Sexualization
Sexualization (or sexualisation) is to make something sexual in character or quality or to become aware of sexuality, especially in relation to men and women. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification. According to the American Psychologi ...
of the
buttocks
The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...
, especially of the female sex, has occurred throughout history.
Evolutionary significance
Sexologist
Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey (; June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956) was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Instit ...
has suggested that the buttocks are the primary sexual presentation site in
primates
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
. Some anthropologists and sociobiologists believe that
breast fetishism
As a paraphilia, breast fetishism (also known as mastofact, breast partialism, or mazophilia) is a highly atypical sexual interest consisting of an exclusive focus on female breasts, which is a type of partialism. The term ''breast fetishism'' i ...
derives from the breasts' similarity to buttocks, but instead provide sexual attraction when the body is seen from the front.
In humans, females generally have more round and voluptuous buttocks, caused by
estrogen
Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...
that encourages the body to store fat in the buttocks, hips, and thighs.
Testosterone
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondar ...
discourages fat storage in these areas. The buttocks in human females thus contain more
adipose tissue
Adipose tissue, body fat, or simply fat is a loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. In addition to adipocytes, adipose tissue contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, vascular e ...
than in males, especially after
puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy. ...
.
Evolutionary psychologist
Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify human psychological adaptations with regards to the ancestral problems they evolv ...
s suggest that rounded buttocks may have evolved as a desirable trait because they provide a visual indication of the woman's youth and fertility. They signal the presence of estrogen and the presence of sufficient fat stores for
pregnancy
Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins.
Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...
and
lactation
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...
. Additionally, the buttocks give an indication of the shape and size of the
pelvis
The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton).
The ...
, which impacts reproductive capability. Since development and pronunciation of the buttocks begins at
menarche
Menarche ( ; ) is the first menstrual cycle, or first menstrual bleeding, in female humans. From both social and medical perspectives, it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility.
Gir ...
and declines with age, full buttocks are also a symbol of youth.
[
Biological anthropologist Helen B. Fisher said that "perhaps, the fleshy, rounded buttocks attracted males during rear-entry intercourse". In a 2017 study, using 3D models and eye-tracking technology Fisher's claim was tested and was shown that the slight thrusting out of a woman's back influence how attractive others perceive her to be and captures the gaze of both men and women. Bobbi S. Low et al. said that the female buttocks "evolved in the context of females competing for the attention and parental commitment of powerful resource-controlling males" as an "honest display of fat reserves" that could not be confused with another type of tissue, although T. M. Caro rejected that as being a necessary conclusion, stating that female fatty deposits on the hips improve individual fitness of the female, regardless of ]sexual selection
Sexual selection is a mode of natural selection in which members of one biological sex mate choice, choose mates of the other sex to mating, mate with (intersexual selection), and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of t ...
.
History
The female buttocks have been a symbol of fertility and beauty since early human history. Statues created as early as 24,000 BC, such as the Venus of Willendorf
The Venus of Willendorf is an Venus figurine estimated to have been made around 25,000-30,000 years ago. It was found on August 7, 1908, by a workman named Johann Veran or Josef Veram during excavations conducted by archaeologists Josef Szomba ...
, have exaggerated buttocks, hips, and thighs.[
The erotic beauty of the female buttocks was important to the ]ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cultu ...
, thought to have built such statues as Venus Kallipygos
The ''Venus Callipyge'', also known as the ''Aphrodite Kallipygos'' ( el, Ἀφροδίτη Καλλίπυγος) or the ''Callipygian Venus'', all literally meaning "Venus (or Aphrodite) of the beautiful buttocks", is an Ancient Roman marble stat ...
(although only a possible Roman copy survives), that emphasize the buttocks. Bare buttocks were also considered erotic in Ming China
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
, where they were often compared to the bright full moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...
. Many artists pose models to emphasize the buttocks.
The buttocks have been considered an erogenous zone
An erogenous zone (from Greek , ''érōs'' "love"; and English ''-genous'' "producing", from Greek , ''-genḗs'' "born") is an area of the human body that has heightened sensitivity, the stimulation of which may generate a sexual response, su ...
in Western thought for centuries; the eroticization of the female buttocks was due to their association and closeness to the female reproductive organs. The buttocks are often taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
due to their proximity to the anus and association with the excretory system
The excretory system is a passive biological system that removes excess, unnecessary materials from the body fluids of an organism, so as to help maintain internal chemical homeostasis and prevent damage to the body. The dual function of excreto ...
. The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...
theorized that psychosexual development
In Freudian psychology, psychosexual development is a central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory. Freud believed that personality developed through a series of childhood stages in which pleasure seeking energies from the child be ...
occurred in three stagesoral, anal, and genitaland that fixation in the anal stage caused anal retentive
An anal retentive person is a person who pays such attention to detail that it becomes an obsession and may be an annoyance to others. The term derives from Freudian psychoanalysis.
Origins
In Freudian psychology, the anal stage is said to follow ...
ness and a lasting focus on eroticization of the anus.
