Episode 171: Butts
Released April 28th, 2026
Bottom, rump, booty, fanny, tush, and derriere! In episode 171 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about butts. Why do humans have bigger rear ends than other animals? Why are butts often seen as a site of aversion? And is anal sex a metaphor for the universe? They discuss the evolutionary history of butts, how the music industry helped normalize bigger butts, and how the exploitation of Sara Baartman in the 19th century is part of a larger story about the sexualization of black women. In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts talk about Marquis de Sade’s discussion of anal sex and appeals to nature in justifications of human sexual practices.
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Works Discussed
Georges Bataille, “The Solar Anus”
Leo Bersani, “Is the Rectum a Grave?”
Janell Hobson, “Venus in the Dark: Blackness and Beauty in Popular Culture”
Dinah Holtzman, “Ass You Lick It: Bey and Jay Eat Cake”
Sadiah Qureshi, “Displaying Sara Baartman, the ‘Hottentot Venus’.”
Heather Radke, Butts: A Backstory
Christopher Wallner et al, “Interethnic Influencing Factors Regarding Buttocks Body Image in Women from Nigeria, Germany, USA and Japan”
