The Transatlantic slave trade was not only physically enslaving but spiritually and mentally oppressing. Slave masters took control of the three social constructs that govern our society their race, class and gender expression and their identity.  Examples of the infringement on the slave's identity can be seen with the treatment of female slaves. In African society hair and fashion are very important as it was used to express one’s self and display status. In order to obliterate the female’s pride and self-esteem they were shaven bald and given very plain clothing to wear. When the slave’s hair began to grow back they had no way to take care of it and scalp conditions would often cause bald spots and thin hair. Slaves had to become creative in order to fulfill basic hygiene needs for example, slaves had to use grease from various meats and butter to moisturize their hair, kerosene to wash their hair, and sheep carding combs to detangle their hair. Many slaves had unhealthy hair due to this but some still had thick, luscious manes that evoked jealousy in white women and challenged their idea of beauty because of this slave women became required to to cover their hair. As an act of silent defiance black women would wrap their hair in beautiful, intricate designs which gave them a self-esteem boost. Just like their hair was controlled so was their body and all perceptions of it. The thick thighs, round butt and ample breasts of black women were new and aesthetically pleasing to white men (to the dismay of their wives). To take the responsibility away from white men they began to create the narrative that black women are temptresses and inherently promiscuous due to the shape of their body. This created shame about their body among black women especially after sexual assaults. Slave masters were aware of this a would strip black women naked publicly which increased their likelihood of being raped. African features made life harder for black women they would be raped, forced to work in the field or seen as unattractive because of how they looked due to this black women began to subscribe to the European ideology of beauty and began to associate whiteness in general with a better quality of life. This can be seen in the clash between field slaves and house slaves because those that worked in the house was usually deemed more attractive in the eyes of the European doctrine and were therefore usually lighter. This is what creates the divide and stratification of black people based on the shades of their skin.