The Liberation of Aunt Jemima by Betye Saar | Style Imitating Art

Are you ready for another round of Style Imitating Art where we share an art lesson with some fashion inspiration? Let’s get straight to it.

Style Imitating Art

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, and Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw fashion inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as presenter, selects an inspiration image that will be shared by all three of us on our blogs. The following Monday, each host will share her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the presenter by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the presenter will share all of the submissions on her blog.

You don’t have to be a blogger to join either! In fact, you don’t even have to join but you can still use the art to inspire an outfit just for the sake of trying something different. If you want to share your inspired outfit, we invite you do so on Instagram or any other social media platform that you prefer. Just be sure to tag Salazar, Shelbee, or Marsha or use #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the SIA challenge next week!

This Week’s Presenter

It was my turn to choose the art and I wanted something related to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. since we celebrate his birthday today in the Untied States. At first, I had settled on Jacob Lawrence’s Soldiers and Students but then I found Betye Saar’s The Liberation of Aunt Jemima and it spoke to me so much more. The 1972 mixed media assemblage was inspired by the assassination of MLK Jr. According to Wikipedia, the artist “wanted to promote support for political independence and break stereotypes used to describe Black women.” It is a powerful piece with an even more powerful message.

I also chose this work because I kind of love Aunt Jemima. When I was a young child, my grandmother’s favorite retort to any kid complaint referred to “our Aunt Jemima”. For example, if I complained that I was bored, my Grammy would respond with, “Your Aunt Jemima’s bored.” If I whined that I was tired, Grammy would reply, “Your Aunt Jemima’s tired.” And so on. I have no idea where that phrase came from but I do know that for years I actually thought I had an Aunt Jemima! 

The Artwork

The Liberation of Aunt Jemima by Betye Saar

Some Helpful Links

• Wikipedia: Betye Saar
• Smarthistory: Betye Saar, Liberation of Aunt Jemima
• ArtNet: How Betye Saar Transformed Aunt Jemima into a Symbol of Black Power
• The Berkeley Revolution: The Liberation of Aunt Jemima
• Women & the American Story: Empowerment through Art

I think I have a general idea of what I am going to wear for this style challenge, but you will have to stop by on Monday, January 26, 2026, to see what I come up with. If you want to join us with your own outfit inspired by this artwork, go get creative in your closet, snap a photo of your outfit, and send it to me at shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com by 10:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, and I will feature your photo in my gallery post on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. We would love to see more creative folks join our artsy challenges so feel free to share the inspiration and an invitation with your friends. 

Happy styling!

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee