It’s no secret that big butts have become the new ‘plastic surgery’ trend for many women celebrities in the entertainment culture along with a growing phenomenon among young girls who desire to look like their favorite hollywood idols. Sir Mix Alot 1992 hit song “I Like Big Butts” debut was the tip of the iceberg of what would follow afterwards.
The Grio sat down with directors Chris Alvarez and Kurt Williamson to discuss this new documentary entitled “Bottoms Up” . The duo provided history on the inception of the butt phenom which dates back to when the French encounter Sarah Bartmann [aka Black Venus] in South Africa and brought her to London to serve as a ‘‘freak show exhibition” for many years up until her death .
They also shared their experience as an eye witness to one woman who decided to go under the knife. “I mean the look on her face when she was done with the operation.” When asked about the growing trend in hip hop videos, Willamson says,
” Hip Hop is kind of like a male-dominated industry. These guys they would have a video, and they want to get the most hits so they would exploit alot of women because and they’re backsides was the biggest selling point, and air play. Some people think of it as fun and games but psychologically it can have alot of alot of horrible side effects for women.”
So the question begs: What Are We Really Glorifying Here?
I did a bit more research and came across a film clip entitled ‘Venus Noire’ , a documentary of Bartmann’s years in London which debut at the New York Film Festival back in 2010. Hopefully, this would shed some light for some folks on the so called ‘freedoms of expressions’ and the ‘negative exploits’ that come along with it.