- Steatopygia
[http://content.answers.com/main/content/ahd4/pron/S0728900.wav Steatopygia] (IPAEng|stiˌætəˈpɪdʒiə) is a high degree of
fat accumulation in and around thebuttock s. The deposit of fat is not confined to thegluteal regions, but extends to the outside and front of thethigh s, forming a thick layer reaching sometimes to theknee .This development constitutes a genetic characteristic of the
Khoisan . It is specially a feature of the women, but it occurs in a lesser degree in the males (in most races of "Homo sapiens", females tend to exhibit a greater propensity toadipose tissue accumulation in the buttock region as compared with males). It has also been noted among the Pygmies ofCentral Africa and theOnge -tribe of theAndaman Islands . Among the Khoisan, it is regarded as a sign ofbeauty : it begins in infancy and is fully developed by the time of the firstpregnancy . It is often accompanied by the formation known aselongated labia (labia minora that may extend as much as 4 inches outside thevulva ).Steatopygia would seem to have been a characteristic of a population which once extended from the
Gulf of Aden to theCape of Good Hope , of which stock Khoisan and Pygmies are remnants. While the Khoisan afford the most noticeable examples of its development, it is by no means rare in other parts of Africa, and occurs even more frequently among maleBaster s than among Khoikhoi women. It is also observed among females ofAndamanese Negrito s.What seems certain is that steatopygia in both sexes was fairly widespread among early human populations. The discovery in the caves of the south of
France of figures inivory presenting a remarkable development of the thighs, and even the peculiar prolongation of thelabia minora , has been used to support this theoryFact|date=February 2007. However, the type of NeolithicVenus figurines sometimes referred to as "steatopygian Venus" do not strictly qualify as steatopygian, since they exhibit an angle of approximately 120 degrees between the back and the buttocks, while steatopygia strictly speaking is diagnosed at an angle of about 90 degrees only (Passemard 1938).ee also
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Saartjie Baartman References
* L. Passemard (1938), "Les statuettes féminines paléolithiques dites Vénus stéatopyges", Nîmes, Tessier.
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