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nelesnotes's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
I definitely found this informative, did not expect to learn this much about racism in a book about butts, but it makes sense!
Unfortunately I found it a bit dry and boring in writing, so it took me pretty long to get through it. Still would recommend because of the valuable lessons it contains!
Addition: I thought about it a little longer and I agree with a review I read, that said that it felt a bit bodyshaming towards skinny people. At least in the chapter about Kim Kardashian, I would have expected a mention about how that also puts pressure on people with a small butt, to look like that and how harmful that can be in terms of unhealthy gym promises or plastic surgery. On the other hand I can totally understand, that skinny people where the ones that profited throughout history and that it's important, to tell the side of the story from people, who got opressed and mistreated for centuries. Still the women of today, who are naturally skinny (and might be reading this book) are not the ones to blame for history and here and there it felt a bit like that in this book. I suppose it just wasn't super clear for me at the beginning, what the purpose of and for who this book was written.
Unfortunately I found it a bit dry and boring in writing, so it took me pretty long to get through it. Still would recommend because of the valuable lessons it contains!
Addition: I thought about it a little longer and I agree with a review I read, that said that it felt a bit bodyshaming towards skinny people. At least in the chapter about Kim Kardashian, I would have expected a mention about how that also puts pressure on people with a small butt, to look like that and how harmful that can be in terms of unhealthy gym promises or plastic surgery. On the other hand I can totally understand, that skinny people where the ones that profited throughout history and that it's important, to tell the side of the story from people, who got opressed and mistreated for centuries. Still the women of today, who are naturally skinny (and might be reading this book) are not the ones to blame for history and here and there it felt a bit like that in this book. I suppose it just wasn't super clear for me at the beginning, what the purpose of and for who this book was written.
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed reading this thought-provoking book. It got me thinking about so much that I'd never really considered before, like why humans have butts in the first place.
ambergamgee's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book super interesting and well written. This cultural history of the butt is very much wrapped up in race and racism. I also appreciated the inclusion of LGBT+ communities and drag queens.
I will warn future readers that it is not entirely body-positive. At times it reads as overly critical of skinny women and women with small butts. I felt it was pretty unfair to praise one woman’s natural figure in one breath and scorn another’s in the next. The pursuit of either body is problematic if it means unhealthy eating habits, low self esteem, or fighting your natural body. Just because our society has been obsessed with too skinny does not mean those in skinny bodies are unnatural in some way.
I will warn future readers that it is not entirely body-positive. At times it reads as overly critical of skinny women and women with small butts. I felt it was pretty unfair to praise one woman’s natural figure in one breath and scorn another’s in the next. The pursuit of either body is problematic if it means unhealthy eating habits, low self esteem, or fighting your natural body. Just because our society has been obsessed with too skinny does not mean those in skinny bodies are unnatural in some way.
acrickettofillthesilence's review against another edition
2.0
It's a very odd experience to have an audiobook narrator read out the lyrics to Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious."
In general, this book was a little too repetitive for me and covered a lot of topics I already knew and/or had lived through (and therefore already read a million Medium think pieces about). I also think that this should be considered more of a memoir than a pop science book, since the author spends A LOT of time centering her experiences with her own butt.
In general, this book was a little too repetitive for me and covered a lot of topics I already knew and/or had lived through (and therefore already read a million Medium think pieces about). I also think that this should be considered more of a memoir than a pop science book, since the author spends A LOT of time centering her experiences with her own butt.
jess_justmaybeperfect's review
challenging
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
From the heartbreaking abuse of Sarah Baartman, to Georgian fart clubs, to Kim K., to twerking, and more, Radke traces the history and impact of butts on politics, medicine, pop culture, colonization, music, racial justice, literature, weight loss/exercise pressure, and fashion.
drakken's review against another edition
4.0
A wide-ranging and worthwhile exploration of the title subject - from why they exist physiologically, to how they make us feel, to the ways people have covered them up (or not) across different eras, to how what is seen as desirable is ever-evolving (and is informed by race and gender and class), and more.
mystifiedbulb22's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Butts! They're interesting now!
mauraruth's review against another edition
3.0
I was so excited to read this book, and really enjoyed the first half! Radke begins by writing about humans as endurance runners, thanks to our butts. This crossed over well with Christopher McDougall’s ‘Born to Run,’ which I read earlier this year. I especially found her chapters on Sarah Baartman, bustles, Norma and Normman, and the ever-changing opinion on what exercise should do for butts well researched and fascinating. I truly recommend it!
