Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos, nº 16 (2012) Se ille, Spain, ISSN 1133-309-X, 125-139
BLACK STATES OF DESIRE: JOSEPHINE BAKER,
IDENTITY AND THE SEXUAL BLACK BODY
MARÍA ISABEL ROMERO RUIZ
Uni e sidad de Málaga
mi @uma.es
Recei ed 29 h Sep embe 2012
Accep ed 28 h No embe 2012
KEY WORDS
iden i y, sexuali y, black body, commodi ica ion, agency.
PALABRAS CLAVE
iden idad, sexualidad, cue po de colo , comodi icación, agencialidad.
ABSTRACT
Josephine Bake ‘s pe o mance o he black emale body on he Pa is s age in he 1920’s
and 1930’s is one example o he commodi ica ion o black sexuali y. I had i s p eceden
in he nine een h cen u y in Saa jie Baa man, known as he “Venus Ho en o ”, who
became a symbol o de ian sexuali y.
Whi e men el lu ed by he “exo ic” and “ he o he ”, and Josephine Bake would
highligh he backside in he dance pe o mance o a ouse male desi e, p o iding he
audience wi h a spec acle o he p imi i e. As a esul , he emale body ha had been he
objec o sexual exploi a ion in he imes o sla e y ans o med i sel in he means o
en ap and sway he whi e colonise ’s e o ic impulse.
Thus, wha his a icle aims o p o e is he con ibu ion o Josephine Bake o a new
emale black iden i y using a pos colonial and pos -posi i is app oach o he
pe o mances on s age and he own li e. She ga e a new meaning o he black emale
body h ough agency and sexuali y, ans o ming black women in o speaking subjec s.
RESUMEN
La pues a en escena de Josephine Bake del cue po de colo emenino en los escena ios de
Pa ís en los años 20 y 30 es un ejemplo de la comodi icación de la sexualidad emenina.
Tiene su p eceden e en el siglo XIX en Saa jie Baa man, conocida como la “Venus
Ho en o ”, quien se con i ió en un símbolo de la sexualidad des iada.
Los homb es blancos se sen ían hipno izados po “lo exó ico” y “la o edad”, y Josephine
Bake ealzaba su ase o du an e su baile pa a p o oca el deseo masculino,
p opo cionando a su público un espec áculo de lo p imi i o. Como esul ado, el cue po
emenino que había sido obje o de explo ación sexual en la época de la escla i ud se
ans o maba en el medio pa a a apa y domina el impulso e ó ico del colonizado
blanco.
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De es e modo, lo que es e a ículo a a de p oba es la con ibución de Josephine Bake a
una nue a iden idad emenina de colo u ilizando un en oque pos colonial y
pos posi i is a en cuan o a sus ac uaciones en el escena io y en su p opia ida. Ella le dio
un nue o sen ido al cue po emenino de colo a a és de la agencialidad y la sexualidad,
ans o mando los cue pos de las muje es de colo en suje os con oz.
1. INTRODUCTION1
Josephine Bake ’s pe o mance o he black emale body on he Pa is s age in
he 1920’s and 1930’s is one example o he commodi ica ion o black sexuali y and
he ma ke ing and e ishiza ion o he black emale body, as P o esso Mae
Hende son has a gued in he schola ly wo k o ecen yea s.2 This p ocess had i s
p eceden in he nine een h cen u y Saa jie Baa man, known as he “Venus
Ho en o ”, who, due o he p odigious size o he back end, became he embodimen
o black acialised sexuali y and he objec o obse a ion and s udy on he pa o
he Wes e n scien i ic wo ld. She became a symbol o de ian sexuali y ha
a ac ed he male gaze. Whi e men el lu ed by he exo ic and he “O he .”
In he same ashion, Josephine Bake would highligh he backside as well as
o he pa s o he body in he dance pe o mances o a ouse he whi e man’s desi e
and o cap u e his sexual imagina ion. Howe e , she also used he con ol o e he
body o coun e balance he discou se o powe ha had made he black emale body
he objec o sexual exploi a ion and coloniza ion in he imes o sla e y; she used
he sexuali y o en ap he whi e man’s look and e o ic impulse.
