MILLIONS of women were once fearfully asking “does my bum look big in this?” That was until a big behind became all the rage in the mid-2010s and having a larger-than-life backside was deemed sexy and attractive. And with that came an increase in the number of women choosing to cheat their way to the seemingly perfect posterior. A record 40,320 women had buttock augmentation procedures in 2020, according to figures released in 2022 by The Aesthetic Society .
The appeal of a big bum is thought to have been fuelled by Instagram and the ' Kardashian effect ', which saw young women trying desperately to replicate the reality TV sisters' looks. The most common bottom-enhancing procedure is the controversial Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) which involves injecting fat from other parts of the body into the bottom to give a more rounded or lifted look. Controversial because the surgery carries the highest risk of all cosmetic procedures - with more than one in 4,000 resulting in death.
Despite the dangers, BBLs are the fastest-growing type of cosmetic surgery, says the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) - and its popularity is increasing by a staggering 20% year-on-year. And while some women are still scrambling around to find the thousands to be able to afford one - the average cost for a BBL in the UK is £6,000 to £12,000 - the tide is in fact turning. The procedure has fallen out of favour amongst A to Z-listers, with many who have had the surgery trying to .