Artificial buttocks. This may sound weird and funny to you, but it is a new craze in fashion that has been putting smiles on the faces of the women folk, especially those who are not proud of the size of their buttocks.

And the reason for this may not be far-fetched. In a society where the African woman is admired mainly because of her outward beauty and other physical endowments, some women often feel inferior when they are not ‘judged’ as looking sexy and beautiful. From crazy hairdos to weird dresses and now artificial buttocks, all a woman craves is to be seen and admired as being fashionable and trendy.

According to some fashion-conscious women, men’s changing ‘tastes’ are part of what is pushing fashion buffs to the extreme. Ask male folks, some say they like it big, though they rarely openly acknowledge it. Therefore, some admitted, a woman tends to be more fascinating and sought-after when she has it well rounded and curved, especially at the behind. Thus, it has become a difficult game to some women who always want to please their men, forcing a resort to artificial addition to their natural buttocks.

However, Nancy (not her real name), a part two student at the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, disagrees with the belief that the reason for patronising artificial buttocks is to please the opposite sex. According to her, she bought the artificial buttocks because she couldn’t wear certain clothes that would fit her. “It looks like the normal tight ladies wear under their clothes as undergarments. The difference here is the foam being added to the hips and buttocks in the tight to give more flesh to my buttocks.”

Asked if it can be noticed when worn, as some ladies are not comfortable with this, some women say it looks like a normal underwear ladies use, which is not conspicuous. Besides, if you take a look through the market when it is displayed, people often mistake it for leggings. This, says Mama Rilwan, a trader that deals in female accessories and undergarments at Yaba market, Lagos, also explains why artificial buttocks come in only black colour. It also comes in different sizes, depending on the shape of the female buttocks.

However, just as it puts smiles on people’s faces, the product, which was introduced to the market early this year, is not cheap due to additional pad put in the tight, as each artificial buttock sells for an average of N1,500.

As sexy as it appears, do artificial buttocks have any side effect on users? A health practitioner at Ajegunle General Hospital, Lagos, who prefers anonymity, explains that it is not detrimental to the health as long as it doesn’t change their physiological composition. She added that using artificial buttocks is like wearing a padded brassiere to support one’s breasts, emphasising that the only thing that poses a threat is when users change their physical body. “But lets face it, whatever is fake is fake,” observed the health expert.