Boobs are out, buttocks are in

Does my bum look big (enough) in this?

conspicuous as possible. “Does my bum look big in this?” was the cry echoing around every changing room across the UK.

As another per plexed mother said: “When I was younger, we didn’t even think about our bottoms. They were just something to sit on.”

So what lies behind this modern adulation of the rump? Sadly, the reasons lie in celebrity culture and the proliferation of pornography.

Seen from behind, the curvier lines of a woman’s hips and buttocks are one of the main identifying features of a female and a strong visual signal for males. Anthropologists believe human females developed larger breasts to distract from their behinds as we evolved to prefer face-to-face mating, intimacy and pair bonding.

Hence the centuries-old obsession with cleavages, as sported by busty screen icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner.

But then along came the easy availability of internet pornography at the start of the 21st century. And, of course, the last thing porn does is promote intimate, loving sex – and so bottoms rose to prominence.

Where pornography went, pop followed. Singers such as Rihanna and Beyonce started introducing the ’butt jiggle’ to their stage routines and Miley Cyrus’ suggestive ”twerking” at the 2013 VMA awards was the most talked-about performance of recent years.

* Tanith Carey is author of Girls, Uninterrupted: Steps For Building Stronger Girls In A Challenging World. – Daily Mail