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In her deeply reported and wildly entertaining debut, journalist Heather Radke picks apart why we are all so fascinated by women’s butts. Radke takes readers through an absorbing cultural history that asks how this human body part came to be on the receiving end of so much attention. From dissecting fashion trends to analyzing the public’s obsession with the rear ends of women like Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian, Radke points to larger threads about desire, shame, and power. The author weaves in her relationship with her own body to underline how butts became the basis for some of the most vulnerable feelings we have about ourselves. —Annabel Gutterman

Buy Now: Butts: A Backstory on Bookshop | Amazon

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