"We don't love them hoes." Or at least that's what Snoop's been saying since the mid '90s. So why are women parading themselves around like they're hoes?

That's what Dr. Karen Curls was trying to get to the bottom of with this month's "From Josephine Baker to Video Vixen: The Hypersexualization of Women in the Media."

The presentation, which was held in the new Education Center, discussed not only the increase of sexuality in the media, but also the decrease in the respect women have for themselves.

"We have to look at slavery and the slave experience when you look at African American females. They were subjected to both sexual oppression and exploitation," said Curls. "And we're going to begin to see how that, over the years, continues. Black female sexuality is far more complicated than other groups."

It all started with a woman uncommonly known as the Hottentot Venus. Baptized as Saartjie (pronounced Sah-jar-key) Baartman, she was a Khoikhoi (kuh-oy-kuh-oy) African slave from an unknown tribe.

Baartman, whose first name translated into Sarah, was the most marketed slave to date; invited by Europeans, and promised a fortune to display herself for the European public.

She had unusual "animalistic" features: a bodacious, oddly shaped, out of this world posterior, and enlarged, elongated genitalia.

From there it is believed that the demise of African American women began.

"It is believed that, because these women came from African American descent, they were very wild, sexually promiscuous, amoral... and what happens is these descriptors still remain today," Curls said.

Curls then went into further detail about the African American women throughout history who have helped to contribute to the hypersexualization of women, by defining the original definitions of terms such as "diva" and "jezebel".

Josephine Baker, the notorious show girl from St. Louis, MO, was considered the original Jezebel. "Jezebel is described as a young, exotic, promiscuous, over-sexed woman who uses [her] sexuality to get attention, love, and material goods," said Curls.

Lena Horne was the queen mother of all divas. Known most famously for her song "Stormy Weather," Horne defined "diva." A diva was a prima donna, derived from the Latin word "Goddess."

Dorothy Dandridge was the beginning of sexuality being placed coyly in the media. Both created and destroyed by the media, Dandridge always played the seductress and was the first African American woman to be nominated for an Oscar for best actress.

The more we go into history, the more "sexed up" we get.

Eartha Kitt played the sexy cat woman who seductively growled and snarled her way to the top. Pam Grier was the first lady of black exploitation films.

Curls pointed out the severity by "putting on blast" the "cream of the sexual crop," when speaking of celebrities like Halle Berry, Karrine "Superhead" Steffans, and Ms. Deelishis.

Curls believes that it is "a combination of sexual behavior, cultural beliefs, and practices that black women have encountered as slaves in America" that causes them to be seen as so sexual.

The presentation closed oddly, with a video clip of Deelishis from Flavor of Love 2. The video clip was from the music video for her song "Rumpshaker," which left all attendants in awe.

"So where do we go from here? That is to be determined by us women. We know where we've been, and where we've come from. The rest is up to us," was Curls' closing remark.

Copyright 2008 Metropolitan Community College