Josephine Baker was one of the most popular and highest paid entertainers during the Jazz Age in Europe and acted as an operative during the French Resistance in World War II. She displayed prominent sensuality throughout her performances and was a very vocal activist against discrimination and racism. Through her highly sexualized yet comedic roles in chorus lines and skits, Baker was able to captivate the Eastern hemisphere and instigate global tolerance. Born on June 3, 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker grew up poverty-stricken with her mother, Carrie McDonald, and three half-siblings. By the age of eight, she “cleaned houses and babysat for wealthy white families” (Biography.com Editors) to help support the household. By the …show more content…
After this infamous performance, Josephine Baker became a household phenomenon. To continue thriving as an entertainer, she later headlined in La Folie du Jour at the Follies-Bergère Theater where she was adorned in a costume that included bananas strung into a skirt, solidifying her position as one of the most famous entertainers in Europe. By this time, fans had given her many nicknames including “Black Venus” (Biography.com Editors). Her residency in Europe continued for the next ten years as she starred in many other movies and musicals. In 1936, however, she decided to return to the United States to star in the Ziegfield Follies. This pursuit proved calamitous because the American public spread vitriol throughout the media because they strongly disapproved of the idea that a black woman could be so sophisticated and strong. This failure not only encouraged Josephine to return to Europe but influenced her to become more vocal against