Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow

I didn’t know what to expect from Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow (publication day August 30, 2024) by Damilare Kuku, Described as “a powerful and hilarious debut novel about family secrets, judgmental aunties, and Brazilian butt lifts,” I was interested to see how it handled anti-fatness.

Told from the multiple perspectives of the women in a Nigerian family, we meet Témì, a young woman who has just graduated from university in Ilé-Ifẹ̀ , a small city in Nigeria compared to the capital, Lagos. Her older sister, Ládùn, h as moved to Lagos and been absent from the family for 5 years and no one will tell Témì why. Témì has a plan now that she’s graduated, that she will “fix her body” since she has always had a flat bottom, and she will get a Brazilian butt lift. She has saved money from her hair extension business and she is determined to do it.

But Témì and Ládùn’s father has just died, and Témì announces her decision shortly after his funeral, when emotions are high and all of the women in the family–her mother and aunties, and her sister–are concerned.

Slowly we learn about what their mother–Hassana–has dealt with in her life, and what Auntie Jummai has as well. There is some anti-fat bias in the description of Auntie Jummai, but mostly the book focuses on the unrealistic expectations for women to all look a particular way–with small waists and large bottoms, and Témì’s determination to change herself to meet this standard.

We also learn why Ládùn did not communicate with the family for five years, and what a truly good man their father was.

It’s an interesting commentary about societal expectations for women’s bodies. I have mixed feelings about plastic surgery myself, having done reconstructive surgery after breast cancer nearly 20 years ago, and believing that each person should have the right to decide for themselves. But at the same time, the pressure to conform to expectations is so strong–whether it be through plastic surgery, or weight loss–that figuring out the real reasons for one’s choice can be difficult, especially for young people who don’t have the perspective that age and experience brings.

I recommend it if you want to immerse yourself in Nigerian culture, which is not so different from American culture in this way.