Unusual Award N.13- Extreme Gluteal Proportions In African Woman [new] Jun 2026

Long before Unusual Award N.13, there was (also known as the "Hottentot Venus"). In the early 19th century, Baartman, a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa, was exhibited in London and Paris due to her steatopygic proportions. European audiences, who had never seen such gluteal dimensions, considered her a medical anomaly. She was subjected to dehumanizing examinations and, after her death in 1815, her body was displayed in a French museum until 1974 (with her remains finally returned to South Africa in 2002).

Awards ran from N.1 (e.g., "Longest Fingers") to N.20 (e.g., "Highest Pain Tolerance"). By the time the internet reached N.13, the focus shifted to a feature that has long fascinated anthropologists, artists, and tabloid editors alike: the steatopygic profile. Long before Unusual Award N

Baartman’s story is the tragic historical precedent for Award N.13. What the 2020s internet calls an "Unusual Award," the 19th century called a "freak show." The difference is that modern terminology masks a similar voyeuristic impulse. She was subjected to dehumanizing examinations and, after