Becky, Look at Her Butt

Even at my heaviest, I never thought much about the size of my butt in particular. I guess I was always so busy worrying about how big I was in general, or about my stomach or my arms in particular. Basically, I guess I was more worried about the parts of my body I couldn’t help seeing every day to spend too much time thinking about the rear view. (Plus, I never did – and still don’t – understand what makes a butt great. Really. It can’t purely be size, or is it just that so many women think theirs is out of proportion to the rest of their figure?)

I remember a few years ago, after a (temporarily) successful weight loss attempt, my best friend came to visit me in London. She started to follow me up the stairs to my flat, then stopped and said: “Your butt is the size of a small child’s.”

I was so stunned that for a moment I wondered if that was a compliment. Once I figured out that it was, I paused for a moment to consider that any part of my body would not only not be hugely fat, but actually would be worthy of complimenting. And that was about the last thought I gave my butt. It was 2005.

I put on weight. And then I lost it all plus more, and here I’ve stayed for, well, longer than I ever have before.

And suddenly in the past couple of weeks:

“You’ve got a great butt now. Now you just have to maintain it.” (my Pilates teacher – male, I might add)

“I heard your voice outside and then I saw your butt first, and I thought, ‘Wow, it looks amazing.’ What has she been doing?” (friend I haven’t seen for a few months)

“I don’t usually recommend this style, but you’ve got the butt to pull it off.” (bathing suit designer friend, recommending – you guessed it – bathing suit styles)

I have to say, my butt doesn’t look any different to me than it ever has. And I’m not complaining, believe me, but it is just my luck to have perhaps my best body part be one that isn’t exactly easy to display. I’ll know this has all gotten to my head if I start entering rooms backwards…

(No, I can’t believe I’m posting this either.)