View source for Medicine:Steatopygia

{{Short description|Physical condition involving high amounts of tissue on the buttocks and thighs}}
{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name            = Steatopygia
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| image           = Woman with steatopygia.jpg
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| caption         = A Khoisan woman displaying steatopygia
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| pronounce       = {{IPAc-en|ˌ|s|t|iː|æ|t|ə|ˈ|p|ɪ|dʒ|(|i|)|ə|,_|s|t|i|ˌ|æ|-|,_|ˌ|s|t|iː|ə|-|,_|-|t|oʊ|-|,_|-|ˈ|p|iː|-|,_|-|ˈ|p|aɪ|-}}
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'''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 [[Social:Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{transl|grc|stéar}} ({{lang|grc|στέαρ}}), meaning "tallow",  and {{transl|grc|pugḗ}} ({{lang|grc|πυγή}}), meaning "rump".{{refn|{{Dictionary.com|access-date=2016-01-22|Steatopygia}}}}{{refn|{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|access-date=2016-01-22|Steatopygia}}}}{{refn|{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Steatopygia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222132636/https://www.lexico.com/definition/steatopygia |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-12-22 |title=Steatopygia |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Organization:Oxford University Press|Oxford University Press]]}} }}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.answers.com/main/content/ahd4/pron/S0728900.wav|title=MP3 file|website=Content.answers.com|access-date=8 June 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022719/http://content.answers.com/main/content/ahd4/pron/S0728900.wav|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Tonfigur Kato Chorio 02.jpg|thumb|left|The [[History:Neolithic|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 [[Place:Southern Africa|Southern Africa]].  It has also been observed among Pygmies of [[Place:Central Africa|Central Africa]] and also the Andamanese people, such as the Onge tribe in the [[Earth:Andaman Islands|Andaman Islands]]. This genetic characteristic is prevalent among women but occurs to a lesser degree in men.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.andaman.org/BOOK/chapter5/text5.htm |title=Chapter 5: A Physical Examination |publisher=Andaman.org |access-date=2012-08-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710025916/http://www.andaman.org/BOOK/chapter5/text5.htm |archive-date=July 10, 2012 }}</ref> Among the Khoisan, it begins in infancy and is fully developed by the time of the first [[Medicine:Pregnancy|pregnancy]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

It has been suggested that this feature was once more widespread. Paleolithic [[History:Venus figurines|Venus figurines]], sometimes referred to as "Steatopygian Venus" figures, discovered from Europe to Asia presenting a remarkable development of the thighs, and even the [[Medicine:Elongated labia|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/What-is-Steatopygia-51231.shtml|title=What is Steatopygia?|first=Stefan Anitei|last=Softpedia|website=news.softpedia.com/|access-date=4 September 2016}}</ref>

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 Saartjie Baartman,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35240987|title=The significance of Sarah Baartman|first=Justin Parkinson BBC News|last=Magazine|work=BBC News |date=7 January 2016 |access-date=8 June 2016}}</ref> who is thought to have had [[Unsolved:Lipedema|lipedema]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Amato|first=Alexandre C M|date=2021-03-08|title=Saartjie Baartman: impacto de uma doença desconhecida|url=https://culturaesaude.med.br/saartjie-baartman-impacto-de-uma-doenca-desconhecida/|access-date=2021-03-09|website=Cultura e Saúde|language=pt-BR}}</ref>

==See also==
*Big Beautiful Woman
*[[Social:Female body shape|Female body shape]]
*[[Social:Feminine beauty ideal|Feminine beauty ideal]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
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[[Category:Anthropology]]

{{Sourceattribution|Steatopygia|1}}