We’re plastic surgeons – how the secret Golden Triangle proves Maya Jama has the best bum in the world
STAND aside Kim Kardashian – Love Island host Maya Jama has the best celebrity bottom – at least according to a mathematical formula developed by the ancient Greeks over 2,000 years ago.
This is because it’s not just size which determines how perky a booty is.
It’s also how well a bottom fits the Golden Ratio, a formula – also known as Phi – designed to identify beautiful proportions in nature.
Applied to bottoms, this means that if you divide the circumference of a woman’s waist by the circumference of her hips, the closer the results come to 0.7, the better her behind looks.
This also creates an upside down equilateral ‘Golden Triangle’, which draws the eye from the top of the buttocks to the top of the upper thighs.
Backing from science
The ancient theory has had backing from scientists writing in the journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2017).
They surveyed 583 plastic surgeons and 450 members of the public in 40 countries, showing them photographs of a 27-year-old volunteer model.
The image was digitally altered to create a range of different body profiles.
And overall the researchers said 39 per cent found the 0.7 waist to hip ratio ‘to be their ideal’.
Why does a ‘golden ratio’ bottom look so attractive?
Another reason that bottoms that fit the golden ratio look attractive, says scientists, is that a slimmer waist suggests a woman is young and fertile, while more generous hips and bottom hints she is likely to give birth easily.
Anthropologists say a quick glance at this part of a woman’s body is also short-hand for a male to work out roughly how old a female is – as waists tend to thicken with age and childbirth – and if she is already pregnant by a rival.
Indeed, research has found out it could be right.
Studies by Harvard University have found that women with this ‘ideal’ curvy shape have 37 per higher levels of fertility hormones.
So who comes top of the bots?
To find out whose bottom comes closest to the golden triangle forumla, we compared the width of the waists and bottoms of celebrities in these eight pictures.
According to our calculations, Love Island host Maya Jama came top with a perfect score of 0.7 because her waist set off her bottom so well.
The 29-year old beat out stars who previously had the most talked about derrieres in the world – including Kim Kardashian.
How did the celebs score?
As well as calculating their ratio, we also asked two female experts, plastic surgeon Ms Sujatha Tadiparthi of Choice Aesthetics and Aesthetic Doctor and Dr Ivona Igerc, of 111 Harley Street to give their verdicts.
Maya Jama
WINNER: Golden Triangle Score: 0.7
To be in shape to present Love Island, Maya, 29, has talked about how she does burpees, jumping squats and planks.
Plastic surgeon Ms Tadiparthi says: “As you can see here, the difference between Maya’s waist and hip is much more pronounced.
“Maya has a very small waist and a fuller bottom with the volume mainly sitting centrally.”
Indeed, when Maya’s waist measurement was divided by her hips, the result was a spot-on 0.7.
Emily Ratajkowski
Golden Triangle Score. 0.99
Emily, 32, was born with a model’s physique and claims that she prefers walking and hiking outdoors to the confines of the gym to maintain her shape, with some yoga thrown in.
As a fashion model, who does catwalk shows, she has more of a lithe streamlined figure, with less differentiation between her waist and hips.
Plastic surgeon, Ms Tadiparthi says: “Emily has a slim figure with a typical heart shape (bottom). She sports a very equal ratio around her hips and waist.”
Aesthetic doctor, Dr Ivona adds: “Emily’s bottom is not much wider than her waist so although she has a beautiful body, it does not quite fall within the golden ratio.
“If I had to point out one tiny detail, it’s that her bottom is missing a little lateral width.”
Abbey Clancy
Golden Triangle Score: 0.8
TV presenter Abbey, 37, first became famous on Britain’s Next Top Model.
She has had four children in 12 years. But her derriere has stayed incredibly toned thanks to strength training and Pilates which she uses to work all the small muscles.
According to plastic surgeon Ms Tadiparthi, Abbey has ‘more of a heart shape (bottom), with her smaller waist and slightly wider hips’.
“She has a very lean physique, but her natural shape shows a smaller waist than hips which have a natural curve and pert buttocks for fullness,” she says.
