". . .tended to rate breasts, thighs, and buttocks as 'most important. .
.'"
It is entirely possible neither sex conciously knows what it is that attracts
men to women. In a study conducted by William Griffitt, several males were
exposed to photographs of nudes and were asked to rate them by various criteria.
The men who were highly sexually aroused and generally positive tended to rate
breasts, thighs, and buttocks as "most important in determining their initial
sexual attraction to females." Men who were highly negative toward the models
(though equally sexually aroused) rated breasts and the total body unattractive,
but found the models' eyes and buttocks highly attractive (298). (The
steelworkers never mentioned eyes as an attractant, but they were not shown any
photographs and were commenting extemporaneously). It is interesting that men
unattracted to the models would single out those features as appealing rather
than breasts. This could possibly be a clue to what is really going on in men's
subliminal minds. An explanation for this phenomenon might be hinted at by the
Zoologist, Desmond Morris.
". . .the human female is almost always in a sexually capable condition .
. ."
In his book The Naked Ape, Morris speculates that, as humans evolved from the
other primates and began to walk upright, the human female breasts became fleshy
and round. This was not due to a biological need to feed children. Females of
other primate species are flat chested and have no problems feeding their
offspring or attracting mates. But these other primates, as our ancestors most
certainly did, use buttock presentation to indicate when they are ready to
breed. Since the human female is almost always in a sexually capable condition,
the breasts would seem to have become an ever-present sexual display and a form
of "self mimicry" as they are intended to frontally duplicate the female's own
round fleshy buttocks, a trait also not found in other primates and one to which
the human male had already become conditioned (74-75).
". . .men . . .would still be aroused by primordial urges when presented
with . . . buttocks . . ."
At least as far back as the Upper Paleolithic period, men honored their women
in art. Commonly,these depictions were in the form of what archaeologists refer
to as "Venus figures." These small sculptures were often "representations of
corpulent women whose secondary sexual characteristics (their breasts and
buttocks) were given special prominence, though their faces, feet, and arms were
completely neglected" ("Female"). If Desmond Morris' theory is accurate it could
explain why men who are unattracted to some women would still be aroused by
primordial urges when presented with their buttocks, as they were in the
Griffitt study. It would further explain the erotic value of the breasts as
"buttocks by proxy" and elucidate the results of the steelworker interviews.
This could also be an indicator to women as to what they should be concentrating
on to attract the best possible variety of males when preparing for breeding
opportunites; they should be striving for the ideals represented by the
Callipygian Venus. ". . . she pulls her toga up around her waist to show she isn't even wearing
knickers . . ."
The Oxford English Dictionary states "callipygian" is a combination of Greek
words meaning "stem of beauty" (calli) and buttocks (pyge). It further defines
it as "of, pertaining to, or having well shaped or finely developed buttocks."
The Callipygian Venus is a famous statue found in the Museo Nationale in Naples,
Italy ("Callipygian Venus"). The Encyclopedia of World Art describes its name as
meaning " . . . she who is showing the charms of her uncovered buttocks" ("Sex"
12: 904). And that is exactly what she appears to be doing as she pulls her toga
up around her waist to show she isn't even wearing knickers and looks over her
shoulder as if to say "you ever seen a set of buttocks that looks any better
than this, my friend?" Her vanity is justified as the exposed anatomy proves to
be every bit as enticingly and magnificently firm, smooth, round, fresh, young,
and succulent looking as could ever be formed by a mere mortal man in a material
so unsuitable as the finest marble on Earth (whew) ("Sex" 12: plate 564). In
fact, it is such an attractive posterior that this could explain why
"callipygian" has become exclusively attached to the feminine gender. While the
definition of the word does not exclude males, it has never come to be used in
reference to them. The male buttocks do not seem to have the same breadth of
cultural meaning to humans as those of the female's. The main social importance
of male buttocks has been in the area of administered justice. ". . .the gluteal area is totally bloody before the second stroke is ever
applied ." Someone who lives in Singapore might think of buttocks as a scapegoat.
