Steatopygia

Steatopygia
A Khoisan woman displaying steatopygia
Pronunciation
  • /ˌstiːætəˈpɪdʒ(i)ə, stiˌæ-, ˌstiːə-, -toʊ-, -ˈpiː-, -ˈpaɪ-/

Steatopygia is the state of having substantial levels of tissue on the buttocks and thighs. This build is not confined to the gluteal regions, but extends to the outside and front of the thighs, and tapers to the knee producing a curvilinear figure. The term is from the Greek stéar (στέαρ), meaning "tallow", and pugḗ (πυγή), meaning "rump".[1][2][3][4]

The Neolithic "Steatopygous Goddess from Pano Chorio", c. 5800–4800 BC, terracotta, Crete; whether she is really a goddess is uncertain.

Steatopygia, a genetic characteristic leading to increased accumulation of adipose tissue in the buttock region, is most notably (but not solely) found among the Khoisan of Southern Africa. It has also been observed among the Pygmies of Central Africa and also the Andamanese people, such as the Onge tribe in the Andaman Islands. This genetic characteristic is prevalent among women but also occurs to a lesser degree in men.[5]

Steatopygia would seem to have been a characteristic of a population which once extended from the Gulf of Aden to the Cape of Good Hope, from which peoples the Khoisan and Pygmies may be remnants.[6][7] Among the Khoisan, it begins in infancy and is fully developed by the time of the first pregnancy.

It has been suggested that this feature was once more widespread. Paleolithic Venus figurines, sometimes referred to as "Steatopygian Venus" figures, discovered from Europe to Asia presenting a remarkable development of the thighs, and even the prolongation of the labia minora, have been used to support this theory. Whether these were intended to be lifelike, exaggeratory, or idealistic is unclear. These figures however may not qualify as steatopygian, since they exhibit an angle of approximately 120 degrees between the back and the buttocks, while steatopygia is typically described with an angle of about 90 degrees only.[8]

In Victorian England, freak shows were known to at least once having exploited a woman with steatopygia. The most well-known example was a South African Khoikhoi woman named Saartjie Baartman,[9] who is thought to have had lipedema.[10]

Because of the display of Bartmann's body, she became a representative figure for all African-American women. The portrayals of Bartmann and steatopygia contributed to the hyper-sexualization of African-American women, and contributed to the idea that they were different from the European people viewing the displays.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Steatopygia". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  2. ↑ "Steatopygia". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  3. ↑ "Steatopygia". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  4. ↑ "MP3 file". Content.answers.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "Chapter 5: A Physical Examination". Andaman.org. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  6. ↑ Semino O, Santachiara-Benerecetti AS, Falaschi F, Cavalli-Sforza LL, Underhill PA (January 2002). "Ethiopians and Khoisan Share the Deepest Clades of the Human Y-Chromosome Phylogeny". Am. J. Hum. Genet. 70 (1): 265–8. doi:10.1086/338306. PMC 384897. PMID 11719903.
  7. ↑ Cummings, Vicki; Jordan, Peter; Zvelebil, Marek (Jul 2014). The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 1152. ISBN 9780199551224.
  8. ↑ Softpedia, Stefan Anitei. "What is Steatopygia?". news.softpedia.com/. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Magazine, Justin Parkinson BBC News. "The significance of Sarah Baartman". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  10. ↑ Amato, Alexandre C M (2021-03-08). "Saartjie Baartman: impacto de uma doença desconhecida". Cultura e Saúde (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-03-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ Davis, Judy (2017-11-06). "Selling whiteness? – A critical review of the literature on marketing and racism". Journal of Marketing Management. 34: 1–44. doi:10.1080/0267257X.2017.1395902.
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