The fetishization of Black and Latinx women’s bodies spans centuries, from the “Hottentot Venus” — Saartjie Baartman, a Black woman exploited for her derriere as part of a traveling freak show in the 1800s — to Instagram's obsession with “the peach.” This form of objectification is dangerous not only psychologically, but also physically. To conform to the coveted slim thick aesthetic, women have been turning to back alley butt lifts, sometimes risking their lives in doing so. Most recently, a mother and daughter in Los Angeles have been charged with murder following the death of a woman who underwent one such procedure, NBC4 reported.
Last September, 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul posted a video of herself during a butt enhancement — performed in a private residence in Encino — the L.A. police department told NBC4. Rajpaul, who had relocated from South Africa to pursue an adult film career, received three procedures and died right after the third. The procedures were allegedly performed by Libby Adame and her daughter, Alicia Gomez, neither of whom are trained medical professionals, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton explained to ABC7. Both women have been arrested in and charged with murder in connection with Rajpaul’s death, and LAPD detective Bob Dinlocker told NBC4 he believes they have injected many more victims with the liquified silicone used on Rajpaul.
