Most women spend their lives trying to reduce the size of their bottoms, toiling for hours in the gym in pursuit of a perkier rear.
But since curvy stars such as Kim Kardashian sparked a trend for derrieres designed to be noticed, padded fitness leggings and pants have hit the shelves to satisfy a growing demand for plumper posteriors.
Fitstar, a Canadian brand that sells gymwear across the UK, has responded to the trend by designing bum-boosting leggings with elastic banding that lifts the rear.
The £29.48 elastane and polyester leggings, described by the firm as ‘slimming, stylish and trendy – with a booty contouring form’, were created to become ‘an essential staple for the fashion-conscious gymgoer’.
The £29.48 elastane and polyester leggings (pictured), described by the firm as ‘slimming, stylish and trendy – with a booty contouring form’, were created to become ‘an essential staple for the fashion-conscious gymgoer’
Similarly, stores such as Harrods offer padded pants, on sale for £34.95, that can be worn to give a shapely silhouette under any outfit.
In online reviews, satisfied buyers say that the pants made their bottoms the size they wanted, although others reported that the foam padding felt unnatural to touch.
Gabrielle Teare, a stylist and personal shopper in Chelsea, West London, said: ‘There are a lot of actresses and celebrities who have made a career out of having a bigger bum, such as Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez.
‘In South America, it is actually considered to be your finest asset.
‘If you look at the 1940s and 1950s, the classic body shape was an hourglass with a very, very tiny waist.
Since curvy stars such as Kim Kardashian (pictured) sparked a trend for derrieres designed to be noticed, padded fitness leggings and pants have hit the shelves to satisfy a growing demand for plumper posteriors
‘The whole body shape structure has now changed dramatically, so women have become a lot more muscular and flatter.
‘I think that this is the return of wanting to have a more hourglass shape.’
But Ms Teare admitted that she has not yet seen any of her clients using padded pants or leggings.
‘I have clients who want to look smaller,’ she said.
‘No one has wanted to have a bigger bum in all the time I have been doing it.’
When asked about the trend for clothing to enhance and enlarge bottoms, a Harrods spokesman said: ‘We do cater for a global client base with hugely varying tastes.’