Sex.co.nz

Raise your hand if you like big butts!

You’re not alone. Judging from the number of porn sites featuring women with amply endowed asses (BigButts.com, SexyBigButts.net, PlumpRumps.com … need we say more?), a curvaceous rump is a chick’s top asset.

What you may not have realized is that big butts have a scientific name: steatopygia.

Steatopygia is a genetic trait common to the Khoisan (Bushmen) and Pygmy tribes of Africa, and it can only be described as having a butt that looks much like a pregnant woman’s belly.

The most famous example remains the “Hottentot Venus,” a Khoisan woman who displayed her Venusian rump at sideshows throughout Europe in the 19th century.

Although few women exhibit true steatopygia today, big asses are in vogue, and the two reigning two queens of booty – Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez – are duking it out for the title.

Last year, Kim raised the red flag by insinuating that J. Lo’s booty wasn’t as big as her own (stating, for the record, “I love her and her little butt is so cute”). Forums sprang up across the world debating the size of each woman’s butt. Is Kim’s butt bigger? Is J. Lo’s butt shapelier? Do that many people really care?

As women across the world try to increase the size of their rear assets, a number of industries have sprung up to help them.

Plastic surgeons can now do “butt implants” (also known as buttock augmentation) for the tidy sum of US$5000.

The fashion industry is cranking out jeans designed to “lift” and “support” the curve of a woman’s butt. Special body shaping garments add padding where a woman wants it, much like push-up bras for the derriere.

If none of those options suit, there’s always exercise. There are a number of workout plans designed specifically to give women a better butt. Try squats, lunges, Stair Master, and hill sprints. Focus on squeezing the gluteal muscles as you do the exercises for maximum growth.

So the next time you see a woman with an awe-inspiring derriere, don’t just assume that God gave her that shapely ass. Unless she’s from an obscure tribe in Africa, she’s probably worked hard - or spent a lot of money - to get that booty.