Girdles give a signal of a young lass, not a flabby matron. The same is true for bras. Breasts begin rather high on the chest and are moderately firm, protruding slightly sideways, but with age, especially after being suckled, they begin to sag and droop. Bras tighten them up and pull them back high on the chest, and at the same time round them out into the conical shape of the youthful breast. Both Bushmen and Hottentot maidens have breasts which are unusually high on the chest, actually up near the collarbone or clavicle.
Athabascan girls are especially broad-hipped, but have virtually no buttocks at all.
Many African groups have individuals with well-developed buttocks and thighs, resembling steatopygia. The shift from the posterior shelf to broad hips has probably been subtle, for both have been functionally responsive to the same phenomena. Movements of the hip and butt area have had a considerable role in human erotica - because they are stylized versions of the copulatory thrust. The Polynesians must be the epitome of hip-wigglers, for they have developed it into a fine art in dances and in lovemaking. Many societies around the world use it in some form or other in erotic dances.