"How Dare You...": People Are Furious Over A Viral Post About A Study On The “Ideal Buttocks” For Women
by Tanishtha Kotian · BuzzFeedPosted 9 minutes ago
At this point, the internet has (unfortunately) gotten quite comfortable with commenting on a woman's body shape and appearance without thinking twice. Regardless of the backlash against such opinions, people continue to comment on appearances relentlessly and ignore the important health issues that women face.
Recently, a post on a 2022 research study went viral on X (formerly Twitter) for its area of research pertaining to women's appearance. It was a study on (wait for it)...the ideal buttocks on a woman.
The study was published by ten researchers for Springer Nature and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The study went on to describe a pair of beautiful buttocks as "a conjunction of adequate bony shape, muscle development, subcutaneous fat layer, and tight skin."
With over 33 million views in two days, the post sparked backlash from users who resurrected the discourse on the lack of funding for women's health-related issues, and how science ignores women's health as a subject for research.
/ Via x.com
People expressed disappointment and shock upon seeing a study on buttocks rather than research on issues like endometriosis...
Oh how fun we have studies about female butts and how endometriosis affects women’s attractiveness but these shits still have to be shoved inside you during medical exams in the year of our lord 2026 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 https://t.co/PHWYkyQCJ2 pic.twitter.com/kvpHh1xR0a
— rizzie 🇰🇿🍎 (@rizziesthoughts) September 20, 2026
rizzie 🇰🇿🍎 / Via x.com
Some asked important questions, like whether this study was even needed.
One user said, "This is like saying there is a best shape of snowflake, or a best sturdy oak tree rising among the tall grasses. How dare you."
The harsh backlash was followed by some sarcasm...
they clearly forgot to include my perfect ass in this study https://t.co/gLtkGAaADN
— foxy 🌿 (@mystikfernx) September 20, 2026
foxy 🌿 / Via x.com
...and then some.
Among the sea of sarcasm and mockery, a user pointed out an issue women have raised time and time again: the lack of funding for women's health-related research is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
Don't let anyone fool you by saying "they're just hard to treat". Only 5% of all research and development funding globally goes to women's health related research, and only 1% goes to non-cancer related women’s health. But sure, a paper about "perfect butt" is worth publishing.🙄 https://t.co/NIGjPc9lbd
— fㅡㅅㅡ⁷💜Still in BORONTO🪷 (@unfayezed) September 20, 2026
fㅡㅅㅡ⁷💜Still in BORONTO🪷 / Via x.com
One user pointed out the underlying medical misogyny of how researchers and scientists view health issues like PMOS less important.
Not all users commented against the study and its findings. Some defended the researchers, stating that they conducted a study within their field of science.
i find these takes so strange — every time a random study comes out people say these researchers, who have nothing to do with the field, should study endometriosis instead
should i, an arts major, study endometriosis instead of my silly videogames https://t.co/TocWEYIvvm
— Angie in her Thesis era (@MandarinkaAn) September 20, 2026
Angie in her Thesis era / Via x.com
Why would a plastic surgery journal…you know what. Nevermind. https://t.co/oiz7J2EQZq
— Free Parking (@smeezewitme) September 20, 2026
Free Parking / Via x.com
This is not a new conversation about medical bias against women's health. Women have been overlooked in medical research for years. It is a common critique that male researchers and scientists have historically published articles based only on male subjects, creating a natural bias in treatment. Women's health research has long been underfunded thanks to the stigma associated with conditions that primarily affect them.
/ Via x.com
In the 1940s and 50s, researchers blamed women's hormones as the reason behind why they were more difficult to study. In 2020, 25% of funding was limited to fertility research, with 4% for women's cancer and 1% for all other women-specific health issues.
A few months ago, a tweet from 2017, related to a study conducted by the University of Sydney resurfaced, enraging users. The study called for men to share their experiences of sex with partners who have endometriosis. "Finally! Some research into how endometriosis affects men" said the user. Endometriosis remains chronically understudied in medicine.
Finally! Some research into how endometriosis affects men pic.twitter.com/NnB1VxXGQM
— Kali Myers (@pickwickian36) May 30, 2017
Kali Myers / Via x.com
This discourse was in full swing at the peak of Lindsay Clancy's very public trial. She was charged with murdering her three small children in 2023. However, one aspect of the case that fueled the conversation about the barriers women face when seeking care was Clancy's postpartum psychosis condition—a rare but severe illness that affects a woman's sense of reality after she has given birth. During the trial, it was revealed that the care she received for her illness was not enough, and that she had repeatedly sought psychiatric help for severe anxiety. However, the clinicians assessed her as a low safety risk, ultimately leaving her psychosis undiagnosed, worsening her condition.
These revelations led to calls for improvement in postpartum mental health care, so that women are not left alone suffering with these conditions. According to several studies, postpartum depression affects 10% of new mothers, whereas postpartum psychosis affects moms in an estimated 1-2 out of every 1,000 births. And 66% of women are more likely to be medically misdiagnosed than men.
This viral post reignited the issue of medical bias and stigma associated with women's health. The trial, along with women's personal experiences that they can publicly share thanks to social media, people are no longer staying quiet about this obvious discrimination in the medical field.
The things academia will research instead of anything to improve women's health or understand conditions unique to us. https://t.co/td0VACUVXi
— Modern Rome in Freefall 🇵🇸 (@ljmontello) September 20, 2026
Modern Rome in Freefall 🇵🇸 / Via x.com