When 16th- and 17th-century explorers returned to Europe from their voyages in Africa, they constructed and disseminated degrading stereotypes of African women based on observations they had made abroad. Basing their perceptions of women on European women's bodies, these explorers noted and commented on how African women's bodies differed in many aspects: these disparities then became justifications for the differential treatment between these two groups of women. Because these African American women did not conform to the basic norms of femininity that the explorers were accustomed to, they were quick to classify them as strange, animalistic, and hypersexual; their bodily shapes, clothing, and skin color called attention to their otherness in the corporeal and social realm. Skin Deep, Spirit Strong offers a collection of essays that document the observations made, the generalizations that were produced, and the treatment that resulted from these interactions. The negative generalizations that these early European explorers made about African American women have had and continue to have a significant effect on how Black women are viewed physically and sexually not only in the private but also the public sphere. Before these encounters, Black women and Black femininity were always hidden behind a veil. This veil is a metaphor that connotes the invisibility of African American women. As Barbara Smith criticizes, “in an era when women's studies was about white women, black studies was about black men.” (quoted in Wallace-Sanders et.al, 1) There was no room for discussion about black women; they were pushed into the cracks of darkness. At a time when the female nude was a trendy and...... middle of paper ...... and attractive pastime. It creates a double consciousness that is difficult to reconcile. Carla Williams argues that “given the legacy of images created by black women… it is a particularly complex task for contemporary black women to define their own image, an image that necessarily incorporates and subverts stereotypes, myths, facts and fantasies that preceded them. . (Wallace-Sanders et.al, 196) The root of the problem lies in our society. Although very guilty, mainstream music and advertising are not the only promoters of female objectification; the key is to ease the internal tensions between these two groups. It is necessary to promote female solidarity, regardless of skin color. We must free society from the evil of racism: only then will the conceptions surrounding African Americans be as parallel and positive as those surrounding white women..