Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 11:32 PM

Sizeable assets: How the trend for a bootylicious behind is fuelling demand for bottom lifts, padded panties and cosmetics

By Daisy Dumas

Last updated at 12:17 AM on 27th July 2011

It’s official: A wave of rear-end appreciation is gripping the U.S.

And this time, ladies, the focus is firmly on big butts.

The quest for the perfect posterior is no stranger to a woman’s life. But while Kate Middleton and THAT derriere did well to win praise for pertness, America’s bootylicious ladies are leading the way in the curvaceous behind.

Rapper Nicki Minaj attends the 2011 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on June 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Kim Kardashian arrives at Chateau Nightclub and Gardens at Paris Las Vegas on June 17, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

You've got junk in your trunk: Rapper Nicki Minaj, left. has a perky butt par excellence, but Kim Kardashian's was voted best in the world last year

Nicki Minaj, who has just been named new spokesperson of MAC’s Viva Glam campaign, is a proud proponent of a famously lovely bum – Rihanna grabbed the rapper’s tush on stage when the two stars performed together last year and old timer, Regis Philbin, co-presenter of the Live! With Regis and Kelly show, inappropriately smacked Ms Minaj’s backside when she appeared on the Las Vegas-filmed programme.

Minaj's ass-ett has come in for harsh criticism though, with many speculating that the lyricist has had multiple injections and even surgery to plump her rear end.

Augmentation or not, the platinum-selling 28-year-old does not seem too concerned. In an interview with Funkmaster Flex on MTV, she said: 'I don’t mind the questions, I don’t mind the fascination. It’s all good.'

Then, there’s Kim Kardashian and the other Great Altered Butt Debate.

Sparked by a row over rumours that the star of Keeping Up With the Kardashians' bottom had undergone implant surgery, Ms Kardashian marched to hospital and had an X-Ray to prove that her posterior is, in fact, 100 per cent her's and her's alone.

Bootylicious: Beyonce Knowles, left, knows how to shake her sizeable thang, while Jennifer Lopez's booty is credited with starting the padded panties craze

She's obviously doing something right - the 30-year-old former Playboy model’s shapely butt was named winner of the World’ Best Bum 2010 title, after her posterior was voted ‘the holy Grail of Hindquarters’ in the online poll. Beating Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez, the award cements the love of the fuller bottom.

'Jennifer Lopez kicked off the trend for padded panties but Kim Kardashian has definitely helped the industry'

Accolades like these don't come easy, though. Judging from the amount Ms Kardashian is photographed going to and from the gym, the reality TV star is clearly dedicated to putting hard work into her shapely form.

Likewise, Pippa Middleton is prone to a morning jog in Chelsea.

But for some, the allure of a perfect rear means risking surgery instead of hitting the treadmill.

Mob Wives star Renee Graziano famously went under the knife, spending $30,000 on her derriere after 'always wanting more junk in the trunk.'

That ass: Pippa Middleton's rear-end came in for admiration, but it's all about the big butted beauties and leading the way is Kim Kardashian

And pop singer Katy Perry recently admitted to having bottom lifting injections containing a cocktail of vitamins, steroids and antibiotics.

Speaking to NBC’s Today Show, plastic surgeon Dr Pat Pazmino says there has been a 14 per cent increase in body contouring requests and surgeries in the U.S.

Unsurprisingly, many body contouring techniques focus on the rear, using lyposuction, cryolypo and laser fat removal to augment the booty zone.

Off the shelf: $99 will get you a complete bum boosting system - popular with men as well as ladies

A less drastic option is the Butt Lift in a Box, which, for $99, aims high by claiming to ‘tighten that tush, lift that derriere, bolster that backside and create that head-turning rear end we all dream about.'

Potions aside, derriere appreciation has spread into fashion, too, where a rise of the peplum sees admiring eyes drawn to the hips and rear.

Designed to create the illusion of fuller hips and a protruding bottom, peplums are having their moment in the sun with designers from Stella McCartney to Victoria Beckham playing with the ruffle of extra fabric.

Last popular in the 1980s, peplums have been spotted gracing Liv Tyler, Beyonce, Emma Stone and Emma Watson in recent months.

Passion killer: Functional as padded panties may be, a real bottom in the flesh is surely a more attractive prospect

Or, you could do worse than investing in Spanx’s anathema, ‘butt enhancing’ padded panties. Adding the look of a few pounds to just the right spots, plus-size model Marquita Pring has admitted padding her hips with the special underwear to create extra oomph.

Jessica Anzer, CEO of Feel Foxy, online padded panties retailer, told MailOnline that she has seen a rise in sales. 'From January to May this year, sales have been way more than they have been in recent years,' and, while 'J-Lo kicked off the trend, Kim Kardashian has definitely helped the industry.'

Hip boosters, Brazilian and waist-cincher styles are all available – giving nonsurgical help of the purely cosmetic variety.

J-Lo has a lot to answer for.