Butts: a backstory
(Book)
Author:
Published:
New York : Avid Reader Press, c2022.
Format:
Book
Physical Desc:
viii, 310 pages ; 22 cm
Status:
Ashland Adult Nonfiction
306.4 RAD
Description
*ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF FALL: Esquire, Time, LitHub, The Every Girl, BookPage*
“One of the year’s most ingenious and eye-opening cultural studies.” —Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2022
“Deeply thought, rigorously researched, and riveting...A pitch-perfect debut.” —Melissa Febos, bestselling author of Girlhood and Body Work
Whether we love them or hate them, think they’re sexy, think they’re strange, consider them too big, too small, or anywhere in between, humans have a complicated relationship with butts. It is a body part unique to humans, critical to our evolution and survival, and yet it has come to signify so much more: sex, desire, comedy, shame. A woman’s butt, in particular, is forever being assessed, criticized, and objectified, from anxious self-examinations trying on jeans in department store dressing rooms to enduring crass remarks while walking down a street or high school hallways. But why? In Butts: A Backstory, reporter, essayist, and RadioLab contributing editor Heather Radke is determined to find out.
Spanning nearly two centuries, this “whip-smart” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) cultural history takes us from the performance halls of 19th-century London to the aerobics studios of the 1980s, the music video set of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” and the mountains of Arizona, where every year humans and horses race in a feat of gluteal endurance. Along the way, she meets evolutionary biologists who study how butts first developed; models whose measurements have defined jean sizing for millions of women; and the fitness gurus who created fads like “Buns of Steel.” She also examines the central importance of race through figures like Sarah Bartmann, once known as the “Venus Hottentot,” Josephine Baker, Jennifer Lopez, and other women of color whose butts have been idolized, envied, and despised.
Part deep dive reportage, part personal journey, part cabinet of curiosities, Butts is an entertaining, illuminating, and thoughtful examination of why certain silhouettes come in and out of fashion—and how larger ideas about race, control, liberation, and power affect our most private feelings about ourselves and others.
“One of the year’s most ingenious and eye-opening cultural studies.” —Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2022
“Deeply thought, rigorously researched, and riveting...A pitch-perfect debut.” —Melissa Febos, bestselling author of Girlhood and Body Work
Whether we love them or hate them, think they’re sexy, think they’re strange, consider them too big, too small, or anywhere in between, humans have a complicated relationship with butts. It is a body part unique to humans, critical to our evolution and survival, and yet it has come to signify so much more: sex, desire, comedy, shame. A woman’s butt, in particular, is forever being assessed, criticized, and objectified, from anxious self-examinations trying on jeans in department store dressing rooms to enduring crass remarks while walking down a street or high school hallways. But why? In Butts: A Backstory, reporter, essayist, and RadioLab contributing editor Heather Radke is determined to find out.
Spanning nearly two centuries, this “whip-smart” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) cultural history takes us from the performance halls of 19th-century London to the aerobics studios of the 1980s, the music video set of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” and the mountains of Arizona, where every year humans and horses race in a feat of gluteal endurance. Along the way, she meets evolutionary biologists who study how butts first developed; models whose measurements have defined jean sizing for millions of women; and the fitness gurus who created fads like “Buns of Steel.” She also examines the central importance of race through figures like Sarah Bartmann, once known as the “Venus Hottentot,” Josephine Baker, Jennifer Lopez, and other women of color whose butts have been idolized, envied, and despised.
Part deep dive reportage, part personal journey, part cabinet of curiosities, Butts is an entertaining, illuminating, and thoughtful examination of why certain silhouettes come in and out of fashion—and how larger ideas about race, control, liberation, and power affect our most private feelings about ourselves and others.
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Ashland Adult Nonfiction
306.4 RAD
Available
Dec 13, 2023
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Eagle River Adult Nonfiction
306.4 RAD
Available
Mar 24, 2023
Subjects
LC Subjects
Other Subjects
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781982135485, 1982135484
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [257]-299) and index.
Description
"Whether we love them or hate them, think they're sexy, think they're strange, consider them too big, too small, or anywhere in between, humans have a complicated relationship with butts. It is a body part unique to humans, critical to our evolution and survival, and yet it has come to signify so much more: sex, desire, comedy, shame. A woman's butt, in particular, is forever being assessed, criticized, and objectified, from anxious self-examinations trying on jeans in department store dressing rooms to enduring crass remarks while walking down a street or high school hallways. But why? In Butts: A Backstory, reporter, essayist, and RadioLab contributing editor Heather Radke is determined to find out."--,Provided by publisher.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Radke, H. (2022). Butts: a backstory. New York, Avid Reader Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Radke, Heather. 2022. Butts: A Backstory. New York, Avid Reader Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Radke, Heather, Butts: A Backstory. New York, Avid Reader Press, 2022.
MLA Citation (style guide)Radke, Heather. Butts: A Backstory. New York, Avid Reader Press, 2022.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
7187dddf-5c68-f31e-4892-dd8e98655bde
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Apr 25, 2024 01:20:13 AM |
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Last File Modification Time | Apr 25, 2024 01:20:29 AM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 26, 2024 04:39:12 AM |
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505 | 0 | |a Introduction -- Origins. Muscle ; Fat ; Feathers -- Sarah. Life ; Legacy -- Shape. Bigness ; Smallness -- Norma. Creation ; Proliferation ; Resistance -- Fit. Steel ; Joy -- Bootylicious. Kate ; Mix ; Jennifer ; Kim -- Motion. Twerk ; Miley ; The year of the butt ; Reclamation -- Conclusion. | |
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