How to say...there are negatives to the "big booty" craze

“The most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about” (Wallace).

The quote is one hundred percent true. The media often influences our perspectives as a society of what we should think about certain things.

Let’s take the big booty craze that dominated this summer.

It may not be hard to see in a literal sense but it did take a while before society realized that the craze was unhealthy. It also became a touchy subject to speak about because the trend began as a way to tell people to promote and embrace different body types but it resulted in women going to extremes to attain the new “ideal body type”.  

In elementary school, if someone told you that you had a “big butt” you were deeply offended by the insult that basically meant “you’re fat”. This summer however, singers fueled the big booty craze with anthems like “Anaconda” and “Booty”.

The obsession took over social media as celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Iggy Azalea partook in the craze in the attempt to achieve an impossible and unrealistic body. It became impossible to turn on the TV, read a magazine, or go to a website without seeing the craze. It was publicized through performances such as Nicki Minaj’s performance of the song “Anaconda” at the MTV Video Music Awards as well as Kim Kardashian’s recent photoshoot with Paper.

The trend has become dangerous as women attempt to achieve having a “big booty” because it is not just having a “big butt” that the trend is asking for. It is having a “big booty” while maintaining a tiny waist. It is just as dangerous as being super skinny because women are forcing themselves to fit into a body type that is not natural. Some even undergo surgery to attain this body shape. 

Even the song “All About That Bass” that was supposed to be body positive, turned out to be hurtful towards girls who don’t fit under her definition. The anthem promoting curvy body types is amazing and boosts confidences but lines like “I ain’t no size two, but I can shake it shake it….go ahead and tell them skinny (bad word here) that” can upset someone who is a size two. The song has a great intended message but it can also have a negative connotation.  

We should all just come together and make one super catchy song and sing about how all body types are wonderful and amazing because that’s truly how it should be. (Can we please all just admire the gif and all I want to say to all of you is that you truly are perfect, even if you are a size two). 

This is just one example of how the media tells everyday people that they need to change something about themselves in order to achieve an ideal although the reality is, this type of body figure is nearly impossible. Since the craze was so promoted in media, people began to partake in it but the negatives of it are buried because although it was right in our face, we did not acknowledge the harmful side of the body trend.