The e o e, Josephine Bake ’s black body ans o med i sel in a cul u al
p oduc ion, ha is, a “ ex o cul u e”, in Susan Bo do’s wo ds, whe e speci ic
messages can be ead (165-184). He “sa age dance” and he “banana dance” o he
i s yea s o Pa is pe o mance ga e he phallic po ency and aes he ic powe ,
making a pa ody o he p imi i e h ough he animal mo emen s. She also ook
con ol o all he me chandising o he public image, and she used he powe as a
celeb i y o igh Ame ican seg ega ion.
Thus, wha his pape seeks o examine is he con ibu ion o Josephine Bake o
he cons uc ion o a new emale black iden i y using a pos colonial and pos -
posi i is app oach o he pe o mances on s age and in he own li e. She ga e a new
meaning o he black emale body h ough agency, sub e ing he subjec /objec
posi ion o he whi e male obse e and he black domina ed woman, and in e ing
he bina ies sel /o he , sla e/colonise , and p imi i e/ci ilised. As a consequence,
black women’s bodies became speaking subjec s.
1 The au ho wishes o acknowledge he unding p o ided by he Spanish Minis y o Science and
Resea ch o he w i ing o his pape (Resea ch P ojec FEM2010-18142).
2 The au ho wishes o acknowledge ha she is indeb ed o P o . Mae Hende son o inspi ing his pape
and illumina ing much o he esea ch insigh p o ided by i .
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2. JOSEPHINE BAKER: A NEW WOMAN, A NEW DIVA
Josephine Bake was bo n an a is and a woman o cha ac e in S . Louis in
1906 a a ime when acism was a i s heigh . He mo he was black, bu he a he
was p obably whi e, so he skin colou was no e y da k. This beginning ga e he a
hyb id physical and cul u al iden i y which p e ailed o he es o he li e. She
ma ied Billy Bake in Philadelphia in 1921, and made he appea ance on s age in
Shu le Along o hen ake pa in a amous show ha was enamed The Chocola e
Dandies, which was a success in New Yo k in 1924. By ha ime, Josephine was
li ing in Ha lem, bu in 1925 she was o e ed o a el o Pa is and s a in an all-
black musical e ue called La Re ue Nèg e. This was he s a o an uns oppable
Eu opean ca ee which ans o med he om a is o di a (McMillen & Robe son
69-70).
She became he ep esen a ion o Ame ican blackness and quin essen ial “o he ness”
and cons uc ed he sel as pos mode n and pos colonial (Glo e 2). He dance and
he banana ski exempli ied he mul iple signi ica ions and in e p e a ions o
Pos mode nism. Simila ly, he expe imen a ion on s age also p o ided he
pe o mances wi h a halo o pos mode ni y in a mode n e a, connec ed wi h gende
and ace. The ma e ializa ion o all his was he new li e in Pa is; he hea e
ans o med in o a es au an a e he pe o mance, and she “sa and dined wi h
whi e people o he i s ime in he li e” (McMillen & Robe son 71). She was
ado ed by men, and a sui o en ed he a la whe e she kep snakes, monkeys and
bi ds. Animals became a symbol o he eccen ic cha ac e , and she e en walked in
Pa is wi h he pe chee ah called “Chiqui a”, making s a emen s like “people ha e
done me he honou o compa ing me o an animal”, in clea e e ence o he
animalism on s age (c . Je e son 4).