Corporal punishment is the norm in Singapore where martial arts experts
administer judicially ordered canings to around one thousand people
(two-thousand buttocks) annually ("Bush"). Americans, at least Americans in the
1990's, have mixed feelings about this activity. When an eighteen year old
American boy, Michael Fay, was caught vandalizing automobiles in Singapore, he
was sentenced to be publically flogged with six strokes of a cane. Ex-president
George Bush described the act as brutal, but thought criticism of Singapore
would be counter-productive ("Bush"). President Clinton felt the punishment was
extreme, and his intervention got the sentence reduced to four strokes
("Singapore"). That was America's official position, but the opinions of the
literate masses differed. The Ohio Dayton Daily News and Mike Royko of the
Chicago Tribune both reported their mail from readers was overwhelmingly in
favor of the canings, and also in favor of bringing this type of punishment into
the American system of law (qtd. in "Nation"). A caning to the buttocks is
particularly gruesome. Administration of the first stroke breaks the skin, and
the gluteal area is totally bloody before the second stroke is ever applied
("Nation"). It seems noteworthy that this was happening to a male citizen, and
it would be interesting to hear the public's reactions if the offender had been
female. ". . .too akin to paddling their breasts . . ." Corporal punishment in various American school systems is still quite
controversial, if allowed at all. As someone who spent twelve years in an
American public school that allowed paddling for minor offenses, I can say that
I remember only two occasions when female students were victims of this justice,
and those events caused quite a stir at the following Parent-Teacher Association
meetings. The paddling of male students was an event that occured almost weekly
without comment. If Morris is correct in his analysis, then, perhaps the
paddling of girls' buttocks is too akin to paddling their breasts for most
people's comfort. Psychologically, then, male and female buttocks would be seen
as two completely different anatomical structures and explains why "callipygian"
could refer to the one and not the other. ". . .women . . .could enhance their reproductive opportunities immensely
. . ." Another surprising finding in the Griffitt study, which exemplifies the
special difficulty unattractive women may face in snaring suitable sires for
their offspring, concerns the different perceptions men have when they are
sexually aroused and when they are not. This study found that women seen as
unattractive in all their particulars by sexually unaroused males were viewed
even more negatively by those who were sexually aroused. They interpret this to
mean that " . . . undesirable characteristics are more salient and, thus, more
aversive to sexually aroused male subjects" (298). Unlike the situations when
men are negative but still find value in otherwise unappealing women's buttocks,
physically unattractive women are seen to have no redeeming qualitities
whatsoever. With the evidence of the importance men place on buttocks, directly
and by proxy, it is unmistakable that women, especially those who are unsightly,
could enhance their reproductive opportunities immensely through renovations of
their sterns. ". . .straddle presses. . . butt blasters. . . pelvic tilts. . . sissy
squats. . ." Women's magazines expend a lot of print on tecniques for refurbishing and
maintaining the buttocks through physical fitness, but they never seem aware of
the importance of buttocks to the propagation of the human race. While
advocating such medeival sounding tortures as squeezes, power lunges, donkey
kicks ("Brand New Butt"), straddle presses, leg presses, side leg-lifts, butt
blasters, stationary lunges, alternating lunges, pelvic tilts ("Amazing Butt"),
weighted ball routines, static contractions (Cardozo), freehand jump squats,
single leg lifts, barbell stiff-legged deadlifts, kneeling back
kicks(Zinczenko), hip abductions, hip adductions, walking lunges, and sissy
squats (Miller) -- the only benefits they tout are improved self-esteem and a
more stable carriage. ". . . beauty is only skin deep, but ugliness is to the bone." The "quest" for the callipygian ideal, while present in American culture, is
usually cloaked under different terms and headings. Rather than refer to the
buttocks in a sexual way, it is often done in relation to general physical
fitness. Perhaps the Anglo-Saxon sense of humor which sees everything relating
to the butt as cause for jocularity, keeps women from taking it seriously.
