Steatopygia,
a genetic characteristic leading to increased accumulation of
adipose tissue in the buttock region, is found in women of
African origin, most notably (but not solely) among the
Khoisan of Southern Africa and
Pygmies of Central Africa. It has also been observed among the
Andamanese people, such as the
Onge tribe, in the
Andaman Islands of the
Indian Ocean. 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. While the Khoisan afford the most noticeable examples of its development, it is by no means rare in other parts of Africa.
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 or exaggeratory, even idealistic, is unclear. These figures however do not qualify as steatopygian, since they exhibit an angle of approximately 120 degrees between the back and the buttocks, while steatopygia is diagnosed by modern medical standards at an angle of about 90 degrees only.
[8]
In Victorian England,
freak shows often exploited women with steatopygia. One of the most well-known examples was a South African Khoikhoi woman named
Saartjie Baartman.
[9]
An African slave was bought in Cape Town and taken to Europe to be exhibited in London and Paris as a freak of nature.
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