A his ime, an I alian Coun , Pepi o Aba ino, was he manage and helped he o
lea n o sing and ha e good manne s. He became he Pygmalion, bu Josephine was
no only a new di a, bu also a New Woman.3 The New Woman was a cul u al
p oduc ion o he Wes e n wo ld which, in he case o F ance, acqui ed special
ele ance in he in e -wa pe iod; his woman ep esen ed a new eedom which also
mean a h ea o sexual di isions and “socie y as a whole” (S o all 2). In his sense,
Josephine Bake s ood as a symbol, no only o p imi i ism and blackness, bu also
3 The New Woman appea ed in Eu ope in he las decades o he nine een h cen u y and was also a
ele an igu e in he ea ly wen ie h cen u y. I was a concep applied o a new kind o woman who had a
se ies o ai s o cha ac e and beha iou which made he be ca ego ised as “mode n.” In he case o
England, he New Woman was a social igu e and a li e a y cha ac e ha began o ques ion he
ins i u ion o ma iage, he ole o women as mo he s, and also eligious alues and social no ms,
claiming he igh o women o be independen and ha e a p ope educa ion and access o he labou
ma ke . One example o a cha ac e like his can be Sue B idehead, he p o agonis o Thomas Ha dy’s
Jude he Obscu e. (Jo dan, 19)
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o his new o m o eminini y. Du ing he G ea Wa , women in many wes e n
coun ies, including F ance, had occupied many men’s jobs, p o oking issues o
gende disloca ion; all hese changes led women o li e away om hei pa en s and
do ce ain jobs, like cle ks, ypis s o shop assis an s, which hey had no done
be o e. These new women did no ma y and had a social and sexual independence
ha con o med mos o he cul u al anxie ies abou he des uc ion o adi ional
emale alues and he blu ing o gende oles. In he case o F ance, he eme gence
o he New Woman had also impo an consequences o women’s ashion as :
[…] designe Coco Chanel pionee ed he new look in women’s clo hing: sho
ski s, colla s, sho hai and a minimalis wais and bus . Imi a ing bo h masculine
ashion and Cubis mechanical aes he ics, his new ashion look became he sine
qua non o he mode n young Pa issiene. (S o all 3)
Thus, “la ga çonne”, “ he new bachelo gi l” was bo n, and Josephine Bake s ood
o his new kind o woman in he appea ance and beha iou , no only in li e bu
also on s age: she wo e he hai sho and “boyishly slimming d esses” (S o all 7);
she was no olup uous, bu exe cised he sensuali y h ough dance and he
mo emen s o he body, enchan ing he whi e man’s gaze. Simila ly, she enac ed he
New Woman in he ea ly ilms, Si en o he T opics (1927), Zou Zou (1934) and
P incess Tam Tam (1935). New Women ne e succeeded in lo e, and his is wha
happened o he cha ac e s in ilms ha pe o med and ep oduced he li e as an
a is ; he aim was o s ess he alen as an ac ess and a singe (Raynaud 2).
The same happened o he in eal li e: like he cha ac e s, she showed a s ong will
in he wo k and in he sea ch o happiness, bu she was no success ul in lo e. She
ma ied a ich Jewish indus ialis , Jean Lion, in 1937, bu a yea la e she di o ced
him because she could no lead a quie li e. Wi h he ou b eak o he Second Wo ld
Wa , he li e su e ed a sudden change: Jacques Ab ey and Josephine became lo e s
and she led away om F ance in 1941 because she was a aid o he Ge mans: she
spen some ime in Casablanca (Mo occo) and Spain, and helped he Jews du ing he
wa ; she e en sold he jewels o help he ic ims o he con lic . She ga e lo e a las
oppo uni y when she ma ied Jo Bouillon in 1947, bu his union was no success ul
ei he (McMillen & Robe son 74, 78-80).
Holding o he cul u al and social s e eo ype o he New Woman, she could no ha e
he own child en, bu she de ied his cons ic ing con en ion by adop ing child en
om di e en na ionali ies wi h he las husband. By doing his, she challenged he
colonial whi e sup emacy wi h i s pu i y o b eed, p omo ing global ole ance in he
humanis ic p ojec a he coun y house o Les Milandes. They adop ed wel e kids
o di e en e hnic backg ounds and eligions be ween 1953 and 1962, which
became Bake ’s amous “ ainbow ibe” (Ebu ne 2). Wi h his, she in ended o p o e
he possibili y o he coexis ence o di e en aces and cul u es. In he wo ds:
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Su ely he day will come when colou means no hing mo e han skin one, when
eligion is seen uniquely as a way o speak one’s soul; when bi hplaces ha e he
weigh o a h ow o he dice and all men a e bo n ee, when unde s anding b eeds
lo e and b o he hood. (c . Je e son 4)
She educa ed he child en in hei na i e languages and hey would be ein oduced
in hei na i e coun ies a wel e; he e o e, she wan ed o p ese e he acial and
cul u al di e ences in he ibe.
