'Does my bum look big in this?' 

Back in the 1990s, the 'Insecure Woman' comedy character made famous in the Fast Show hoped the answer would be 'no'. 

Today, a trend for cartoonish curves has driven a growing number of women to seek to enlarge their derrieres instead, and so-called 'Brazilian Butt Lifts' have hit the headlines. 

So what are they - and where did they come from? 

Who invented the BBL?

Celebrity Brazilian plastic surgeon Ivo Pitanguy, who died aged 90 in 2016, is widely credited with inventing the Brazilian butt lift (BBL).

It was first described in 1964 in a paper he published in the medical journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, as a surgical technique to correct sagging buttocks. 

In the 1970s and 1980s he published further research on aesthetic surgery for the gluteal region, popularising the fat-grafting technique used in modern BBLs. 

Other surgeons, including the Argentinian José Robles, also experimented with placing silicone implants into muscle tissue to create a more rounded rear. 

Ivo Pitanguy - credited as the inventor of the BBL - was an icon of plastic surgery in BrazilIvo Pitanguy - credited as the inventor of the BBL - was an icon of plastic surgery in Brazil (Image: Getty)

Why did they become popular?

Until the 2000s, BBLs remained relatively uncommon in cosmetic surgery. After 2010, there was a surge in demand.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic and Cosmetic Surgery, the number of BBLs - or "buttock augmentations" - carried out worldwide between 2014 and 2015 increased by 30%, to 320,000.

By 2022, this had soared to more than 820,000. 

The growing prominence of reality television superstar Kim Kardashian and rappers such as Nicki Minaj are credited with shifting the zeitgeist of beauty norms in favour of exaggerated hourglass figures with tiny waists and large bottoms. 

Curvaceous stars such as rapper Nikki Minaj have changed beauty ideals for womenCurvaceous stars such as rapper Nikki Minaj have changed beauty ideals for women

Types of BBL 

Surgical BBLs usually involve removing fat from a patient's hips, thighs or abdomen and injecting it into the buttocks to increase their volume. 

Alternatively, silicone implants can be inserted into the buttocks.  

Non-surgical BBLs have also emerged as a less invasive and cheaper 'high street' alternative where dermal filler is injected into the buttocks to increase their size. 

However, this also carries risks with some cases of patients being hospitalised with life-threatening infections after undergoing the procedure with unregulated, non-medical practitioners.

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Is it allowed in the UK?

In 2018, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) declared a voluntary moratorium on BBLs and advised its members against performing them

This followed the death in August 2018 of 29-year-old Leah Cambridge, who had travelled to Turkey to undergo a £3000 surgical BBL where fat was harvested via liposuction from her stomach and transferred via cannula into her buttocks.

Mother-of-three Leah Cambridge, from Leeds, reportedly paid £3000 for her BBL surgery in TurkeyMother-of-three Leah Cambridge, from Leeds, reportedly paid £3000 for her BBL surgery in Turkey (Image: Facebook)

She died as a result of complications during the surgery. A post-mortem in England revealed that fat had entered her veins, causing a lethal fat embolism.   

In 2022, BAAPS issued new guidelines recommending that surgeons only carry out a procedure called superficial gluteal lipofilling (SGL).

This uses fat collected from other parts of the body but injects it just below the skin, rather than deep into the muscles as in a full BBL.

BAAPS also advises that surgeons performing an SGL should use ultrasound to guide the procedure.