From Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” video to Kim Kardashian’s attempt to break the Internet, pop culture has moved society into the era of the big booty. I never used to care about what mine looked like, but now, you can find me attempting squats and lunges in my apartment during Real Housewives re-runs. You might even catch me staring at my butt for a little too long every time I walk past a reflective surface.
Having been compared to a pancake and even called “bony butt,” this booty obsession isn’t one that’s easy for me to embrace. I’ve always avoided tight-fitting clothes, and haven’t worn form-fitting jeans in years because they just aren’t flattering on me.
My options? Surgery, (more) squats or… padded underwear.
Obviously, I wasn’t going to get surgery. My squats didn’t seem to be helping. And padded underwear just seemed weird.
But then I started thinking. If I don’t have to think twice about wearing a padded bra, it wouldn’t be that crazy to wear a pair of padded underwear, right? So I went for it—I ordered two pairs of “Booty Pops” (yes, that’s what they’re actually called), and here’s what happened.
When my padded panties arrived, I was surprised to see how cute they actually were—from the front, anyway. I have to admit the pads look pretty silly from the back side. But there’s an extra bonus: on days when I have to be sitting in a chair all day, I’ll probably be pretty comfortable.
I dug through my closet for the booty-hugging jeans I’d hidden away for years. I put them on… and what a difference! Yes, I have to say, my booty actually popped.
I decided to debut my new booty on campus that day. At first, I was self-conscious—I tried to hide my butt because I was afraid it would be obvious I was wearing padded underwear. When I had to get up to turn in a paper at the beginning of class, a million thoughts ran through my head. Was my look too bootylicious? I was worried that people would stare or judge me.
As it turns out, when I went to the front of the classroom, nothing happened. There was no whispering, no catcalls, and I definitely didn’t break the Internet. Okay, I thought to myself. This is good! This reminded me that I am probably (no, definitely) more critical of my body image than others are.
After class, I met up with friends for coffee. One of them complimented my jeans, telling me they looked great on me. The rest of my friends agreed. They wanted to know where I got the jeans. Nobody had a clue I was wearing padded underwear! When I finally let the secret out, I was bombarded with questions: How does it feel? Is it comfortable? Can I touch it? Great, yes, and yes!
The next day, I decided to wear them again—after the previous day’s experience, I was much more confident this time around. I went to class and walked around campus, probably a little more than I needed to. I may not have gotten any reactions from anybody, but I felt good.
That weekend, it was time to debut my new booty out on the town. I’d always been afraid to wear a form-fitting dress to the club, but not this time! I was a little worried that it would be obvious my new butt wasn’t real—but remembering how natural the jeans looked on me earlier in the week, I went out feeling confident. Now, the panties didn’t change how my night would have went, but I did focus a lot more on having fun because I felt good about how I looked. When my friends and I went to the bathroom to freshen up our makeup, a bunch of girls there were in awe of my perfectly-shaped booty, sparking conversation about all of our backside insecurities. We definitely had a bonding moment, and even took some #belfies together!
At the end of the day, padded panties definitely take a little time to get used to, but once you’re comfortable in them, you might find yourself feeling more confident. I may have learned that I’m much more critical of my own appearance than anybody else is, but it’s still empowering to me to know that I can make the choice to change my appearance in whatever way I want.