Josephine Bake ’s a i ude and ideas had been a h ea du ing he in e wa yea s,
when he concep o F ench iden i y was a s ake wi h he p esence in he me opolis
o he colonised mig an . Wi h he ci ilizing ailu e, F ance mo ed om
assimila ion o a new heo y o associa ion, which emphasised he di e ence
be ween he aces. The mo he land could no p oduce enough subjec s o p ese e
he F ench b eed and miscegena ion was ou o he ques ion, so F ench women who
s ill abided by he alues o pu i y and domes ici y had o be sen o he colonies o
domes ica e he F ench colonise s, and a oid he mixing o he aces (S o all 4-6).
Thus, apa om ge ing in ol ed in he igh agains he Nazis and he p o ec ion o
he Jews du ing he Second Wo ld Wa , she made he ba le agains seg ega ion in
he Uni ed S a es he pe sonal c usade, de ending ha all men and women a e bo n
equal. She denounced he Uni ed S a es o acism and became a F ench ci izen by
ma iage in 1937, being con e ed he Legion o Honou in 1961. Josephine Bake
su e ed disc imina ion he sel be o e going o Pa is and du ing he 1951 US ou
when she was e used se ice a he S o k Club; she ga e speeches in he Uni ed
S a es, Cuba, La in Ame ica and F ance (Ebu ne 2). She was also p esen a he
ma ch on Washing on in 1963 o p essu e he Cong ess o adop a bill sen by
P esiden John F. Kennedy o o e ede al p o ec ion and equal igh s o A ican
Ame icans in he Uni ed S a es. She died in deb , a e being o ced o sell Les
Milandes , and ha ing o pe o m in se e al ou s o keep he ibe, bu she was
cohe en wi h he p inciples un il he end, emaining he ue new woman and new
di a o Mode nism and pos colonial F ance (McMillen & Robe son 87-90).
3. STAGING THE OTHER, PERFORMING BLACK
Josephine Bake epi omised “The New Neg o” igu e o he Ha lem Renaissance
and he Pa isian cul u e o a an -ga de neg ophilia – he lo e o black cul u e--
(Habel 127). The colonial expe ience in oduced he F ench o “black cul u e”,
unde s ood as A ican olk a . (Sowinska 2) On one occasion, she said: “I is he
in elligence o he body ha I ha e exploi ed” (c . Je e son 2), bu she was he
legi ima e hei o he cul u al adi ion o he “Venus Ho en o ”, and o A ican
Ame ican music and dance. Simila ly, he body was he eposi o y o ances al
memo y and he si e o esis ance o coloniza ion and objec i ica ion, indica ing he
agency and subjec i i y o he black woman.

130 Ma ía Isabel Rome o Ruiz
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos, nº 16 (2012) Se ille, Spain, ISSN 1133-309-X,125-139
The mos impo an p eceden o he commodi ica ion o he black emale
body and he exhibi ion o he p imi i e can be ound in he Sou h A ican
Sa a/Saa je Baa man, a Khoisan woman known as he Venus Ho en o . In he , we
ind a combina ion o wo opes conce ning black emale sexuali y: he Black
Venus and he Sa age Ho en o . In nine een h-cen u y England and F ance,
Baa man ep esen ed and d ama ised he “social anxie ies and con lic ing emo ions
ha audiences held owa d he black emale body”, p o oking eelings o desi e and
disgus (Hobson 17). The Black Venus ca ied wi h he he lu e o exo ic black
sexuali y, and he Sa age Ho en o ca ied he meaning o bes iali y and
uncon olled sexual ins inc . In bo h cases, hey we e seen as a h ea o he whi e
dominan cul u e and as a dange ous a ac ion o he whi e colonial gaze.
