Most of the men would wait to arrive until the sun went down. The red-light district in New Orleans attracted countless types of people – some aggressive, some gentle, all required to pay for their time.
Lulu White was the madam of this popular brothel – and it was so popular because she did something no one else dared to.
“I’m from the West Indies,” she would say, when men asked. Or sometimes she’d say Cuba. The truth didn’t matter – White wasn’t selling honesty, she was selling fantasy! She knew exactly what these men wanted.
White men had cultivated a fetish for “Octoroon” women – women that appeared white, but had Black ancestry that made them seem “exotic.” White used these perverted stereotypes to build a livelihood for herself and the girls she employed.
Her brothel was so popular, the press even called her the “notorious negress.” Her hall was lavish and expensively decorated – and her connections and wealth made it easy to disregard Jim Crow laws. She was on top of the world!
Lulu White was able to “brand” herself and her brothel to exploit the desires of white men. She used her knowledge of the oppressor and found an innovative way to succeed. That wisdom and creativity – using the biases of white people for our own benefit – is a life lesson we should all remember.