Patient perspective: What it’s like to get a butt lift in South Africa

Change is a constant as old as time itself and nothing in life is immune to it. Change is also a sign of the times, so when you see something new in any arena of life, you can rest assured that life is moving as it normally should.

Today, we will zone in on beauty standards, specifically body shapes, and what society has come to consider “beautiful” – the buxom backside. 

In 1992, Sir Mix-a-lot declared big butts the in-thing and society hasn’t looked back since. 

As such, there has been a global rise in interest in a procedure called the Brazilian Butt Lift (often accompanied by liposuction and liposculpting). Often called the “BBL,” this refers to a cosmetic procedure that involves the transfer of fat to help create more fullness in your backside.

Not only have bigger butts become more popular but what is considered “big” has also changed.

As someone born in the year Sir Mix-a-lot’s hit Baby Got Back was released, I remember a time when J-Lo and Beyonce were considered the gold standard in big butts. However, as I got older, I wondered what all the fuss was about because in South Africa, those were just regular-sized bums. 

Granted, these women became famous in an industry and era when the waif-thin likes of Kate Moss and model Eleanor Nancy Macpherson (a model nicknamed ‘The Body’) were considered the body type to aspire to, however, the fact remains, those butts just aren’t that big! 

And they pale in comparison to the butts of 2021. Butts carried by women like Nicki Minaj, Jayda Chaves and South Africa’s very own Faith Nketsi (popularly known as queen twerk).

These are butts that singlehandedly inspired millions of women around the globe to either transfer their unwanted fat to their backsides or go the dodgy route and get unapproved substances pumped into them by unlicensed practitioners.

The latest person to join the craze is South African influencer Xoli Gcabashe (Miss_xo6 on Twitter) who published a nearly one-hour-long video on her YouTube channel detailing her experience. 

ALSO READ: Butt lifts for Jada Pinkett-Smith and Willow Smith?

At the time of writing, Xoli had nearly 150,000 followers on Twitter, over 105,000 followers on Instagram and over 75,000 subscribers on YouTube. Her BBL video had 99,000 views and counting.

“I got a BBL, I got a lipo 360, which consists of… they take fat from your stomach, they take fat from your love handles, they take fat from your back, they take from your bra fat…” began Xoli as she gestured towards the area between her breasts and her armpits.

She went on to explain that this fat that is extracted is then carefully reinjected into the places you want it. 

As someone who watches BBL videos for the fun of it, Xoli echoed what most people who have gotten the procedure will tell you. Butt lift recovery is HELL. 

That is because of the sheer feat of what is done to your body in an effort to achieve that perfect BBL look.

Because of this, people in recovery after a BBL have a full-time job of doing an intense amount of work to ensure they do not cause a setback in the work done by their cosmetic surgeons.

BBL/ butt lift aftercare involves compression garments, massages, medication and copious amounts of time spent on one’s stomach to allow the repositioned fat time to “settle.”

“Guys, let me not lie to you, a BBL is excruciatingly painful, I do not wish this pain in any of my enemies…” said Xoli. 

She went on to explain that up to 48 hours, you don’t really feel the pain because the pain meds from the theatre are still active, however, things do get a bit rough thereafter. 

A large portion of her video then focused on her surgery and recovery which was honestly quite a sight to behold. 

BBL recovery is so hectic that you can’t even sit to urinate. There’s a special contraption you get to ensure you do so while standing. 

So what goes into all of this and how much does it cost? Click through to part 2 of this article to find out.