Sa a Baa man was a cap i e sepa a ed om he amily and o ced o labou as
a se an o a Boe a me called Pe e Ceza . I seems ha Ceza ’s b o he ,
Hend ik, signed a con ac wi h he o display he body in Eu ope, so when she was
abou wen y she a elled o England, whe e she was i s exhibi ed in London in
Sep embe 1810. Wha called Hend ik Ceza ’s a en ion was he size o he bu ocks,
a condi ion known as “s ea opygia”, and she sha ed he p o agonism wi h o he
eaks ha ook pa in sideshows in Picadilly Ci cus. La e , he exhibi ion con inued
in he English coun yside, and she eappea ed in Pa is in 1814, whe e she caused
sensa ion (Hobson 35-36, 42). Howe e , in ei he Decembe 1815 o Janua y 1816,
Baa man died, and he body was kep a he Museum d’His oi e Na u elle (Hobson
46). A e he dea h she became he objec o scien i ic s udy, lea ing behind he
ole o “ci cus ‘ eak’ and e hnog aphic spec acle” (Hende son, Abou Face 132).
The ana omis Geo ge Cu ie dissec ed and examined he body o highligh he
acial and sexual di e ences be ween blacks and Eu opeans. No only he p ominen
ea end bu also he size o he geni alia, which showed an ex a lap o skin
co e ing he labia known as he Ho en o Ap on, which became o symbolise
de ian black sexuali y in he colonial imagina ion. The dissec ed pa s o he
co pse, including he geni alia, he skele on, and he b ain we e on display, oge he
wi h a plas e cas ill he end o he wen ie h cen u y, when he emains we e
epa ia ed as a na ional symbol o Sou h A ica in 2002.
Simila ly, Josephine Bake ’s dance can be conside ed a con inua ion o he
A ican Ame ican adi ion connec ed wi h sla e y and diaspo a. In his sense, black
dance is de ined as a cul u al hyb id (Kalaidjian 4), which combines he cul u al
oo s o A ica and Ame ica, he middle passage, and e en he Ca ibbean. This
adi ion includes plan a ion dances, such as he ing dance and juba, he cakewalk,
he Cha les on, he black bo om and he ji e bug (which a elled om Ha lem o
Pa is). These dances could be seen on he Pa is s ages (Hende son, Colonial 8).
Especially impo an was he in luence o jazz and he music hall.
Bake ’s p imi i e mode nism embodied o many he spi i o jazz. Acco ding o
T.J. Go don, “jazz had eached Pa is as ea ly as 1917, wi h he a i al o A ican
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Ame ican egimen s in F ance, whose bands, such as Ha lem’s Hell igh e s and
Se en y Black De ils, pe o med h oughou he coun y” (2-3). Jazz had been long
associa ed wi h he adi ion o he music hall, o which a is s and in ellec uals el
an a ac ion; music halls cons i u ed a popula al e na i e o he adi ional hea e
wi h hei lamboyan s aging and se ings, hei cos ly cos umes and hei inno a i e
shows, which e en included ac oba ics. Pa is’s mos amous music halls we e he
Folies-Be gè e, he Casino de Pa is and he Moulin Rouge. On hei s ages, Pa isians
could see he pe o mance o he O he and he unco e ed emale body (Hende son,
Josephine 118).
The whi e colonial imagina y el lu ed by he no ion o p imi i ism as a way o
escaping he a ionali y o he Wes and o asse ing he mode ni y and he social
and echnological ad ancemen o he Eu opean con inen , in sha p and clea
con as wi h he childish and unci ilised Eas . Acco dingly, he black dancing body
became synonymous wi h exo icism, p imi i ism, sa age y and o he ness, in ol ing
a no ion o he dange ous ha cap i a ed he male dominan look (Hende son,
Josephine 113). The e was a ascina ion wi h black bu s. Indigenous dance
pe o mances we e depic ed as exo ic, wild, uninhibi ed and indecen , and
unc ioned as indices o lesse de eloped cul u es. The am- ams o A ican g oup
dances, he so ce e s, and o he en e ainmen A ican adi ions p o oked he
colonise ’s desi e, and he a ac ion o he unknown and di e en (Hende son,
Josephine 113). Tha was he con ex in which Josephine Bake used he body and
he pe o mances o pu sue he agency, and o asse he subjec i i y and iden i y.
Acco ding o P o esso Mae Hende son, his cul u al exchange was a combina ion o
he colonise ’s need o look, ha is, oyeu ism, and he colonised’s desi e o be
looked a , ha is, exhibi ionism (Hende son, Josephine 108), bu i was his in e play
ha allowed Bake o sub e he whi e dominan colonial discou se. In he same
ashion, nudi y ep esen ed ba ba i y and clo hing ci iliza ion, bu she espec ed he
con en ions abou he body, and combined he no ions o p imi i e innocence wi h a
mode n u ban s yle (Mc Ca en 2, 4).
