Hips Don’t Lie: Thicc Woman Appreciation Across Cultures

After the West’s grueling 20th century emphasis on skinny supermodels, the rise of the “Thicc Woman” as a beauty standard has helped empower women across the world. Women are most beautiful when we feel our best. Past societies and other cultures have celebrated thiccness for a long time. And finally, the rest of the world is joining the club. 

With the rise of the internet and social media, there's been an increased awareness of mental health and emotional wellbeing surrounding beauty standards. Finally, we aren’t confined to the notion of “supermodel skinny” as a beauty standard, but we are ready to embrace ourselves in every way, shape, and form. 

Ancient Booty

In ancient cultures, wide hips and poppin’ booties were seen as a symbol of fertility and prosperity. Prehistoric cultures (and even some cultures today) used to make fertility figurines, which were believed to bring good luck in conceiving a child.

Of course, the figurines emphasized the core body parts involved - the breasts, the hips/butt, and sometimes the vulva, depending on how explicit the artist wanted to get. Some were believed to have magical properties themselves, while others were used to petition the gods and goddesses for a child. 

Thicc women were also celebrated in ancient Greek cultures. So much so, that they had their own name for thicc booties - callipygian (pronounced kal-li-pi-jee-on). And in fact, some people still use the term today. Greek women are proud of their callipygian booties.  

Of course, sometimes people use the word without quite knowing what it means, and that can lead to a variety of awkward, hilarious scenarios. For example, there was a professional string ensemble that named themselves “The Callipygian Players” that booked concerts and gigs at fancy events. 

Nobody knew that they just booked a band named after players with hot butts. Which was a good thing for the pastor of the church who booked them for his annual Christmas concert.

The Thicc Woman in Western Art History

Portrayal of the thicc woman didn’t end in the ancient world. The Common Era gave us a wide variety of sculptures and pictures to analyze. 

At first, women were only portrayed in the nude when they represented gods and goddesses from Greek mythology. But gradually, this shifted into nudes being portrayed in religious settings - of all things! The nude in religious art was used to portray scenes from the Garden of Eden, and to emphasize the vulnerability and fragility of man. 

Michelangelo, for instance, covered the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in naked people - portraying very vivid and lifelike scenes with Adam and Eve, and plenty of unclothed men and cherubs. One of the best full moons is in a scene painted two panels beneath the famous “Creation of Man”, portraying God reprimanding a repentant Adam. His robe is partially coming off, showing a very robust rear in a symbolic display of shame and submission. 

Later on, artists decided that they wanted to take their secret drawings of naked women public. And in very prim and proper Christian societies, they took their paintings of nude women into the streets and the art galleries. Can you imagine the kind of stir that must have created? 

The Thicc Woman in Non-Western Cultures

Non-Western cultures have their share of appreciation for the thicc woman, too. In India, many females are portrayed with tiny waists and huge bottoms, especially in sculpture. In a town called Khajuraho, they even decorated their temples with them. 

The Middle East also has an appreciation for the well-rounded female. With the arrival of Islam, there is less of a portrayal of uncovered women in art. However, the tradition of bellydance has survived and is thriving today. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

In Africa, the variations of beliefs, traditions, and cultures are too many to count. But in a majority of them, the large derriere is also revered. Many tribal cultures still use fertility figurines with large breasts and booties to help them get pregnant and have healthy births.

And in African cultures along the Ivory Coast, the twerk was a dance move long before the West discovered it. It’s actually a part of the traditional Mapouka dance, and it’s been around for hundreds of years!

It wasn’t until the 80’s that the twerk came to America and took hold in New Orleans. Then, it eventually gained mainstream popularity in the 2,000’s with the Ying Yang Twins’ hit, “Whistle While You Twurk” and Beyonce’s “Check on it”.

There are so many areas of the world and cultural groups that place an emphasis on having a huge butt, I couldn’t mention them all. However, this essay wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the love affair that Latin America has with big booties. From sexy salsa and tango music, to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” music video, this love’s not going away anytime soon. 

Naked Thicc Women Vs. Nude Thicc Women

While the mainstream media in many parts of the world have embraced the concept of “baring all”, There is still controversy around the concept of “nude” (societally-sanctioned nudity, such as being unclothed in private) versus “naked” (societally-condemned nakedness, such as being naked or obscene in public). 

Europe especially is home to this debate, with more and more artists creating nude art for government-commissioned, public purposes. Some see it as non-sexual nude art. And some see it as inappropriate - either because they view it as inappropriate to show so much, or because they believe it objectifies women. 

The debate is perfectly captured in a Twitter feed discussing a controversial statue in Italy. 

The statue was commissioned in memory of 300 farmworkers who died in a massacre in 1857. However, the artist decided to make a female statue dressed in skin-tight clothing. 

Here is a hilariously awkward photo of male politicians gathered around the statue in a ceremony: 

And here’s what the people of Twitter had to say about it: 

And finally, the ones who we think make the most sense: 

At the end of the day, it's all about context. There is a time and a place for nudity and showing off a thicc booty. But a memorial of 300 farmers who died isn't one of them. If you want to see nude people, there are plenty of other socially-accepted places to find them.

The Thicc Woman Today

In lighter news, displaying public booties can be seen as fun and daring in the right context. In 2020, museum curators in London issued a social media challenge - to display their best collection of booties online. 

And it took off like fire. Museums in England began creating and showing off their cheeky collections, and then museums around the world followed suit. 

Overall, it’s not just Sir Mix-A-Lot that loves big butts, it’s the majority of the world. From pictures, to memes, to dance videos that people make on TikTok, you can pretty much find a rear for any occasion.

While the Thicc Woman has been celebrated across history and cultures, she is just now gaining more appreciation in the West. No longer is it viewed that a woman has to hide or cover up her enormous caboose. Instead, she can flaunt it proudly for all to see.

Shape What Your Mama Gave You

If you want to grow your glutes, tone up, or flaunt what you got, I’m here for you. I’ve got several booty-building programs, including an e-book and a fitness app. They’re all designed to help you reach your fitness goals and get the body you’ve always wanted. Because everyone deserves to feel like a goddess.