Buttocks fetishism
Encyclopedia
Buttocks
eroticism, sexualization, and fetishization, especially of the female buttocks, has occurred throughout history, partly due to its proximity to the sexual organs.
A buttocks ("butt") fetish
or buttocks partialism
refers to a condition wherein the buttocks becomes a focus of sexual attention. It may be associated with coprophilia
, panty fetishism, and sadomasochistic corporal punishment
involving the buttocks. Pygophilia refers to sexual arousal caused by the buttocks
.
Some anthropologists and sociobiologists believe that breast fetishism
derives from the breasts' similarity to buttocks, but instead provide sexual attraction from the front of the body.
In humans, females generally have more round and voluptuous buttocks, caused by estrogen
that encourages the body to store fat in the buttocks, hips, and thighs. Testosterone
discourages fat storage in these areas. The buttocks in human females thus contain more adipose tissue
than in males, especially after puberty
. Evolutionary psychologists suggest that rounded buttocks may have evolved to be 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
and lactation
. Additionally, the buttocks give an indication of the shape and size of the pelvis, which impacts reproductive capability. Since development and pronunciation of the buttocks begins at menarche
and declines with age, full buttocks are also a symbol of youth.
The female buttocks have been a symbol of fertility and beauty since early human history. Statues created as early as 24,000 BCE, such as the Venus of Willendorf
, have exaggerated buttocks, hips, and thighs.
The erotic beauty of the female buttocks was important to the ancient Greeks, thought to have built such statues as Venus Kallipygos
(although only a possible Roman copy survives), that emphasize the buttocks. Bare buttocks were also considered erotic in Ming China, where they were often compared to the bright full moon
.
The buttocks have been considered an erogenous zone
in Western thought for centuries, and the eroticization of the female buttocks was heteronormative and due to their association and closeness to the female reproductive organs.
Erotic spanking
was popular in Victorian
Britain
, perhaps due to the buttocks' fetishization and eroticization. Spanking was prominent in pornography
during this time, with erotica such as Lady Bumtickler's Revels
and Exhibition of Female Flagellants
being consumed.
In Studies in the Psychology of Sex, published in 1927 and written by British physician and sexual psychologist Havelock Ellis
, he describes cultural sexual characteristics of the buttocks. He says:
He adds that
Havelock also claims that corset
s and bustle
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
, who attributes the change to the popularization of denim jeans
:
, "bubble-shaped" buttocks are considered attractive. In Japan
, large buttocks are considered vulgar. Buttocks fetishism is considered socially acceptable in the West.
While female buttocks are often eroticized in heterosexual erotica, men's buttocks are eroticized in gay male circles. Much of gay male sexuality centres around anal intercourse and penetration, so the buttocks are eroticized due to their proximity to the anus and the genitals.
The buttocks are often taboo
due to their proximity to the anus and association with the excretory system
. The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud
theorized that psychosexual development
occurred in three stages—oral, anal, and genital—and that fixation in the anal stage caused anal retentive
ness and a lasting focus on eroticization of the anus.
Many artists pose models to emphasize the buttocks.
, Janet Jackson
, Jennifer Lopez
, Nicki Minaj
, and Kim Kardashian
.
Many songs have also been about the desirability of buttocks:
Since the early 2000s, songs about the female buttocks have proliferated, especially in the hip-hop, reggae
/dancehall
, and R&B genres.
, where they are often referred to as "booty". Patricia Hill Collins
, an African-American writer, theorizes that this is due to stereotypes that black women are promiscuous, and that their buttocks are objectified by porn as a result.
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
eroticism, sexualization, and fetishization, especially of the female buttocks, has occurred throughout history, partly due to its proximity to the sexual organs.
A buttocks ("butt") fetish
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
or buttocks partialism
Partialism
Partialism refers to a sexual interest with an exclusive focus of a specific part of the body. Partialism is categorized as a paraphilia in the DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association...
refers to a condition wherein the buttocks becomes a focus of sexual attention. It may be associated with coprophilia
Coprophilia
Coprophilia , also called scatophilia or scat, is the paraphilia involving sexual pleasure from feces...
, panty fetishism, and sadomasochistic corporal punishment
Impact play
Impact play is a human sexual practice in which one person is struck by another person for the sexual gratification of either or both parties. Impact play is sometimes referred to as corporal punishment or CP...
involving the buttocks. Pygophilia refers to sexual arousal caused by the buttocks
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
.
