While a pert and petite derriere has long been considered the ideal for many women, in 2012 it seems we’ve gone krazy for the Kardashian silhouette.
Bottoms are bigger than ever in the plastic surgery world; enlarging and lifting the butt is quickly rising up the list of commonly requested surgical procedures.
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Scott Ingram, owner of Form and Function Clinic and President Elect of the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said his Brisbane surgery has seen a 15% increase in this type of procedure in the last 12 months.
“There’s a definite buzz around butt augmentation procedures at the moment, and I think it can be attributed to changing body ideals,” he said.
“Accepted body norms are shifting, which is helped along by the popularity of voluptuous celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, who have more rounded bottoms than the typical pin-thin actress or fashion model.
“I’ve performed more auto-augmentations (where fat is carefully repositioned to augment and refine the shape of the bottom) in the last 12 months than ever before.”
One of Dr Ingram’s patients, Brisbane mother Michelle Bartlett, had a lower body-lift and an auto-augmentation on her bottom last year following a weight loss of 68 kilograms.
“I reached a weight I was really happy with but was left with the inevitable loose skin that comes with significant weight-loss, and as another by product, my bottom had actually become quite flat,” Bartlett said.
“I had a lower body lift, in which skin and other tissue was removed from around my hips and thighs and some was [put] back into the top of my buttocks to give a more lifted, rounder appearance – I’m so happy with the result.”
Body image commentator Sasha Dobies of 1950s pin-up institution Sherbet Birdie attributes the newfound focus on bottoms to what she calls ‘booty backlash.’
“Socially we’ve seen recently a huge backlash against the wafer thin movement that permeated the fashion world, women’s magazines and Hollywood celebrities,” Dobies said.
“The hourglass figure of decades past is enjoying a much needed resurgence – in 2012 it’s all about bums, hips, boobs and embracing curves as the new ideal, like they did in the 50s.”
Dr Ingram agrees that bottoms are booming, but assures petite women that a proportionate bottom will never go out of fashion.
“While bottom enlargement procedures are certainly growing in popularity, I think for a lot of women it all comes down to proportion – if you’re curvy everywhere else, it makes sense aesthetically to have a round bottom – if you’re naturally petite, embrace having a smaller one.”