Dr Ivona – who you’ll find on Instagram – says: “Abbey’s bottom and waist are beautifully in proportion in this picture.
“She has no banana roll – which is a ridge that can develop between the buttocks and the top of the legs.
‘”She has just a gentle, natural curve which looks perfect. I think this is probably the result of great genes, exercise, and some non-invasive buttock treatments to maintain her shape.”
Kim Kardashian
Golden Triangle score: 0.69
Businesswoman Kim, 42, works hard keeping her famous bottom looking as firm and prominent as possible with rigorous butt workouts with her trainer Senada Greca.
Many of her moves are squats and hip hinges made more challenging with weights and resistance bands.
“Kim has a very circular shape,’ says Ms Tadiparthi. “Her narrow waist accentuates her voluptuous shape.”
But while Kim has had the most talked about bottom in the world, the extreme width of her buttocks means she doesn’t quite fit the triangle.
Dr Ivona says: “Kim’s larger buttock shape is genetic, but in my opinion, she has exaggerated this.
“While Kim is very disciplined with exercise and eating, I think she is doing something else as her bottom shape is not following the anatomy of the buttock muscles. It’s too rounded.
“So while the buttocks are lifted, perhaps due to treatments, there is too much volume, making them look like they defy gravity.”
Lizzo
Golden Triangle score: 0.74
As a champion of body positivity, Lizzo has often spoken of her love for her bottom.
“You know how long it took me to fall in love with this body?” she has said. “My butt was my least favourite thing about myself, and I learned to love it and that was the thing everybody can’t stop talking about.”
The 31-year-old added: “I love normalizing the dimples in my butt or the lumps in my thighs or my back fat or my stretch marks.”
The singer also proves you can have a fuller figure and still meet classical proportions.
According to Ms Tadiparthi: “Lizzo has more of a triangle shape which you can see here. The volume of her bottom is distributed evenly over her frame.”
Katie Price
Golden Triangle score: 0.8
As Katie has declared she is not a fan of the gym, she often combines bum augmentation with liposuction.
She first had her bottom lifted in 2017, 2019 and then again in 2021, using fat from other parts of her body – despite the risk of complications and infections. She then said she had the fat removed, saying it made her look fat.
However, despite having three children she retains a slim waist, which in comparison to her the width of her buttocks at her hips, giving her an impressive score of almost perfect 0.8 in recent beach pictures from her Spanish holiday in June.
Katie is a keen horse-rider, so her muscled bottom may have developed for having years in the saddle.
Dr Ivona says the TV personality has an impressive derriere: “Katie looks well-toned and her bottom is high and well-shaped.”
Lady Gaga
Golden Triangle Score: 0.78
The actress and singer’s go-to way to keep her bottom in shape is hot yoga which has been doing since it first became trendy.
Gaga, 37, also does 35-minute resistance training workouts and plastic surgeon Ms Tadiparthi – who you’ll find on Instagram – describes the singer’s bottom as more ‘circular’
“The fullness is uniform across the buttock giving a lovely round shape.
“There is some fullness at the hips. But her waist comes in giving her nice feminine curves.”
Dr Ivona says: “Lady Gaga’s buttocks are full, and her bottom fits the golden ratio.
“There is a little dimpling, and her buttocks seem a little asymmetric – which is unusual – as the muscles of the buttocks are usually evenly matched.
“So, this unevenness might point to some treatments that she has had, putting them a little out of balance.”
Bella Hadid
Golden Triangle Score: 0.73
Model Bella says she works out regularly, mixing boxing and yoga.
Plastic surgeon Ms Tadiparthi says: “Bella has a very slim physique but is still curvy.
“She has a narrow waist which gently curves out to her wider hips and full, pert buttocks.
She falls under the ‘heart’ shape in which ‘a small waist enhances a full bottom area.’
Dr Ivona says: “Bella’s buttocks are quite skinny and have indentations, so they are not quite wide enough to meet the golden ratio proportions compared to her waist. This is possibly due to genetics or dieting.”
Whether her bottom adheres to the ‘golden ratio’ or not, the supermodel certainly looks stunning.