Evolutionary significance
Sexologist Alfred Kind suggested that the buttocks is the primary sexual presentation site in primates.Some anthropologists and sociobiologists believe that breast fetishism
Breast fetishism
Breast fetishism is a type of sexual fetish which involves a sexual interest in female breasts....
derives from the breasts' similarity to buttocks, but instead provide sexual attraction from the front of the body.
In humans, females generally have more round and voluptuous buttocks, caused by estrogen
Estrogen
Estrogens , oestrogens , or œstrogens, are a group of compounds named for their importance in the estrous cycle of humans and other animals. They are the primary female sex hormones. Natural estrogens are steroid hormones, while some synthetic ones are non-steroidal...
that encourages the body to store fat in the buttocks, hips, and thighs. Testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
discourages fat storage in these areas. The buttocks in human females thus contain more adipose tissue
Adipose tissue
In histology, adipose tissue or body fat or fat depot or just fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. It is technically composed of roughly only 80% fat; fat in its solitary state exists in the liver and muscles. Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts...
than in males, especially after puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
. Evolutionary psychologists suggest that rounded buttocks may have evolved to be 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
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
and lactation
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 occurs in all female mammals, however it predates mammals. In humans the process of feeding milk is called breastfeeding or nursing...
. Additionally, the buttocks give an indication of the shape and size of the pelvis, which impacts reproductive capability. Since development and pronunciation of the buttocks begins at menarche
Menarche
Menarche is the first menstrual cycle, or first menstrual bleeding, in female human beings. From both social and medical perspectives it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility....
and declines with age, full buttocks are also a symbol of youth.
History
Venus of Willendorf
The Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman of Willendorf, is an high statuette of a female figure estimated to have been made between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE. It was discovered in 1908 by archaeologist Josef Szombathy at a paleolithic site near Willendorf, a village in Lower Austria near the...
, have exaggerated buttocks, hips, and thighs.
The erotic beauty of the female buttocks was important to the ancient Greeks, thought to have built such statues as Venus Kallipygos
Venus Kallipygos
The Venus Kallipygos or Aphrodite Kallipygos , also known as the Callipygian Venus, all literally meaning "Venus of the beautiful buttocks", is an Ancient Roman marble statue, thought to be a copy of an older Greek original...
(although only a possible Roman copy survives), that emphasize the buttocks. Bare buttocks were also considered erotic in Ming China, where they were often compared to the bright full moon
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
.
The buttocks have been considered an erogenous zone
Erogenous zone
An erogenous zone is an area of the human body that has heightened sensitivity, the stimulation of which may result in the production of erotic sensations or sexual excitement.People have erogenous zones all over their bodies, but which areas are more sensitive than others vary...
in Western thought for centuries, and the eroticization of the female buttocks was heteronormative and due to their association and closeness to the female reproductive organs.
Erotic spanking
Erotic spanking
Erotic spanking is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties...
was popular in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, perhaps due to the buttocks' fetishization and eroticization. Spanking was prominent in pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
during this time, with erotica such as Lady Bumtickler's Revels
Lady Bumtickler's Revels
Lady Bumtickler’s Revels is a pornographic comic opera on the theme of flagellation written and published by John Camden Hotten in 1872 in his series The Library Illustrative of Social Progress. It purports to have been "performed at Lady Bumtickler’s private theatre in Birch Grove, with unbounded...
and Exhibition of Female Flagellants
Exhibition of Female Flagellants
Exhibition of Female Flagellants is a pornographic novel published by George Cannon in London in 1830 and attributed, probably falsely, to Theresa Berkley. The principal activity described is flagellation, mainly of women by women, described in a theatrical, fetishistic style...
being consumed.
In Studies in the Psychology of Sex, published in 1927 and written by British physician and sexual psychologist Havelock Ellis
Havelock Ellis
Henry Havelock Ellis, known as Havelock Ellis , was a British physician and psychologist, writer, and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He was co-author of the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality in 1897, and also published works on a variety of sexual practices and...
, he describes cultural sexual characteristics of the buttocks. He says:
He adds that
Havelock also claims that corset
Corset
A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...
s and bustle
Bustle
A bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to...
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 B. Browne
Ray Broadus Browne , 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 in Bowling Green, Ohio. He founded the first academic Department of Popular Culture at...
, who attributes the change to the popularization of denim jeans
Jeans
Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
:
Contemporary views
Buttocks are erotic zones for both genders. Along with breasts, the buttocks is a sex symbol across cultures. In BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, "bubble-shaped" buttocks are considered attractive. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, large buttocks are considered vulgar. Buttocks fetishism is considered socially acceptable in the West.
