Article
The Ideal Buttock Size: A Sociodemographic Morphometric Evaluation
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Published: | August 16, 2017 |
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Outline
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Background: Perception of beauty is influenced by geographic, ethnic, cultural, and demographic factors. However, objective measurements remain the foundation for esthetic evaluations. In the quest to better define the „ideal“ female buttock, this study assumes interdependence between variables such as country of residence, sex, age, occupation, and esthetic perception, yielding a waist to hip ratio which appears most pleasing across most cultures and geographic locations.
Methods: An online survey was designed. Modifiable ranges of buttock sizes were achieved via digital alteration, enabling participants to interactively change the size and waist to hip ratio of a single model's buttock. The questionnaire was translated into multiple languages and sent to more than 9,000 plastic surgeons and to the general public worldwide. Demographic data were collected and analysis of variance was used to elucidate buttock shape preferences.
Results: A total of 1,032 responses were gathered from over 40 different countries. Significant differences regarding preferences for buttock size were identified across the respondents. Overall, 39% (404/1,032) of survey takers chose the 0.7 waist to hip ratio to be their ideal. Significant relationships were distilled between gender, age, self-reported ethnicity, and plastic surgeons' country of residence and ethnic background. For example, surgeons in Latin America preferred the largest buttocks followed by surgeons in Asia, North America, and Europe, with non-Caucasians preferring bigger buttocks than Caucasians.
Conclusion: There seems to exist a general global consensus regarding the ideal waist to hip ratio, however multiple other factors impact the esthetic perception of the buttocks significantly.