The second half of the book—not so much. In her pop culture references, she doesn’t try to hide her personal disdain for certain celebrities. For example, Radke spends an entire chapter writing about Miley Cyrus’ 2013 VMA performance with Robin Thicke, which I did find absolutely appropriate to mention in the context of this book. However, instead of focusing on the broader issue of culture misappropriation and moral panic by white audiences at the time, she leans more toward blaming Cyrus almost entirely, all while adding in little digs at her wherever there’s room.
A real quote from the chapter titled ‘Twerk’ goes like this:
“Cyrus danced athletically and provocatively: bending over and shaking her butt (more in the manner of an animal shaking off bathwater than a practiced twerker)”
Felt unnecessary…
This (and much more, including takes on Beyoncé’s ‘Bootylicious’ and Kim Kardashian) felt out of place for a book that was so well-researched and thoughtful in the first half, to suddenly include surface-level takes on more current pop culture trends.
Radke’s follow-up chapter to this is titled ‘The Year of the Butt,’ which refers to 2014, following Cyrus’ VMA performance. At the end of the chapter, Radke quotes Nicki Minaj, who’s commenting on the aftermath of the VMA performance:
"If a white girl does something that seems to be Black, then Black people think, ‘Oh, she's embracing our culture, so they kinda ride with it.’ Then white people think, ‘Oh, she must be cool! She doin' sumpin' Black.’ So it's weird! But if a Black person do a Black thang? It ain't that poppin’.”
I personally think Radke would’ve done well to let that quote speak for itself.
The last chapter (before the conclusion) is titled ‘Reclamation,’ and follows Kelechi Okafor, a Nigerian twerk instructor based in the UK. Okafor teaches the history of twerk in her classes. I found this chapter on twerk much more compelling than the previous ones, that Radke centered someone who understands the importance of cultural authenticity in twerk.
The second half of the book—not so much. In her pop culture references, she doesn’t try to hide her personal disdain for certain celebrities. For example, Radke spends an entire chapter writing about Miley Cyrus’ 2013 VMA performance with Robin Thicke, which I did find absolutely appropriate to mention in the context of this book. However, instead of focusing on the broader issue of culture misappropriation and moral panic by white audiences at the time, she leans more toward blaming Cyrus almost entirely, all while adding in little digs at her wherever there’s room.
A real quote from the chapter titled ‘Twerk’ goes like this:
“Cyrus danced athletically and provocatively: bending over and shaking her butt (more in the manner of an animal shaking off bathwater than a practiced twerker)”
Felt unnecessary…
This (and much more, including takes on Beyoncé’s ‘Bootylicious’ and Kim Kardashian) felt out of place for a book that was so well-researched and thoughtful in the first half, to suddenly include surface-level takes on more current pop culture trends.
Radke’s follow-up chapter to this is titled ‘The Year of the Butt,’ which refers to 2014, following Cyrus’ VMA performance. At the end of the chapter, Radke quotes Nicki Minaj, who’s commenting on the aftermath of the VMA performance:
"If a white girl does something that seems to be Black, then Black people think, ‘Oh, she's embracing our culture, so they kinda ride with it.’ Then white people think, ‘Oh, she must be cool! She doin' sumpin' Black.’ So it's weird! But if a Black person do a Black thang? It ain't that poppin’.”
I personally think Radke would’ve done well to let that quote speak for itself.
The last chapter (before the conclusion) is titled ‘Reclamation,’ and follows Kelechi Okafor, a Nigerian twerk instructor based in the UK. Okafor teaches the history of twerk in her classes. I found this chapter on twerk much more compelling than the previous ones, that Radke centered someone who understands the importance of cultural authenticity in twerk.