He sa age dance wi h Joe Alex a he Thea e des Champs-Elysées and he banana
dance a he Folies-Be gè e a e examples o all his: when she pe o med he sa age
dance a he end o The Re ue Nèg e in 1925, he s age was se as a nigh club in
Ha lem, and wi h he sounds o am- ams d umming, Josephine Bake appea ed
ado ned only in ings o ea he ; she hen s a ed an e o ic dance wi h a naked hun e
which inci ed he audience’s enzy. He banana dance, p obably he mos amous
ep esen a ion o A ican p imi i ism, ook place in 1927 in a clea ly colonial
se ing, a jungle whe e he hy hms o he am- ams could be hea d being played by
loin-clo hed na i es, and Josephine Bake appea ed wea ing jus a bel o bananas,
becoming he physical pe soni ica ion o colonial an asy (Go don 5). Bake ’s
pe o mance as he Ha lem dance mixed he Imagina y, he Symbolic and he Real
in a Lacanian sense, because o he complex laye ings o he pe o ma i e space,
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s aging he “Eu ocen ic demand o escapis exo icism” (Kalaidjian 4). Acco ding
o Alicja Sowinska, he banana ski could be seen as empowe ing on bo h sides o
he s age: “Male spec a o s could sa ely an asise abou being an A ican explo e
con on ed wi h a na i e woman”, and, simila ly, Josephine Bake , “ h ough he
gende and ace manipula ions, could eel a deg ee o con ol o e an audience” (4).
The banana ski was i s made o ubbe , hen i was ans o med in o some hing
gli e ing and poin ed, and la e in o “s a egically placed, menacin g spikes”,
in oking male o gasm (Sowinska 1). The ac ha she mo ed he body in he dance,
pa icula ly he ea end, o en associa ed wi h sa age emale black sexuali y,
allowed he o play wi h male desi e. She manipula ed all hese banana-phalluses
hanging om he ski a he own wish, gaining emale powe h ough his phallic
po ency usually a ibu ed o men. Simila ly, his ep esen a ion on s age o male
sexuali y on a emale black body ga e Bake aes he ic powe .
Bake knew how o use he dance in he i s s ages o he ca ee o p oduce a
new cul u al and social iden i y o black women, mee ing he demands o he
me opolis a he same ime. In ac , o many c i ics, dance is a means o
challenging essen ialis no ions o iden i y and o c ea ing new cons uc ions o he
sel (Hende son, Colonial 3). I is he e ha a pos -posi i is no ion o iden i y ha
ge s i s meaning om expe ience and emo ions can be applied o he .4 Acco dingly,
Bake ’s agency akes place wi hin a p ocess o sea ch and disco e y in which she is
able o disce n c ucial ea u es o he si ua ion and make he mos o hem. This
agency also leads he o an emo ional g ow h ha allows he o igh issues o
sexism and acism. She commanded he public gaze and could manipula e he
an asies a ached o black eminini y.
Bake lea n o sing and ac o ha e a igh e con ol o he pe o mances; he
cho eog aphies we e c ea ed o ein o ce Eu opean ideas o acial di e ence.
Cho eog aphy a he ime was a male-domina ed p o ession; in his ligh , he
imp o isa ions mus be seen. She eigned o o ge he s eps o p oduce he own
mo es, mimicking and imp o ising, hus pa icipa ing in a black e nacula
cho eog aphic adi ion, and complying wi h he con en ions o black musical
e ues. She p ac ised wha was known as “scene s ealing.”5 As a esul , she
4 Following Sa ya P. Mohan y, he na u alis - ealis accoun o expe ience can p oduce “ eliable and
genuine knowledge”, ha is, social and cul u al iden i ies a e heo e ically cons uc ed h ough pe sonal
expe ience and emo ions. Thus, emo ional g ow h is cen al o mo al g ow h and p o ides he indi idual
wi h agency. In he wo ds, “Iden i ies a e heo e ical cons uc ions ha enable us o ead he wo ld in
speci ic ways. I is in his sense ha hey a e aluable, and hei epis emic s a us should be aken e y
se iously. In hem, and h ough hem, we lea n o de ine and eshape ou alues and ou commi men s, we
gi e ex u e and o m o ou collec i e u u es” (43). I is in his ligh ha Josephine Bake ’s
pe o mances should be ead and alued.
