Smoke and Mirrors: Uncovering What's Behind the Behinds

So while some us are squatting and lunging away, others are paying their money and buying booty. I can't hate on them for purchasing a perkier posterior but I must admit that these fake fatties create some unreasonable expectations for us genuine girls.

Now, I love me some Pink Friday and Keeping up with the Kardashians, however, the booties of these bootylicious babes are most definitely questionable.

Check out some before and after pictures of these desirable derrières.

Kim Kardashian - Before and After

Nicki Minaj- Before and After

I'm sure you remember that at some point not too long ago, women were asking "Do these jeans make my butt look big?" They were asking with the hope that the response would be "No, your butt looks perfect!" For many women and for a very long time, having a big butt was synonymous with being overweight and unattractive. However, things have changed and it's wonderful that curves are being embraced and celebrated. Surely, it's great that more women can fit into mass media’s definition of beauty. But then again, no matter how much society’s standards of beauty widen, there will always be those who in spite of everything do not measure up. After all, perfection is unachievable. When one undergoes plastic surgery to be more “beautiful” is it problematic, acceptable or immaterial?

Should it be an issue, when women cannot find contentment with our bodies and ourselves in its natural form? Is there a problem when women of all ages are trying desperately to enhance, modify and transform themselves to be more attractive? When women (in large numbers) feel the need to risk their health by getting butt implants and butt injections, should we worry or question it? Butt implants and butt lifts are the relatively new mainstream beauty phenomenon, but really this trend is simply a new symptom of an ongoing terminal illness. The illness is unhealthy body images and low self-esteem amongst too many women in today’s society. At what point, do we stop following fads and accept our bodies as is? It's most definitely a difficult feat with the constant bombardment of media images communicating what we should aspire to look like.

Personally, I struggle daily with feelings of inadequacy. I’m constantly looking in the mirror and considering breast implants, wondering how many squats and lunges it will take to get my butt the way I want it, critiquing extra pounds, using creams to get rid of imperfections and scars, etc. The crazy thing is I consider myself beautiful (inside and out) but I'm never content with who I am, what I look like or what I’m doing. I’m always striving for perfection. Is dissatisfaction a part of the human condition? Is my lack of contentment exacerbated by media and societal pressures?

Feel free to comment.

Black Girls Rock!

I must say that regardless of how superficial this post might seem, outer beauty and physical appearance are certainly weighted heavily in today's society. I firmly believe that beauty is more than skin deep and that it is inner beauty that truly makes an individual attractive. However, we cannot deny the effect that one's physical appearance has on their self-esteem, confidence and motivation as well as the attention and treatment they receive from others. As human beings, we respond to things that are aesthetically pleasing and many of us strive to live up to what we have been conditioned to believe is beautiful. But, what is beautiful? How is beauty defined? Who defines and standardizes notions of beauty and how does race and culture impact these notions?

Please be reminded that the following post is not academic or research based but instead is rooted in my own observations, personal experiences and opinions on beauty as a young Black woman living in a very multicultural environment.

Here is the context for this post. I found myself watching a show on the E! channel today. It’s called Bridalplasty. The show is about brides-to-be competing for plastic surgery in an attempt to win the perfect wedding and be the “perfect-looking” bride. I know, it’s disturbing on so many levels but I can’t even lie, after watching about three episodes I found myself online researching breast implants and other cosmetic surgery procedures. Now, if there is one thing that I give myself credit for, it is my ability to self-reflect and analyze my personal beliefs and actions. I fully understand that my preoccupation with beauty, clothes, hair, and weight come from my desire to be accepted, admired and acknowledged. Trust me, I’ve been my own psych for some time now and I get why I do the things I do and I understand why I feel the way that I feel. I also know that I am not alone in feeling this way as many young girls and women succumb to the pressure of trying to maintain an image and reach an unattainable standard of beauty.

Now if you know me, then you also know that I have a strong interest in anthropology, anti-racism and cultural studies. So as I watched Bridalplasty and researched plastic surgery, I reminisced about my last couple “Ladies Night Out” escapades. Each time I’ve gone out in the past couple months, I've been flabbergasted by the amount of girls that have big butts. Some are obviously butt implants, some could be padded panties and some could simply be freaks of nature. I’m talking Caucasian, Asian and Indian girls with abnormally huge “apple” bottoms. Generally speaking, I found and still find it crazy that all these women wanted what Black women have been self-conscious of and ridiculed about for centuries.

In my opinion, the Big Butt phenomenon began with the mainstream success of Beyonce and her single “Bootylicious”. Other celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian also made large bottoms acceptable and desirable. But, if you look through history Black women have been hyper-sexualized and denigrated because of their larger hips, thighs and bottoms. Now all of a sudden it is something that is coveted amongst non-white populations. It’s similar to the lip injection phenomenon. Again, if you do some research you’ll find that in the past Black men and women have been criticized and ostracized because of their full lips. Then all of a sudden, it became in vogue for women to inject their lips with various substances in order to obtain sexier, fuller lips. Finally, consider the desire for a darker complexion via tanning as another example of the coveted beauty of Black women. Isn’t ironic that Black women bleach and are often afraid of the sun since darkness is perceived as unattractive yet, individuals of other races go out of their way to add pigment to their skin tone.

So after being ostracized and made self-conscious of the physical characteristics that reveal our African heritage, we are now the prototypes for some of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures. Many of the individuals spending thousands of dollars on butt implants, lip injections and tanning will never look critically enough at what they are doing to acknowledge the connection between these procedures and Africentric standards of beauty. Regardless of whether they know it, we know it! So celebrate your full lips, broad hips and voluptuous derrières ladies. Clearly, Black IS beautiful and Black Girls Rock even though we are often led to believe otherwise.