deejaybird:

A Hottentot woman known as Saartjie Baartman showed up in Europe to be exhibited in a sideshow attraction in European circuses under the name of the Hottentot Venus. What was of interest to her viewers was her huge ass. It was depicted in European cartoons as so large that small children could stand on them. Little did she know she would create a fashion trend off the image of her body. As early as the 1650s the Dutch were fascinated with the South African Hottentot women. Since European men were attracted to all variations of the African Model of womanhood, the Bustle was created for European women. The Bustle covered nearly all of a woman accentuating the buttocks, waist, and bosom just like Saartjie Baartman. The Bustle was a staple of womens fashion from the 1830s to 1905.

awesome.