We have them, but no two butts are exactly alike. And, trust us, we’ve seen a lot of butts. Despite differences in dimples, most derrières fall into these four basic butt shapes: heart, round, square and V-shaped. Understanding how your butt compares won’t just better help you understand and love your own body, but can also give you the information you need to make changes, if that’s what you want.
It’s also possible for your butt to fit into more than one of these categories over time, as our butts change throughout our lives. Things like age, lifestyle and hormones all play a factor in how our butts look. While it is true that exercise can influence the size of your bum muscles, the only way to actually alter your buttock shape is cosmetic surgery. “There are definitely some cultural and regional differences in aesthetic preferences for both buttock shape and size,” adds Beverly Hills, CA dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD.
These days, noninvasive body contouring is also an option is you aren’t ready for surgery. But it’s important to remember that the results won’t be as dramatic as plastic surgery.
Ultimately, no matter the size or shape of your bum, understanding the different butt types and where you fall is one way to begin embracing your bottom. These four basic butt shapes don’t even fully encompass all the options for how a butt can look. Everything about us is unique, from our faces to our butt shapes.
We spoke with experts to learn what the most popular butt shape is and help you discover what celebrity you share a butt shape with. Ahead, their explanations of how the common butt shapes differ and some celebrity examples to help you visualize and compare.
Heart-Shaped or A-Shaped Butts
The heart- or A-shaped butt is typically considered the prettiest and most desirable shape. The heart-shaped butt is identifiable by the distribution of fat being lower on the butt, and less at the top near the hips. “A narrow waist-to-hip ratio is generally considered to be the most attractive and is most consistent with the A or heart shape,” says Dr. Shamban.
“This is what I feel to be the most ideal shape—it’s sexy and feminine,” says Los Angeles plastic surgeon Steven Svehlak, MD. (Picture a heart upside down.) Because of the smaller waist and bigger hips, it comes closest to the universally ideal waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7. “Using a combination of liposuction around the frame of the buttocks and fat transfer to the buttocks, we can create a heart shape.”
Celebrities like Rhianna, Scarlett Johannsen and Shakira share this incredibly popular butt shape, so if this is your butt, you’re in good company.
Round or O-Shaped Butt Type
Although attractive, the round butt is second to the heart-shaped butt in popularity, according to plastic surgeons. “The round-shaped butt is the one that’s more talked about,” says Dr. Svehlak. “This is the shape that certain celebrities have that you see all over magazines.”
A round butt shape is characterized by an even fat distribution in the lower and upper part of the butt cheek. This may be your butt shape if you’ve ever struggled to find a good pair of denim that fits your booty but doesn’t gap at the hips.
Celebrities that share this butt shape include J-Lo, Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian.
Square or H-Shaped Butt
A square butt tends to look flat from the side, and almost a little masculine. Plastic surgeons find that this is the most commonly complained-about shape. The good news is that it is usually perfectly possible for a plastic surgeon to alter your booty, oftentimes using your own fat from other parts of your body in a fat transfer surgery.
“In many women with a square-shaped butt, it may be possible to use liposuction to remove excess fat in their love handles, muffin tops and lower back to achieve curvier, or even heart-shaped, buttocks,” says Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dan Yamini, MD.
Of course, a square or H-shaped bottom can also be appealing, especially with the confidence worn by celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Gwyneth Paltrow. “Flat butts are generally considered to be the least attractive, but keep in mind that shape can often be subtly achieved by a combination of liposuction and targeted fat grafting to areas such as hip dips without having to add too much volume,” adds Dr. Shamban.
V-Shaped or Inverted Shape Butts
This is widely considered the least attractive butt shape, which gets its look from the presence of more fat in the waist and outer thighs. This is also the most challenging shape to alter with surgery. “Those with a v-shaped butt have few options since they are not good candidates for fat transfer,” says Dr. Yamini. “They simply have too little or too tight buttocks skin and tissue to accept fat transfer or much reshaping.”
At the same time, this buttock shape can also be the most highly coveted. Supermodel Cindy Crawford is well known for her V-shaped butt, now thought to be the perfect shape for model runways. Other celebs with this runway-perfect booty include Kate Beckinsale and Megan Fox.