Spanking
Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or im ...
was prominent in pornography
Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults, in Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
with erotica such as ''Lady Bumtickler's Revels
''Lady Bumtickler's Revels'' is a pornographic book written as a spoof libretto for a comic opera on the theme of flagellation. It was written and published by John Camden Hotten in 1872 in his series ''The Library Illustrative of Social Progress'' ...
'' and ''Exhibition of Female Flagellants
''Exhibition of Female Flagellants'' is an 1830 pornographic novel published by George Cannon in London and attributed, probably falsely, to Theresa Berkley. The principal activity described is flagellation, mainly of women by women, described ...
'' being consumed.
In ''Studies in the Psychology of Sex'', published in 1927 and written by British physician and sexual psychologist Havelock Ellis
Henry Havelock Ellis (2 February 1859 – 8 July 1939) was an English physician, eugenicist, writer, progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He co-wrote the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality in ...
, he describes cultural sexual characteristics of the buttocks.[ He says:
He adds that
Ellis also claims that ]corset
A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effe ...
s and bustle
A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...
s are meant to emphasize the buttocks.
Emphasis on the female buttocks as a sexual characteristic has increased in recent times according to Ray B. Browne
Ray Broadus Browne (; January 15, 1922 – October 22, 2009), was an American educator, author, and founder of the academic study of popular culture in the United States. He was Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Bowling Green State University ( ...
, who attributes the change to the popularization of denim jeans
Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
:
Males
While female buttocks are often eroticized in heterosexual erotica, men's buttocks are considered erogenous by many women, and are also eroticized in male homosexuality
Human male sexuality encompasses a wide variety of feelings and behaviors. Men's feelings of attraction may be caused by various physical and social traits of their potential partner. Men's sexual behavior can be affected by many factors, incl ...
which often centers on anal intercourse
Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. Ot ...
.
In popular culture
Numerous songs have also been written about the desirability of the buttocks:
* " Shake Your Moneymaker" (1961)
* " Tush" (1975)
* "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty
"(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" is a song recorded and released in 1976 by KC and the Sunshine Band for the album '' Part 3''. The song became their third number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as their third number-one on ...
" (1976)
* "Fat Bottomed Girls
"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song appears on the band's seventh studio album ''Jazz'' (1978) and later on their compilation album ''Greatest Hits''. When released as a single ...
" (1978)
* "Da Butt
"Da Butt" is a single released in 1988 from the original soundtrack to the film ''School Daze''. The song was written by Marcus Miller and performed by the D.C.-based go-go band E.U. The song reached number one on the Billboard's Hot Black Sin ...
" (1988)
* "Baby Got Back
"Baby Got Back" is a song written and recorded by American rapper and songwriter Sir Mix-a-Lot, released in May 1992 as the second single from his third album, '' Mack Daddy'' (1992). The song was written and co-produced by him, and samples the ...
" (1992)
* " Rump Shaker" (1992)
* "Back That Thang Up
"Back That Thang Up" (or the uncensored version "Back That Azz Up") is a song recorded by American rapper Juvenile featuring fellow American rappers Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne. Produced by Fresh, it was released on June 11, 1999, as the second ...
" (1999)
* "Thong Song
"Thong Song" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Sisqó. It was released on February 15, 2000, as the second single from his solo debut studio album, ''Unleash the Dragon'' (1999). "Thong Song" garnered four Grammy nominations and numerou ...
" (1999)
* "I See You Baby
"I See You Baby" is a song by British duo Groove Armada, featuring Gram'ma Funk on vocals. The song was also recorded with the chorus line "shakin' that thang" (to replace "shakin' that ass") for various markets around the world, and also for us ...
(Shakin' That Ass)" (1999)
* " Pull Over" (2000)
* "Shake Ya Ass
"Shake Ya Ass", also known by its clean title, "Shake It Fast", is the first single released from American rapper Mystikal's album, ''Let's Get Ready''. It also features uncredited vocals from Pharrell. It was released July 18, 2000 and produce ...
" (2000)
* "Bootylicious
"Bootylicious" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their third studio album ''Survivor (Destiny's Child album), Survivor'' (2001). It was written and produced by Rob Fusari, Beyoncé and Falonte Moore. The song contains a pro ...
" (2001)
* "Salt Shaker
Salt and pepper shakers or salt and pepper pots, of which the first item is normally called a salt cellar in British English, are condiment dispensers used in Western culture that are designed to allow diners to distribute grains of edible salt ...
" (2003)
* "Shake Ya Tailfeather
"Shake Ya Tailfeather" is a song recorded by American rappers Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee. It was released in 2003 from the '' Bad Boys II Soundtrack''. It topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, giving Nelly his third number one on ...
" (2003)
* "Ass Like That
"Ass Like That", also referred to as "A** Like That", is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fifth studio album ''Encore'' (2004). It was released as the sixth and final single from the album on June 7, 2005.
Critical reception
Stephen Eler ...
