# BIG BUTT! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2000, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-butt/20751 "2000-05-28T21:06:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2000, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-butt/20751/1 "2000-05-28T21:06:38Z")
1. I want to make it clear, I am not making fun of anybody, as I am very overweight myself. However, I saw this woman who had an enormous butt. Now, as I said, I am overweight and most of my weight is in my butt and belly, but you can also see that my feet, hands, and face are fatter than they used to be. Yet, this woman had thin hands and features. What I am curious about is, could this be a symptom of some physical disorder, or did she just put weight only on her posterior? I have seen this usually on women, but once in a while on men. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2000, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-butt/20751/2 "2000-05-28T21:11:49Z")
I’m not sure if it is a sign of a physical problem, but a lot of potentially diabetic women have weight gain in the torso and butt and not a lot in the limbs. My grandmother, for instance, has a large mid-section and fairly nice legs and arms. She says this is a diabetic body type. Another thing is that many women have “problem spots” where they gain weight first. For most women these are the butt, waist, hips and thighs. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2000, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-butt/20751/3 "2000-05-28T21:19:58Z")
Was she a Khoikhoin (Hottentot)? Some of those women have a genetic condition called steatopygia (from the Greek word meaning “fat-arse”; I kid you not). I don’t believe it’s a disease, but some sort of adaptation. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-butt/20751/4 "2000-05-29T03:51:26Z")
Steatopygia is a descriptive term, not a disease. Certain people and ethnic groups have a tendency toward large asses. It’s thought to be an adaptation – fat is stored during good times and they help the person survive when food is scarce. Or course, in 20th century industrialized countries, food is rarely scarce. ---
**Author:** ![Initial\_Entry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e9a140/32.png) [@Initial\_Entry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Initial_Entry)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2000, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-butt/20751/5 "2000-05-29T04:16:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Was she a Khoikhoin (Hottentot)? I believe that you’re thinking of the San, or Xi, actually. Right region though. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2000, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-butt/20751/6 "2000-05-29T15:31:43Z")
Women become ‘pears’ light at the top, heavy at the bottom. Men become apples. Big in the middle. Easy.