(MQ-RM-002) Big p*enises and hypers*exuality in Africans: A colonial myth used to justify slavery.

 1. From Explorer's Records to the Legitimization of Slavery

This narrative was constructed by Europeans of that era to legitimize slavery. Its early sources can be traced in the records of European explorers, which were later reinforced by the discourse of scientific racism to support the idea of racial superiority.

Origins : Records of The Explorers

Philips, R. (Richard), Sir, 1810 (Negroes Just Landed from a Slave Ship)
(https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-704f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99)

One of the earliest influential records comes from François Bernier. In his essay Nouvelle division de la terre par les différentes espèces ou races qui l'habitent (1684), Bernier classified humans based on race, introducing the idea of physical differences that later became the foundation for scientific racism.

Bernier believed that humans have a dual nature—both as rational beings and as animals with emotions. This, in turn, created the possibility of varying levels of rationality. He even argued that some people might be more rational than others, as brain temperature and other bodily processes could affect intellectual capacity. From this idea emerged the justification for natural slavery, where those who excel in mental ability rule over those who possess only physical strength—just as the soul governs the body, and humans dominate animals.

Bernier categorized Black Africans as a distinct racial group primarily based on physical characteristics, but he did not explicitly argue that they lacked rationality or were inherently suited for servitude. However, his racial classification contributed to the broader intellectual framework that later facilitated the justification of natural slavery of Black Africans by other thinkers.

From Bernier's Classification to Scientific Racism

François Bernier

The racial classification proposed by François Bernier in the 17th century was one of the earliest attempts to categorize humans based on physical and geographical differences. While Bernier’s ideas didn’t directly influence later scientific classifications, they laid the groundwork for the racial groupings that became more formalized in the 18th century—most notably through Carl Linnaeus’ Systema Naturae (1735).

Linnaeus categorized humans into four main groups:

1. Homo Europaeus (European) – White-skinned, cheerful, energetic, and governed by laws.
2. Homo Asiaticus (Asian) – Yellow-skinned, shy, rigid, and governed by opinion.
3. Homo Americanus (Native American) – Red-skinned, easily angered, free-spirited, and governed by custom.
4. Homo Afer (African) – Black-skinned, lazy (indolent), cunning, impulsive, and governed by desire.

From this classification, it’s clear that Linnaeus painted Europeans in a more favorable light compared to other groups. Africans, for example, were described as emotional, impulsive, and lacking rational discipline. Instead of being governed by laws or customs, they were said to be ruled by their desires. This characterization played a key role in the early formation of colonial stereotypes that depicted Africans as being driven by instinct and primal urges.

Four races according to Linnaeus

Even though Linnaeus didn’t explicitly link Homo Afer to hypers*exuality, his description of Africans as “governed by desire” set the stage for later racial theories in the 18th and 19th centuries. As colonialism expanded, scientists like Richard Francis Burton and Edward Long further pushed the idea that Africans were inherently impulsive, including in their s*exual behavior. This became one of the justifications for slavery, with the argument that Africans were more “primitive” and lacked the self-control of Europeans.

In the end, Linnaeus’ racial classification wasn’t just about grouping humans biologically—it also fueled social stereotypes that persist to this day. The colonial-era portrayal of Africans as hypermasculine, hypers*exual, and driven by impulse has had a lasting impact, shaping perceptions that still exist in modern society.

2. Big P*enis Stereotype: How It Shapes Extreme Masculinity and Hypers*exuality in African Men

The Construction of the 'Wild' and 'Uncontrolled' Narrative

The idea that African men are s*exually "wild" was part of a rhetorical strategy meant to set apart "civilized" European order from what was seen as Africa’s primitive, disorganized nature. In this view, having a big p*enis wasn’t just a sign of manliness—it was also taken as a mark of untamed, uncontrolled s*exual urges (possibly influenced by Greek culture in Europe—check out our first article). In the colonial mindset, this stereotype was used to justify slavery. The argument went that Africans, who were believed to have extreme s*exual instincts because of their biology, needed to be “controlled” through slavery. 

Detail of a krater, dating to c. 560–550 BC,
showing a satyr (Greek Mythology) masturb*ating.

In other words, slavery was seen as a way to “tame” their wild nature and maintain social order—a moral and supposedly scientific justification that supported the whole system of slavery. Some scientists of that era, using methods now considered pseudoscience, even claimed that a large p*enis was an indicator of a supposed biological "superiority" that actually signaled an inability to control s*exual urges. They gathered data and created illustrations to back up the view that Africans had exaggerated s*exual characteristics, making slavery appear to be a necessary way to "fix" that problem.

 REFERENCE :

Bernier, F. (1684). Nouvelle division de la terre par les différentes espèces ou races qui l'habitent.

Hooks, Bell (1992). Black Looks: Race and Representation

Linnaeus, C. (1735). Systema Naturae

Mudimbe, V. Y. (1988). The Invention of Africa: Gnosis, Philosophy, and the Order of Knowledge. Bloomington: Indiana University Press

(Debunking racial stereotypes from a scientific perspective)

Disclaimer : This post is intended for s*xual education and does not promote p*rnographic content. We analyze the social phenomenon of stereotypes that have spread due to the influence of p*rnography