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Steatopygia

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Steatopygia
A Khoisan woman displaying steatopygia
Pronunciation

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 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 occurs to a lesser degree in men.[5]

A woman exhibiting steatopygia

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.[6]

In Georgian England, freak shows were known to have exploited a woman with steatopygia at least once. The most well-known example was a South African Khoikhoi woman named Sarah Baartman,[7] who is thought to have had lipedema.[8]

Causes

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Steotopygia is the relationship between the android auxilla and the femur and various fat genes are included for variation.[9] Steotopygia is found in both male and female people of afrodescent. Steotopygia is a phenotype that african subracial groups kept from ancient humans when they started walking on two feet. Steotopygia forms a default triangle shape body build regardless of the body weight meaning even being severely underweight keep a triangle shape body for both male and female.[10]

Contemporary debates

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Modern understanding of steatopygia is not connected solely to genetic markers. [11] Historical perspective on race influenced steatopygia was used for sexualizing people such as "Hottentot Venus."[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Steatopygia". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  2. ^ "Steatopygia". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  3. ^ "Steatopygia". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2019-12-22.
  4. ^ "MP3 file". Content.answers.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  5. ^ "Chapter 5: A Physical Examination". Andaman.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  6. ^ Softpedia, Stefan Anitei (2007-04-04). "What is Steatopygia?". news.softpedia.com/. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  7. ^ Magazine, Justin Parkinson BBC News (7 January 2016). "The significance of Sarah Baartman". BBC News. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  8. ^ Amato, Alexandre C M (2021-03-08). "Saartjie Baartman: impacto de uma doença desconhecida". Cultura e Saúde (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  9. ^ Schleinitz, Dorit; Böttcher, Yvonne; Blüher, Matthias; Kovacs, Peter (July 2014). "The genetics of fat distribution". Diabetologia. 57 (7): 1276–1286. doi:10.1007/s00125-014-3214-z. PMID 24632736.
  10. ^ Nakabuye, Mariam; Kamiza, Abram Bunya; Soremekun, Opeyemi; Machipisa, Tafadzwa; Cohen, Emmanuel; Pirie, Fraser; Nashiru, Oyekanmi; Young, Elizabeth; Sandhu, Manjinder S.; Motala, Ayesha A.; Chikowore, Tinashe; Fatumo, Segun (June 2022). "Genetic loci implicated in meta-analysis of body shape in Africans". Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 32 (6): 1511–1518. doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2022.03.010. PMID 35461751.
  11. ^ Dass, Minesh (2011). "'Amanuensis' and 'Steatopygia': The Complexity of 'Telling the Tale' in Zoë Wicomb's 'David's Story'". English in Africa. 38 (2): 45–60. doi:10.4314/eia.v38i2.3. JSTOR 23074950.
  12. ^ Lederman, Muriel; Bartsch, Ingrid, eds. (2001). The gender and science reader. London; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-21357-8.
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