Exposing the Truth: My Eye-Opening BBL Journey in Brazil

The concept of a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) has intrigued me ever since I learned of its existence. Popular culture celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj are often the face of the bbl movement. Imagine my shock upon landing in Brazil and seeing a lack of them. 

What is a BBL?

What is a Brazilian butt lift? Research reveals BBL to be the most dangerous cosmetic procedure that can be done. Many women often die during the operation and those who don’t are subjected to painful recovery and a lifetime of caring for it. Although I respect women’s rights to own their bodies, it breaks my heart that so many women have lost their lives performing surgery to emulate a body type that they do not have. And at what cost? 

BBL or ABL?

After visiting Brazil and assuming a lack of BBLs (I say assumingly because I know that the ones done well are often unnoticeable), I questioned if a BBL is even a valid name for it. I thought that as I landed I would see endless large romps on every woman. Imagine my surprise when I realized that Brazil is as diverse in body types as it is in people, culture, and language. In my opinion, the only women whose bodies resembled anything similar to the BBL procedure were those of Afro-Brazilian descent. So should we rename the bbl to an abl (African butt lift). It seems more fitting…

Beauty in a butt

The idea that we find beauty in a large romp is hilarious. What people find attractive varies across cultures and changes over time. In some cultures, a gap between the teeth is a mark of beauty, while in others, people undergo dental treatment to close the gap to align with conventional beauty standards. Beauty is culture and time-dependent. I see it in the return of fatphobia from the early 2000s to now. I often hear American women say they would hate to get fat, not for any health reasons, but purely cosmetic.