However, American women's concentration on facial beautification may have more
to do with commercial causes than misguided instincts. No large or small
cosmetics companies have produced posterior cheek blush, age-defying buttock
cream, or an overnight gluteal mask and applied the superb marketing skills
American industry can bring to bear. This could very well be an excellent niche
market for enterprising individuals. It shouldn't be a difficult sell in this
age of commercialized feminine hygiene products. What's important is to give to
those women perceived to be ghastly in appearance the same opportunities to
experience the fulfillment and joy of child-bearing as afforded to acceptable
looking women. It is also vital to subdue the prejudice men have regarding
beauty that reverts back to their school days when they learned, and believed,
that beauty is only skin deep, but ugliness is to the bone.
The composition of the interviewees cannot be said to be a representative
group of men because there was not enough diversity. Of the thirty five,
thirty-one were millwrights (mechanics) and four were welders. They are all
employees in the Steelmaking Mechanical Department at Bethlehem Steel's Burns
Harbor Plant in Indiana. The age ranged from thirty-seven to fifty-eight years
with one exception; a welder who was seventy-two years old. Twenty-nine of the
respondents were White, five were African-American, and one was Hispanic.
The interviews took place in the Steelmaking Mechanical lunch room over the
course of one day. The participants were told to imagine a woman dressed in a
fairly conservative manner with a mid-plunge-neck sweater and a snug but not
tight fitting skirt approximately three inches above her knees and were further
told that "vagina" would not be an acceptable answer. The interviews can in no
way be said to have been confidential as the lunch room is quite public and
everyone was taking an interest in the total proceedings. In some ways the
findings may be skewed because of undue influence by the bystanders.
Surprisingly, over twenty men had been interviewed before anyone suggested that
"nipples" would be an appropriate response. Upon this revelation, almost every
respondent declared that when nipples could be seen bulging through a garment
then that was what totally riveted their attention, and several of them wanted
to change their answers. I eventually had to disallow the answer and make them
understand that they had to keep in mind a woman with no nipples to be seen. The
two men who refused to budge from the response of nipples were assigned to the
breast category.
This survey is anything but scientific and I have no way of knowing what
degree of accuracy it represents, though, I suspect it is not good. However, it
dove-tailed nicely with my pre-conceived notions so I have to consider it an
excellent source for my purposes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Alsman, Kensey. Survey. 27 Nov. 1995.
"An Amazing Butt." Madamoiselle July 1994: 128.
"Bush Criticizes Caning but Likes Singapore." New York Times 1 Apr. 1994: 4
1-2.
"Callipygian." Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.
"Callipygian Venus." Webster's New International Dictionary of the English
Language. 2nd ed. 1960.
Cardozo, Constance. "The Tightest Thighs Ever -- Guaranteed." Self June 1994:
162.
Griffitt, William. "Sexual Stimulation and Sociosexual Behaviors."
Love and Attraction: An International Conference. Ed. Mark Cook and Glenn
Wilson. London: Pergamon Press, 1979.
"How To Get A Brand New Butt." McCall's March 1995: 34.
"Female Fertility Dieties." Encyclopedia Britannica On Line. 1995.
http://www.eb.com.
Miller, Pamela. "Build Up, Slim Down, Break Out." Self Sep. 1995: 156.
Morris, Desmond. The Naked Ape. New York: McGraw Hill 1970.
"Nation." The [Valparaiso, IN] Vidette Messenger 3 Apr. 1994: 5A 1-3.
"Sex and Erotica." Encyclopedia of World Art. 1968.
"Singapore." Encyclopedia Britannica On Line. 1995. http://www.eb.com.
"The World Class Butt." Glamour May 1993: 270.
Zinczenko, David. "Butt, Seriously." Men's Health May 1994: 88.
copyright© 1996, - Kensey Alsman ![[Callipygian Venus]](Fetching Bums -- (The Quest for the Callipygian Ideal)_files/venus.jpeg)
APPENDIX
NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR ON THE STEELWORKER INTERVIEWS
WORKS CITED