While female buttocks are often eroticized in heterosexual erotica, men's buttocks are eroticized in gay male circles. Much of gay male sexuality centres around anal intercourse and penetration, so the buttocks are eroticized due to their proximity to the anus and the genitals.
The buttocks are often taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
due to their proximity to the anus and association with the excretory system
Excretory system
The excretory system is a passive biological system that removes excess, unnecessary or dangerous materials from an organism, so as to help maintain homeostasis within the organism and prevent damage to the body. It is responsible for the elimination of the waste products of metabolism as well as...
. The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
theorized that psychosexual development
Psychosexual development
In Freudian psychology, psychosexual development is a central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory, that human beings, from birth, possess an instinctual libido that develops in five stages. Each stage — the oral, the anal, the phallic, the latent, and the genital — is characterized...
occurred in three stages—oral, anal, and genital—and that fixation in the anal stage caused anal retentive
Anal retentive
The term anal-retentive , commonly abbreviated to anal, is used conversationally to describe a person who pays such attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others, and can be carried out to the detriment of the anal-retentive person. The term derives from Freudian...
ness and a lasting focus on eroticization of the anus.
Many artists pose models to emphasize the buttocks.
Popular culture
Many celebrities have become famous for their buttocks, such as Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
, Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
, and Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for the E! reality series that she shares with her family—Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York...
.
Many songs have also been about the desirability of buttocks:
- "Thong SongThong Song"Thong Song" is a 2000 song recorded by Sisqó of Dru Hill for the Def Soul imprint of Def Jam. The song was issued as the second single from Sisqó's Unleash the Dragon LP in February 2000, and was its second biggest hit....
" - "Fat Bottomed GirlsFat Bottomed Girls"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the track featured on their 1978 album Jazz, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
" - "Da Butt"
- "Baby Got BackBaby Got Back"Baby Got Back" is a 1992 Number One single by hip hop artist Sir Mix-a-Lot, from his album Mack Daddy. The song samples the 1986 electro single "Technicolor" by Channel One. The song's title originates from an urban slang term used to express a favorable opinion about a woman's buttocks...
" - "BootyliciousBootylicious"Bootylicious" is a song by American R&B group Destiny's Child. It was written and produced by Rob Fusari, Falonte Moore, and band member Beyoncé Knowles for the band's third studio album Survivor , and contains a prominent sample from the 1981 recording "Edge of Seventeen," as written and...
" - "My HumpsMy Humps"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
" - "Honky Tonk BadonkadonkHonky Tonk Badonkadonk"Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" is a single, released in late 2005 by country music artist Trace Adkins. It was the last single from his album, Songs About Me. The song was a crossover hit for Adkins, peaking at #2 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart, and reaching the Top 40 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot...
" - "Shake ThatShake That"Shake That" is a song from Eminem's 2005 Curtain Call: The Hits greatest hits album. It is one of three new songs released on the album, and was the album's second and last single release, following "When I'm Gone."-Song information:...
" - "Check On ItCheck on It"Check on It" is a song performed by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, featuring American rapper Slim Thug. It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé and Stayve Thomas. The song was supposed to be featured on the soundtrack album for 2006 film The Pink...
"
Since the early 2000s, songs about the female buttocks have proliferated, especially in the hip-hop, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
/dancehall
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. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
, and R&B genres.
Pornography
Buttocks, especially those of black women, are often emphasized in pornographyPornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, where they are often referred to as "booty". Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins, is Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, former head of the Department of African American Studies at the University of Cincinnati and past President of the American Sociological Association Council...
, an African-American writer, theorizes that this is due to stereotypes that black women are promiscuous, and that their buttocks are objectified by porn as a result.
See also
- PartialismPartialismPartialism refers to a sexual interest with an exclusive focus of a specific part of the body. Partialism is categorized as a paraphilia in the DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association...
- Body worshipBody worshipBody worship is any practice of physically reverencing 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 are muscle worship, foot worship, penis worship, vagina worship, and ass worship...
- Erotic spankingErotic spankingErotic spanking is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties...
- Anal eroticismAnal eroticismAnal eroticism is erotic activity focusing on the anus, and sometimes the rectum. This can be pleasurable due to the abundance of nerve endings in the anus.Sigmund Freud hypothesized that it arises during childhood during the anal stage.-See also:...
- CoprophiliaCoprophiliaCoprophilia , also called scatophilia or scat, is the paraphilia involving sexual pleasure from feces...
- Panty fetishism
- History of erotic depictionsHistory of erotic depictionsThe 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 civilisation, ancient and modern. Early cultures often associated the sexual act with...
- Sexual fetish