a century — historical sources place the date her remains were finally removed from public display between 1974 and 1985 — and she was not laid to rest in South Africa until 2002, after years of formal negotiation initiated under President Nelson Mandela. [1][2][3][4]

"Those same curves are now a billion-dollar surgery industry."

Part 3 — The Industry Built On Her Body

Nearly two centuries after Sarah Baartman's body was mocked, dissected, and displayed as a freak-show spectacle, the same body shape she was punished and exploited for has become one of the most sought-after aesthetics in the world. The Brazilian Butt Lift, or BBL, is among the fastest-growing cosmetic surgery procedures globally. Market research firms place the global buttock augmentation industry at well over a billion dollars in current annual value, with multiple independent market analyses projecting growth into the multiple billions over the next decade. The broader global cosmetic surgery market, of which buttock augmentation is one growing segment, was valued at over $35 billion in 2024 alone. [5][6]

The same physical trait that Europeans once viewed as grotesque enough to put a Black woman in a literal cage — and to dissect and bottle her remains after death — is now surgically constructed and celebrated when reproduced on other bodies. The industry rarely traces its own aesthetic lineage back to Baartman, even as the body type she was forced to exhibit becomes a global commercial product. [4][5][6]

Part 4 — Skin As A Death Sentence

For roughly four centuries — from the start of the transatlantic slave trade through the long era of Jim Crow segregation and racial terror lynching — dark skin functioned as a marker that could determine whether a Black person in this country lived in bondage, faced legal discrimination, or was targeted with deadly violence. The Equal Justice Initiative has documented more than 4,400 racial terror lynchings of Black people in the United States between 1877 and 1950 alone, a period historians describe as a sustained campaign of violence used to enforce racial subordination. [9][10][11]

"Black skin was a death sentence in this country for 400 years."

Part 5 — Chasing the Color They Punished

Today, the same dark skin tone that was once violently policed is chased after by an industry willing to risk serious harm to imitate it. The indoor tanning industry generates close to $5 billion a year in the United States alone, supporting nearly 19,000 tanning salons nationwide — more locations than McDonald's operates in the country. [12]

Some people go further, injecting or inhaling a synthetic, unapproved drug called Melanotan II to artificially darken their skin. Melanotan II is illegal to sell for human use in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Regulatory agencies in all three countries have issued explicit warnings against it, and published medical case reports document melanoma — including fatal skin cancer — developing in users shortly after use. [7][8]

"Melanin is worth more per gram than gold. The people who produce it for free were told they were worth nothing."

Synthetic melanin sold commercially for laboratory and industrial use has, at various points, been priced well above the per-gram market price of gold — a striking, frequently cited comparison in popular discussion of this topic, distinct from and not to be confused with the unfounded claim that melanin is being literally harvested from Black people, which fact-checkers and the claim's own popularizers have identified as a hoax. The commercial pricing comparison itself, however, is well documented. [13][14]

Part 6 — This Is the Pattern

This is not coincidence. This is not a series of unrelated cultural moments. A body type Sarah Baartman was caged, dissected, and mocked for is now a billion-dollar surgical product. A skin tone that determined whether a Black person in this country lived in bondage or faced deadly violence for roughly four centuries is now chased after by a multi-billion-dollar tanning industry, with some people risking a documented cancer link to imitate it. What the body and the skin share is a single pattern: punished, devalued, and policed when it belonged to Black people — then commercialized and pursued once it could be detached, sold, or imitated by others. [1][5][9][12]

Critical Thinking Discussion Questions

  1. Sarah Baartman's body was put on public display, dissected after her death, and her remains kept in a museum for well over a century. [1][2][3] What does the treatment of her remains, even after death, reveal about how her humanity was regarded?
  2. The same body shape Baartman was exhibited and mocked for is now the basis of a billion-dollar cosmetic surgery industry. [5][6] Why do you think a trait can be treated as grotesque on one body and desirable on another?
  3. Black skin functioned as a marker of danger and subordination in the United States for centuries, documented through slavery and thousands of racial terror lynchings. [9][10][11] What does it mean that people now risk cancer-linked drugs to acquire that same skin tone?
  4. Melanotan II is illegal in multiple countries and has been linked to melanoma in published medical case reports. [7][8] Why do you think people continue to use it despite these documented risks?
  5. This lesson traces a pattern: a trait punished or mocked on Black bodies becomes commercially or culturally valuable once detached from those bodies. Can you think of other examples of this pattern, in history or today?

Quiz — They Stole It Part 2

Part A: Circle the best answer. Part B: Write in complete sentences.

