We all have them, but no two butts are exactly alike. Derrières are often described as fitting one of four basic butt shapes: heart (also called A-shaped), round, square and V-shaped. Knowing your butt shape can help you better understand your body and explore your options, such as a Brazilian butt lift (BBL), if you’re interested in making changes.
It’s also possible for your butt to fit into more than one of these categories or change shape over time, as our butts change throughout our lives. Things like age, lifestyle and hormones all play a role in how our butts look. Exercise can influence the size and appearance of your glutes, while cosmetic surgery can make more targeted changes to buttock shape and volume. The BBL has long been the go-to procedure, but that’s starting to shift. According to the latest numbers from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), BBLs fell 5 percent overall in 2025, even as they jumped 48 percent among men.
Whichever way the trends move, knowing your butt shape is a good place to start. Ahead, a closer look at each butt shape and the factors that influence it.
Featured Experts
- Ava Shamban, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills, CA
- Steven Svehlak, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Los Angeles
- Dan Yamini, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Los Angeles
What Are the 4 Butt Shapes?
Heart (A-Shaped) Butt
The heart- or A-shaped butt is fuller toward the bottom, with less volume at the top near the hips. Its outline gradually widens from top to bottom, resembling an upside-down heart. The contrast between a narrower waist and a fuller lower half helps define this shape, though its size and proportions vary from person to person.
Creating this shape surgically may involve reshaping the surrounding areas as well as adding volume to the buttocks. “Using a combination of liposuction around the frame of the buttocks and fat transfer to the buttocks, we can create a heart shape,” says Los Angeles plastic surgeon Steven Svehlak, MD.
Square Butt
A square shape describes the outline of the buttocks, rather than how much volume or projection they have. A square or H-shaped butt typically has straighter sides, with a similar width at the top and bottom.
“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.
Surgical options for a curvier contour may include liposuction, fat transfer or a combination of the two, depending on individual anatomy and goals.
Round (Bubble) Butt
A round butt shape is characterized by an even fat distribution in the lower and upper portions of the buttocks, creating a rounded outline. It’s also commonly called a bubble butt.
“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.”
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 waist, though the cut of the jeans and your overall proportions also affect the fit.
V-Shaped (Inverted Triangle) Butt
A V-shaped butt is wider at the top near the hips and narrows toward the bottom, creating an inverted-triangle outline. There is typically more fullness in the upper portion of the buttocks and less in the lower portion, though individual proportions vary.
For those interested in changing this contour surgically, the amount of available skin and tissue can affect the options. Dr. Yamini notes that limited or tight buttock tissue may make fat transfer more challenging.
What’s the Most Attractive Butt Shape?
The most attractive butt shape depends on whom you ask. “There are definitely some cultural and regional differences in aesthetic preferences for both buttock shape and size,” says Beverly Hills, CA dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD.
Trends also shift over time, and what’s considered ideal in one era, place or social circle may not be in another. Just as importantly, every shape here has its own appeal, and no single one is objectively best.
Butt Shape Exercises: What Training Can and Can’t Change
Exercises like squats, lunges and hip thrusts can build the glute muscles, helping change your butt’s size and contour. But training has limits: It can’t change your bone structure or where your body stores fat.
For those interested in more targeted changes, cosmetic surgery can address both volume and the surrounding contours. Noninvasive body contouring is also an option if you aren’t ready for surgery. Results depend on the treatment and your goals, so a consultation can help clarify what’s possible.
No matter your shape, size or proportions, a great butt is the one that’s yours.
