The fashion of servitude
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Something that I had never known prior to reading Visram's Ayahs Lascars and Princes was the “fashion” of slavery. Visram writes how “With ‘full-blooded’ Asians available, there was no longer any need to dress African servants in Oriental costumes.” This emphasized how some enslaved racialised peoples were considered in higher demand than others and viewed with more “respectability”. Visram also states how “Asian valets and footmen came to be quite in vogue for fashionable British families in the eighteenth century.” This highlights how Asian enslaved people were commodified and became a symbol of wealth and status in British society.
Visram then goes on to explain how “Many families going out to India advertised for Indian servants, preferring to be accompanied by Indian rather than European servants. After all, the expense of taking out English servants was quite high. Besides, European servants did not always prove very reliable.” This quote shows how Indian servants were also viewed as being more “loyal” and constant, when in reality it was probably because they lacked agency to leave when compared to their white counterparts. Visram's piece illustrates the complex dynamics of power and privilege within the institution of slavery and servitude, revealing how racialized hierarchies not only shaped the lives of those enslaved but also influenced British society and culture.