Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society Victorian Beauty Standards
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May 23, 2025 Joining the discussion is Rachel Rowe, an author and historian from the University of Edinburgh, specializing in Victorian beauty standards, particularly regarding black models. The conversation dives into why pale skin was idealized and how black bodies were perceived in a racially biased society. Rowe highlights the stories of figures like Sarah Bartman and Fanny Eaton, illustrating the exploitation and challenges faced by women of color. The episode also touches on Black Dandyism and the cultural appropriation in 19th-century beauty standards, offering a nuanced look at this complex legacy.
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Victorian Frail Beauty Ideal
- Victorians prized pale, consumptive-looking beauty, especially for women.
- This frailty symbolized delicate femininity and the 'angel in the house' ideal.
Victorian Racist Beauty Standards
- Victorian society held conflicting views of black bodies as both grotesque and hypersexualized.
- These stereotypes justified colonialism and slavery under a guise of racial difference.
Sarah Bartman's Exploitation Story
- Sarah Bartman was exhibited as a freak show curiosity due to her body shape.
- She was exploited in life and even posthumously, her remains displayed in Paris for over a century.