5 Acco ding o K au , Josephine p e ended o ha e o go en he s eps ha she had o ollow o he dance
and c ea ed he own s eps and pe o mance, de ying male powe - cho eog aphies we e in he hands o
men – h ough he agency and he p ac ice o “scene s ealing.” (2-4)
Black S a es o Desi e… 133
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos, nº 16 (2012) Se ille, Spain, ISSN 1133-309-X,125-139
ques ioned he Wes e n belie ha blacks we e bo n na u al dance s, and d ew om
he adi ion o mins elsy and bu lesque, using pa ody as a way o in e oga e he
dominan and hegemonic sys ems o signi ica ion. She ecu ed o pa ody o
compensa e o he e o ic cha ac e o he dances based on he “ ac ics and
echniques o exagge a ion, ca ica u e, pan omime, mimic y, pas iche and pa ody”
(Hende son, Colonial 11). In his way, she ede ined he black body as he si e o
idicule, esis ance and empowe men in ela ion o whi e male sup emacy. He
animal dances like he walking on ou legs, he chicken-inspi ed head mo emen s
and so on, we e a way o ques ioning Wes e n ideas abou A ican sa age y, while
simul aneously ep oducing and sub e ing hese s e eo ypes (K au 5). Pa icula ly,
he c ossing o eyes no only e oked he absu d, bu d ew a en ion o he eyes and
di e ed he audience’s look om he bu ocks. She was looking wo ways a he
same ime, “ e using he gaze o he spec a o , d awing he gaze in and ye
dis up ing a en ion and ways o looking” (B ooks 14).
Bake ’s body became a “ ex o cul u e” in Susan Bo do’s wo ds6, as he cul u al
no ions o gende di e ences which shape p ope con en ions o appea ance,
depo men and physical ac i i y we e insc ibed on he body, bu a he same ime
she ques ioned hese con en ions imposed by he dominan whi e colonial discou se
on black women, and p oposed a new discou se in which no ions o beau y,
mo he hood and sexuali y we e e-insc ibed on he black emale body. Bake ’s body
became hen a p oduce o knowledge as she used i s in elligence o ep esen
scien i ic, philosophic and aes he ic ways o hinking, which we e in ac cul u al
no ions o he body ha de e mined models o beau y, heal h and so on (Bo do 165-
184). The mix u e o elegance, beau y, e o icism, p imi i ism and mode nism ha
can be ead in he body si ua ed Bake in he middle o “cul u e” and “na u e”,
be ween “Eu ope” and “A ica”, as an example o hyb idi y, blu ing he bounda ies
be ween whi e and black. This idea o miscegena ion was bes exempli ied in he
colou o he skin. She was a mula o woman; he ene gy and beau y we e cap u ed
by he 45 hand-colou ed li hog aphs en i led Le Tumul e Noi , and designed by Paul
Colin in 1927. Miscegena ion had also he conno a ions o o bidden pleasu e o he
F ench audience, allowing hem o an asise abou he sexual lu e o hei colonial
emale subjec s and o he p ohibi ed.
Cu en black eminis esea ch is conce ned wi h issues o whi e male
impe ialism ha de e mine no ions o beau y associa ed wi h he whi e emale body,
and condemn he black emale body o a s a e o ugliness and de iancy. Thei
6 Susan Bo do in oduces he concep o he body as a “ ex o cul u e” because di e en bodies a e
loca ed in di e en posi ions, a e ep esen ed in di e en ways depending on cul u al no ms and alues
and a e gi en di e en au ho i y o p oduce knowledge. One way in which he body becomes a p oduce
o cul u e is h ough gende , and bodies a e always changing in esponse o he di e en social demands;
o example, eminini y is ideology insc ibed on he body and he esul o wha a cul u e hinks as
eminine. (165-184)