" (2004)
* "Swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
" (2005)
* "Check on It
"Check on It" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. It was written by her, Swizz Beatz, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé and Slim Thug, and produced by Swizz Beatz. Initially recorded solely by Beyoncé, the song was supposed to be featu ...
" (2005)
* "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
"Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" is a song written by Dallas Davidson, Randy Houser and Jamey Johnson, and recorded by American country music artist Trace Adkins. It was released in October 2005 as the third and final single from his album '' Songs About ...
" (2005)
* "My Humps
"My Humps" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fourth studio album '' Monkey Business'' (2005). It was written and produced by group member will.i.am. Musically, it's a hip hop and dance song structured as a duet ...
" (2005)
* "Shake That
"Shake That" (also known as "Shake That Ass") is the second and final single taken from American rapper Eminem's first compilation album, '' Curtain Call: The Hits'' (2005), following " When I'm Gone". Featuring Nate Dogg, it is one of three n ...
" (2006)
* " Dance (A$)" (2011)
* "Bubble Butt
"Bubble Butt" is a song by American electronic dance music trio Major Lazer featuring American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars and American rappers Tyga and Mystic from the trio's second studio album, ''Free the Universe'' (2013). It was writt ...
" (2013)
* " Wiggle" (2014)
* "Anaconda
Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized.
Description
Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to re ...
" (2014)
* "Booty
Booty may refer to:
Music
*Booty music (also known as Miami bass or booty bass), a subgenre of hip hop
* "Booty" (Jennifer Lopez song), 2014
*Booty (Blac Youngsta song), 2017
* Booty (C. Tangana and Becky G song), 2018
*"Booty", a 1993 song by G ...
" (2014)
* " Juicy" (2019)
Since the early 2000s, songs about the female buttocks have proliferated, especially in the hip-hop, reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
/dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
, and R&B genres.[
]
Fetishism
A buttock fetish or buttock partialism
Partialism is sexual fetish with an exclusive focus on a specific part of the body other than genitals. Partialism is categorized as a fetishistic disorder in the DSM-5 of the American Psychiatric Association only if it causes significant psyc ...
is a condition wherein the buttocks become a primary focus of sexual attention. It may be associated with coprophilia
Coprophilia (from Greek κόπρος, ''kópros'' 'excrement' and φιλία, ''philía'' 'liking, fondness'), also called scatophilia or scat (Greek: σκατά, ''skatá'' 'feces'), is the paraphilia involving sexual arousal and pleasure from ...
, panty fetishism
Underwear fetishism is a sexual fetishism relating to undergarments, and refers to preoccupation with the sexual excitement of certain types of underwear, including panties, stockings, pantyhose, bras, or other items. Some people can experience s ...
, eproctophilia
Paraphilias are sexual interests in objects, situations, or individuals that are atypical. The American Psychiatric Association, in its ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition'' (DSM), draws a distinction between paraphilias (which i ...
, and sadomasochistic corporal punishment involving the buttocks. Pygophilia is sexual arousal caused by the buttocks
The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...
.
See also
* Anal eroticism
Anal eroticism, in psychoanalysis, is sensuous pleasure derived from anal sensations. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, hypothesized that the anal stage of childhood psychosexual development was marked by the predominance of anal erot ...
* Anal sex
Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. ...
* Awoulaba
Awoulaba is a Baoulé-language term from Ivory Coast meaning "queen of beauty", which refers to women displaying a beauty ideal that consists of a plump and curvaceous body with large buttocks. The ideal Awoulaba has a small waist-to-hip ra ...
* Body worship
Body worship is the practice of physically revering a part of another person's body, and is usually done as a submissive act in the context of BDSM. Typical kinds of body worship include worship of the vulva, the penis, the breasts, the buttocks, ...
* Dimples of Venus
The dimples of Venus (also known as back dimples, Duffy Dimples, butt dimples or Veneral dimples) are sagittally symmetrical indentations sometimes visible on the human lower back, just superior to the gluteal cleft. They are directly superfici ...
* History of erotic depictions
The history of erotic depictions includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, dramatic arts, music and writings that show scenes of a sexual nature throughout time. They have been created by nearly every civilization, ancient and modern. Early ...
* History of human sexuality
The social construction of human sexuality and Human sexual activity, sexual behavior—along with its taboos, regulation, and sociology, social and politics, political impact—has had a profound effect on the various cultures of the world sin ...
*
* Partialism
Partialism is sexual fetish with an exclusive focus on a specific part of the body other than genitals. Partialism is categorized as a fetishistic disorder in the DSM-5 of the American Psychiatric Association only if it causes significant psyc ...
* Steatopygia
Steatopygia is the state of having substantial levels of tissue on the buttocks and thighs. This build is not confined to the gluteal regions, but extends to the outside and front of the thighs, and tapers to the knee producing a curvilinear fig ...
References
External links
*
{{Portal bar, Human sexuality
Sexual fetishism
History of human sexuality
Sexuality and society
Buttocks