The obsession and sexualization of women’s bodies in our society has been going on for decades. However, in recent years the focus changed from big breasts to big butts, known as The Big Booty Phenomenon.
What caused this change? Does it really make women more attractive? Is bigger really better?
Evolutionary psychologists explain that having a plump derriere may have evolved as a desired trait because they provide a visual estimate of a woman’s youth and fertility. Women generally have more voluptuous butts than men because of estrogen, which stores fat in the buttocks, hips, and thighs. Having sufficient fat stored in these areas signal the presence of estrogen that make for a healthy pregnancy and lactation.
Eric Russell, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Texas at Arlington, told The Huffington Post that, “Women with a greater degree of lumbar curvature ... were able to redistribute this center of mass to reduce the strain of pregnancy. Thus, we hypothesized that men should have a psychological adaptation to prefer these women as mating partners.” This means that having a greater curve in your spine enables women to go through multiple pregnancies without injury and is something men have been programmed to be attracted to throughout human history.
To put it simply, we are programmed to be attracted to health and the visual signs of healthy reproduction, but that does not mean the bigger the better. Too much or too little stored fat in any area may be a possible sign of a health concern.
With the rise of social media the fascination with women’s bodies, especially the booty, has gone to a whole new level, but that’s all it does. It provides a platform for fascination but not necessarily attraction. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Iggy Azalea, and Jennifer Lopez have helped give the big booty phenomenon an unnecessary spotlight.
When we are healthy and happy, we look and feel our best. There is no amount of butt injections or implants that can bring you to your most attractive, because it has to come from within you.
Try these tips to get to YOUR best.
· Embrace your body. When you embrace your curves, or lack of them, your confidence will radiate and people will begin to see you as beautiful as you see yourself.
· Straighten up! Strengthening your posture will strengthen your spine as well as create a more curved backside and silhouette.
· Get and stay healthy. When our body is operating like it’s supposed to and we are eating the necessary natural foods and exercising, our bodies mold to our own perfect proportions. As the saying goes, “treat your body well on the inside, and it will repay you on the outside.”
When I began researching this phenomenon I was seeking to answer the question, are big butts really more attractive? And the conclusion I came to is no. Having a healthy body is the only consistent thing humans have been attracted to throughout history. Every body is different and we aren’t supposed to all be the same shape and size, because we are attracted to different shapes and sizes. Treat yourself and your body well, and everything else will go into place.
About the author:
Danielle James is a recent psychology graduate from the University of Central Florida. She has a passion for helping individuals identify and work through emotional and mental health concerns to provide a higher quality of life. Her goals include achieving her Psy.D in Clinical Psychology that allows for a deeper understanding of future clients and a more interactive perspective.
Resources-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_history_of_the_buttocks
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/05/why-men-like-butts-science_n_6800172.html