One of the biggest problems women face in the world of fashion is finding the perfect jeans (hint: NOT mom jeans) to make their derrieres look as booty-ful as ever. Enter fashion guru Gretta Monahan who says almost all women fall into one of three butt-shape categories — whether your backside is full, flat or square, here’s how to flaunt ‘em!
What Causes the Different Types of Butt Shapes?
Your skeletal structure determines the main framework for your body shape, and the overall shape that you end up with is determined by the distribution of fat and muscle on top of your skeleton. For the butt, the main factor which causes the particular shape of the buttocks is your pelvis, followed by your fat distribution which is largely genetically determined.
In general, for most people who do not do specific glute training, muscle does not contribute a lot to butt shape as the glutes are generally underdeveloped in most people.
Females and males obviously have very different butt shapes, but this article will focus mainly on the different types of female butt shapes.
What are the Different Types of Butt Shapes for Women?
Most plastic surgeons recognize four main shapes when it comes to the female derriere:
- Square – “H” shape
- Round – “C” or “O” shape
- Heart/pear – “A” shape
- Inverted – “V” shape
With reference to the pictures above, you should be able to pick out one of the butt shapes that resembles your own. Don’t be too concerned if none of these matches the way your butt looks exactly – they are meant to be used as a guide only and the sheer amount of variation in the human body means that not everyone will fit into predefined categories.
1. ROUND BUTT
This one is pretty much self-explanatory, but mostly because you’ve seen this shape on Kim Kardashian, Queen Bey, and J Lo. If you want a rounder butt — which tends to be a popular sentiment among Dr. Schulman’s patients — strengthening the butt muscles can give your backside “more projection” without surgical intervention.
The best bottoms for you: A round butt requires extra fabric in the back for full coverage — otherwise, the crotch of your underwear will just shift backward, which can lower the front waist band and trigger a frontal wedgie — not cool. Tangas and thongs, as well as briefs and boy shorts with four-way stretch, a center back seam, and — in a perfect world — ruching along that seam are ideal for contouring your butt cheeks. Pro tip: Size up for even more coverage.
SEEK: A mid to high-rise jean — the higher waist will cinch you in and lean you out. Gretta says to also look for dark denim with performance stretch built in.
“It’ll smooth and reduce the look of the fullness by and inch, inch and a half and contour the butt” says Gretta.
AVOID: Gretta says the last thing you want on a jean are pockets with lots of detail — they add too much volume making an already full butt look even fuller. Also try to avoid light denim because, like Gretta says “You’re shining a light on your fuller parts.”
2. SQUARE BUTT
If the line between your hip bone and outer thigh runs perpendicular to the ground, congrats, your butt is square, according to Dr. Schulman.
The best bottoms for you: While styles designed to hit high on the thigh can ride up and result in a wedgie, boy shorts, bikinis, tangas, and thongs can be comfortable and flattering for women with square, flat butts. Just steer clear of panties with elastic-edged leg holes, which tend to have extra fabric that can cause awkward bunching.
SEEK: Look for jeans with pockets that are set closer together toward the center seam. You also want to make sure the pockets have a “V”-shaped stitched design (no, they’re not there just for cute looks!). Gretta says these small details are added to flatter your shape.
AVOID: While yes, the boyfriend jean is on-trend, they’re loose with no shape, making a square butt look even more boxy. Pockets that are placed far apart from each other have the same effect and will make you look wider, too! You also want to avoid plain pockets without detail — they’ll further emphasize the boxiness.
3. FLAT BUTT
SEEK: Look for jeans with pockets that are set closer together toward the center seam. You also want to make sure the pockets have a “V”-shaped stitched design (no, they’re not there just for cute looks!). Gretta says these small details are added to flatter your shape.
AVOID: While yes, the boyfriend jean is on-trend, they’re loose with no shape, making a square butt look even more boxy. Pockets that are placed far apart from each other have the same effect and will make you look wider, too! You also want to avoid plain pockets without detail — they’ll further emphasize the boxiness.
OTHER TYPES OF BUTT
V-Shape
If the line between your pelvis and hips angles inward, your butt takes on a “V” shape from behind, according to Dr. Schulman, who says this butt shape is common among women with broad shoulders and very narrow hips.
The best bottoms for you: Stick with briefs, boy shorts, hipsters, or bikinis withouthigh-cut leg holes, which won’t provide quite enough coverage for your butt cheeks. Because a V-shaped butt can make your cheeks look like they’re sagging, make sure your underwear’s leg opening cups the bottom of your buns for extra definition.
A-Shape
“Pear-shaped” women tend to have A-shaped butts that widen below the hip bones, according to Dr. Schulman.
The best bottoms for you: Because A-shaped butts tend to stem from fuller thighs, the most comfortable underwear styles have high-cut legs with larger leg holes. Stick with tangas, bikinis, or boy shorts made from stretchy lace, or seamless, laser-cut edges — and avoid styles with elastic-edged leg holes, which can be binding and uncomfortable.
Upside-Down Heart
The ol’ upside-down-heart-shaped butt is round without defying gravity. Like round booties, “it involves a curve to the outer hips, but with more volume in the lower part of the hip,” Dr. Schulman explains.
The best bottoms for you: Because your butt and hips are full, and your buns are set low, high-cut leg holes might not give your butt cheeks quite enough coverage. Go for briefs, boy shorts, hipsters, or bikinis with a lower-cut leg opening. If you’re worried about looking saggy, make sure your underwear’s leg openings cup the buns, hitting right below your butt crease for the illusion of an instant butt lift.
