What is the Ideal Butt? See How Yours Compares Against These Magic Ratios

Been curious but afraid to ask? To answer the question “What is the Ideal Butt”, I have decided to turn to science – it may surprise you to learn this, but there is scientific research out there on this topic!

My Take on What the Ideal Butt is

I’ve said it before, but I want to say it again upfront: in my opinion, there is no such thing as one ideal butt. If you say a butt is ‘ideal’, you need to be specific about what you mean.

Ideal for what? Ideal to who?

In this post I’ll talk about an ideal butt being one that looks good and is attractive, but keep in mind that there are other ways a butt can be ideal (some examples: ideal for maximum comfort when sitting – you might want an extra-padded kind of butt for this!, or ideal for providing maximum sprint power and speed – for athletes).

Beauty is In the Eye of the Beholder

I’m a strong believer that we all have different personal preferences as to what defines beauty. I won’t even say that this is just my opinion, because I know it to be a true fact.

It is true that society often has an overall ‘standard’ for beauty, but if this doesn’t match your own, then don’t even take it on board! I can assure you that not everyone thinks that what popular society deems as a beautiful butt is correct for all individuals.

So while the below will talk about what is ‘generally accepted’ as features that are considered to be beautiful in a butt, please remember that it is subject to the whims of fashion and in no way set in stone, and people may agree or disagree with the content.

What is considered beautiful today might well be out of style in a decade’s time.

You only have to look at the fashion of the 1920’s to see a real-life example of this. Back then the ‘flapper’ look was considered fashionable and women would play down their curves with straight-waisted clothing, be flat chested, and actually strive for a ‘look’ of immaturity.

The Ideal Butt is One You’re Confident With

The standard for beauty can change across cultures and time periods, but one thing does stay constant throughout, and that is the notion that confidence is sexy. Being confident and happy with your own butt, and determining your own ‘ideal’ is a must when it comes to cultivating a healthy self-image and being considered beautiful.

So, What Is Thought of as the Ideal Butt These Days?

Phew! With all of that being said, I wanted to share a few articles I found that talk about the idea of beauty when it comes to the female buttocks.

The scientific literature out there on this topic is due to of the availability of plastic surgery these days for body augmentation, so articles relating to the appearance of the butt often discuss perceptions of beauty in the buttocks, determining what key features are considered ‘beautiful’, and trying to create these features through cosmetic surgery procedures.

I discovered a few different evaluation models in my research.

Different Types of Butt Shapes

One technique by Mendieta classifies the buttocks by analyzing the anatomy that gives rise these four different butt shape categories [1].

Waist to Hip Ratios

Then there is the age-old theory of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). If you haven’t heard of this one before, it is widely agreed that a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 in women is generally found to be the most attractive by men [2].

Waist-to-hip ratio can be found by taking a circumference measurement around your waist, and again around your hips. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement to find your WHR.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculation

Here is an example of how I’ve calculated my own WHR.

Waist circumference:  27.5 inches

Hip circumference: 34.5 inches

WHR:  27.5 ÷ 34.5 = 0.80

Other Ways to Determine the Ideal Butt

Other authors [3] have identified four features of the buttocks that are considered to be beautiful.

Four Features of an Ideal Butt

• The lateral depression (or ‘butt dents’)
• Sacral ‘back’ dimples (also called the supragluteal fossettes)
• Sacral triangle (V-shaped crease formed at the top of the buttocks cleft)
• The infragluteal fold

What is the Ideal Amount of Butt Projection

This same team wanted to know, what is the ideal amount of butt projection? Too little can make a butt look flat, but too much can also look disproportional.

To answer this question, they developed their own system to evaluate the aesthetics of the gluteal region that involved mapping particular landmarks and determining the ratio that was considered to be most aesthetically pleasing based on a (subjective) analysis of 1,320 photographs of naked women’s butts. (I’m sure some guys wouldn’t mind being a part of that research team!)

The points A, B, C and D are determined, and the ‘ideal’ amount of butt projection was recommended at a ratio of CA:AB  being 2:1. You can find the article reproduced here if you are interested.

If you want to check your own butt to see how you measure up to this ‘ideal’, you can check your ratios at home. Find the corresponding points by pressing around the area to locate the skeletal landmarks and see how you shape up.

• (A) is the head of your femur (thigh bone). You should be able to feel this as a bony projection on the outer side of your butt.
• (B) is the front of your pubic bone
• (C) is the rear-most point of your butt
• (D) is the front-most part of your pelvis or ‘hip bone’. Feel around for this bony landmark where you would place your hands if you were to put them on your hips.

Since posture can affect the appearance of your butt projection, you may need to ensure your pelvis is not tilted too far forward or backwards (tilt your pelvis so that points B and D are in line if necessary) before drawing your lines.

I sighted myself up roughly in the mirror this morning and found that I have a ratio of about 1.5:1.

So I’m a bit flat in the butt region according to this analysis method, but I still love my butt!

How do you shape up using this method?

References:

1. Mendieta CG. Classification system for gluteal evaluation. Clin Plast Surg 2006; 33:333–346
2. Singh D. Universal allure of the hourglass figure: an evolutionary theory of female physical attractiveness. Clin Plast Surg 2006; 33:359–370
3. Cuenca-Guerra R, Lugo-Beltran I. Beautiful buttocks: characteristics and surgical techniques. Clin Plast Surg 2006; 33:321–332
4. Shiffman, Melvin A. and Di Giuseppe, Alberto. Body Contouring: Art, Science, and Clinical Practice. New York: Springer, 2010. Print. (View google books preview here)