There is no bottom to the adversities I have felt walking around with a…um… let’s call it a rotund posterior. I can talk about how difficult it is to find pants that fit in the hips while not swimming around my waist. I can be exasperated by the fact that on even a casual trip to the store, some reactions are either enthusiastic or gasping and groaning in repulse as if witnessing something freakish. It feels like there is no “happy medium,” or just no reaction space…blending in.
Sir Mix-a-Lot brought a booty celebratory anthem way before Beyoncé declared with pride that her body was Bootylicious. So let’s face it, the love of a big booty is more accepted and revered with people of color and is not as widely accepted no matter how much the Kardashians plump their rears.
But, after decades of wearing oversize shirts to not offend or incite comments, positive or negative, I am accepting and I am content with my body …all of it.
I refuse to apologize for a body shape that I was born with that may not appeal to Western standards no matter how well versed the world is with Sir Mix-a-Lot liking big butts and how much he cannot lie.
I cannot lie either. The popularization of big butts has done little to change the acceptance in the mainstream world no matter how much buttock enlargements surgeries have increased. Few designers and stores cater to a pear shape and give us many options. Rarely can I walk into a clothing store, pick out a clothing item and not have to negotiate with the hip waist ratio for it to fit right off the rack. Even within stores which carry plus size or petite sizes, it is a challenge to find inclusivity for big-bottomed girls. We can't just be lumped in as "curvy" and get thrown clothing items with a little more material, we need the cut and proportions to work to accentuate our shape.
I have so much to say on this topic, this conversation will continue...
Meanwhile, big buns out to online stores such Fashion to Figure as which cater to a voluptuous shape and accommodates a pear shape
Do you know of any other stores that cater to BBGs?
What are your thoughts on this topic. Do you have your own body image challenges that you are working on?