Part A — Multiple Choice

  1. Where was Sarah Baartman from, and what people did she belong to?
    A) Nigeria, Yoruba people
    B) South Africa, Khoikhoi people
    C) Senegal, Wolof people
    D) Ghana, Akan people
  2. At what age did Sarah Baartman die, and in what city?
    A) 26, in Paris
    B) 35, in London
    C) 19, in Cape Town
    D) 40, in Amsterdam
  3. What stage name was Sarah Baartman exhibited under in Europe?
    A) The African Queen
    B) The Hottentot Venus
    C) The Cape Wonder
    D) The Khoikhoi Marvel
  4. What modern cosmetic surgery procedure is connected to the body type Baartman was exhibited for?
    A) Rhinoplasty
    B) Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)
    C) Breast reduction
    D) Eyelid surgery
  5. In which countries is Melanotan II illegal to sell for human use, according to this lesson?
    A) Only the United States
    B) The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia
    C) Only European Union countries
    D) It is legal everywhere
  6. What serious health risk has been linked to Melanotan II use in published medical case reports?
    A) Common cold
    B) Melanoma (skin cancer)
    C) Seasonal allergies
    D) No risks have been documented
  7. According to the lesson, roughly how long did dark skin function as a marker tied to danger and subordination for Black people in the United States?
    A) About 10 years
    B) About 50 years
    C) About 400 years
    D) About 1,000 years

Part B — Short Answer

  1. Explain in your own words why Sarah Baartman's exhibition is considered an example of scientific racism. Use at least two specific details from the lesson.
  2. The lesson states that the body type Baartman was exploited for is now the basis of a billion-dollar surgery industry. Using details from the lesson, explain why this contrast matters.
  3. Using at least two specific details from the lesson — one about the historical treatment of dark skin and one about Melanotan II — explain why some people today are willing to risk their health to darken their skin.

Extension Activity

The Body Is Still Political: Research one modern example of a trait, feature, or style associated with Black culture or Black bodies that has been adopted, sold, or celebrated outside of the Black community — without crediting its origin. Write 1 to 2 paragraphs describing what you found, how it connects to the pattern described in this lesson, and who profits from it today. Then write one sentence explaining what you think "giving credit" should actually look like.

Sources & Footnotes

  1. [1] "Sarah Baartman." Encyclopædia Britannica. britannica.com/biography/Sarah-Baartman.
  2. [2] "Sarah Baartman." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Overview of her capture, exhibition, death, and the disposition of her remains.
  3. [3] Howard, Mikelle. "Saartjie Sara Baartman (1789–1815)." BlackPast.org, reviewed April 2025.
  4. [4] "The Sad Story of Saartjie Baartman." Our Ancestories. Account of her exhibition, death, and the retention of her remains at the Musée de l'Homme, Paris.
  5. [5] "Buttock Augmentation Market Size Worth $6.6 Billion By 2028." Grand View Research, Inc., May 2021.
  6. [6] "Cosmetic Surgery Market Size worth US$ 73.09 billion by 2033." DataM Intelligence, August 2025. Cites the global cosmetic surgery market at US$35.86 billion in 2024.
  7. [7] "Is Melanotan 2 (MT2) Legal in the US? FDA Status & 2026 Rules." MyPeptideMatch.com. Overview of FDA, MHRA (UK), and TGA (Australia) regulatory status.
  8. [8] "Melanotan II and Melanoma Risk." RethinkPeptides. Summary of published case reports (Hjuler et al. 2014; Ong and Bowling 2012) documenting melanoma in Melanotan II users.
  9. [9] "Jim Crow Laws: Definition, Examples & Timeline." HISTORY.com.
  10. [10] "Documenting Reconstruction Violence." Equal Justice Initiative.
  11. [11] "Lynching in America Report." Equal Justice Initiative. Documents more than 4,400 racial terror lynchings of Black people in the United States, 1877–1950.
  12. [12] Huber, Bridget, via PBS NewsHour. "Indoor Tanning Industry Promotes Sun Beds' Health Benefits Over Risks." Cites indoor tanning as a nearly $5 billion per year U.S. industry across approximately 19,000 salons.
  13. [13] "How Much Is Melanin Worth Per Gram?" ThePricer. Commercial synthetic melanin pricing comparison to gold, platinum, and palladium.
  14. [14] Note on sourcing: widely circulated claims that melanin is being "harvested" from Black people have been identified as a hoax by the claim's own original popularizer. This lesson cites only the documented commercial pricing of synthetic melanin, not the harvesting claim.

Real history. Real evidence.

Hotep Creations | hotepcreations.com — Real history. Real evidence.