The Brazilian butt lift (BBL) has become a pop culture reference in itself, taking over social media feeds and becoming points of discussion all at the same time—but what actually is it?

Brazilian plastic surgeon Ivo Pitanguy is often credited as the founder of the BBL, after he published a 1964 paper on buttock lift surgery. The surgery was able to remove any unwanted skin and tissue around the area to correct sagging, but wasn't able to add shape or fullness.

In 1969, Bartels et al documented the first butt augmentation surgery, which used a silicone breast implant to correct atrophy of a left buttock. It wasn't until 1973 when Cocke and Ricketson documented the first cosmetic buttock augmentation.

In recent years, the BBL has risen in popularity. A 2020 survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that since 2015, the number of butt lifts performed across the globe has grown by 77.6%.

Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj and especially Kim Kardashian have been credited with the rise in demand for big butts. Kardashian has repeatedly denied having surgery on her butt, and even went to the lengths of having an on-screen x-ray during an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, to prove she doesn't have butt implants.

With the whole Kardashian family becoming a pop culture powerhouse, and essentially dictating most trends, be it clothing, make-up or even figures, demands to have her hourglass figure has simultaneously grown.

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