Baby Got Back

You know what else I'm loving right now?

Round, tight, curvaceous behinds are trending. At the risk of referencing Kim Kardashian in back-to-back posts, baby put some bootie on the mainstream map along with J Lo, Beyonce and Mrs. Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, to name just a few.

But sporty girls were already making waves long before celebrity booty graced People magazine. Athletes like Serena Williams, Rhonda Rousey, the US Soccer team and almost every girl featured in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue are packing big, muscular backsides. Even those little bitty US gymnasts, all of 4' something with the power of a trillion double flip backside roundoff triple axel handsprings concentrated in their chiseled booties know the power of a broad backside. Gold medal, baby.

Girl competing at the Crossfit Games

Yours truly has always had an ample supply of er, glute muscles, so when [insert almost any bad trend of the 80's-90's here] was in vogue it it was hard to find pants that [insert any desired look from bad trend] without looking like a complete dillhole. I mean, the boys knew why we tied sweatshirts around our waists. Anything that clung was out as far as I was concerned.

So when skinny jeans became the rage (again) sometime in the aughts, I stood fast to skirts and more skirts, some cargo pants and a few spendy pairs of jeans - boot cut - that I was assured by friends and the Nordstrom's sales girl made my butt look more compact. I continued to run in loose running shorts, to wear baggy ski pants, to turn to skirts 90% of the time unless it was absolutely too cold or I had to "dress up".

Then Lululemon came onto my radar, and Athleta. And suddenly there was a new type of clothing - sporty, functional, uber-comfortable and a little body-hugging. Sweat pants dressed up! Without quite realizing it, I was opening the door to more body-skimming pants in my life. It didn't hurt that 4 years of Crossfit had boosted my backside, not necessarily making it smaller but making it a force to be reckoned with, and one that could deadlift 250 pounds. Strength had become beauty had become confidence.

This year, at the age of [insert something that starts with 4], I walked into work for the first time wearing skinny jeans. I mean tapered, booty hugging, leg clinging skinny jeans. Looking in the mirror at the round of my rump I was surprised to see they made it look not squished out into some strange gourd shape as I'd imagined a hundred times, but curvy, big, appropriate, and kind of sexy.

And maybe part of that ease was seeing girls everywhere rocking their booties, laying claim to what's rightfully theirs whether through genetics, hard work or just luck. I remember seeing a woman about my size many years ago in a Gap store wearing a pair of jeans that made her plus-size ass look amazing. I was too embarrassed to ask her about the brand fearing she might think I was thinking she was as big as me - yes, clearly, CLEARLY, I have had issues - but my Mom intervened and got the name. It was the first time I thought maybe there were jeans out there for a butt like mine that I could wear nonchalantly on a Saturday afternoon stroll down Union Street with flip flops and a t-shirt. Just maybe.

Fast forward to about 2 years ago when I was in physical therapy for something - a leg or foot issue - and while I was going through the motions with a PT and a PT student doing some exercises, I could tell the student was staring at me. Finally, she asked if I was a professional athlete. Completely flattered I laughed and said no way but asked her why and she said "You're so muscular."

Contemplating a pushup. Butt tight.

I'd come a long way from tying sweatshirts around my jeans. Hell yes, tight lycra shorts and a tank top. Own it, flaunt it. Strength is the new skinny is the new beauty. For me, at least. Unless it's a muffin-top kind of day and then it's all about layers.

I like big butts and I cannot lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung, wanna pull out your tough
'Cause you notice that butt was stuffed
Deep in the jeans she's wearing
I'm hooked and I can't stop staring
Baby got back
- Sir Mix-A-Lot