“Bumbum: The African Woman’s Language In Modern Nigeria”
(An adaptation from “Temi” in Damilare Kuku’s Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow)
In her provocative text Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow, Damilare Kuku utilises the term “bumbum” as a linguistic symbol that captures shifting aesthetic values in contemporary Nigerian society. From a language perspective, “bumbum” operates as a signifier; it is not just a colloquial reference to the buttocks, but a term that has been resemanticised through mass media and social practice to reflect deeper social anxieties about beauty, desirability, and self-presentation (Kuku, 2024, “Temi”). Within the broader discourse of the aforementioned title, the term “bumbum”, becomes a site where language and societal values intersect, revealing how everyday vocabulary can encode power relations and cultural norms.
Linguistically, “bumbum” exemplifies semantic shift, a process by which words change meaning over time due to social usage and cultural pressure (Allan & burridge, 2006). Originally a playful or informal word in Nigerian English and Pidgin varieties, “bumbum” has been propelled into mainstream conversation through social media, celebrity culture, and popular discourse. It has evolved from a lighthearted descriptor to a marker of beauty ideals, particularly in urban youth culture. This transformation aligns with scholars’ observations that language both reflects and constructs societal norms; that is, the increased use of “bumbum” to signify desirability both results from and reinforces the valorisation of certain body shapes (Crystal, 2003). In Kuku’s narrative, language becomes performative: women are not only described by the term but are implicitly evaluated through it.
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The association of “bumbum” with cosmetic surgery, specifically the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), illustrates how language adapts to technological and cultural phenomena. The term has become shorthand for the idealised, surgically enhanced backside—a phenomenon that transcends local popularity to reflect globalised beauty standards. In modern Nigerian discourse, “bumbum” no longer refers simply to anatomy; it signals the aesthetic results of body modification practices. This aligns with broader sociolinguistics trends in which new lexical meanings emerge in response to cultural practices (Eble, 1996). The prevalence of the word in conversations about body image and surgical enhancement illuminates how language captures evolving concepts of the “ideal body” in Nigerian media and youth culture.
Temi’s decision to pursue a Brazilian Butt Lift within the narrative (as observed in her discussion with her dying father—where she laments “…I want to fix my bumbum. It makes me feel inadequate”) serves as a discursive device that highlights the pressures young women face in a society that equates value with physical appearance. Kuku’s representation of Temi’s choice underscores how societal norms, amplified through language and media, can lead individuals to internalise reductive measures of self-worth (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). In this way, the term “bumbum” functions not just as slang but as a symbolic vehicle of social pressure. The pervasiveness of the term in everyday speech demonstrates how language can normalise and naturalise cosmetic surgery as an aspirational goal rather than a medical intervention.
The narrative suggests that Temi’s pursuit of a BBL is emblematic of broader societal values that prioritise a specific aesthetic at the expense of holistic self-acceptance. Through Temi’s internal monologue and interactions, Kuku reveals the internalisation of external gazes; a concept widely discussed in feminist and sociolinguistics literature, wherein individuals regulate themselves according to perceived societal expectations, making the body an object of continuous evaluation and reinterpretation. For many young women in Nigeria (just like Temi), language becomes a mirror through which they view themselves and their bodies, shaping decisions that have profound personal, health, and psychological effects.
By foregrounding the term “bumbum” as a central motif, Kuku’s work emphasises how language both reflects and perpetuates cultural hierarchies of beauty. The term’s evolution from slang to a signifier of surgical enhancement reveals the power of language in mediating social values, especially regarding the female body. In doing so, it invites critical reflection on how linguistic practices contribute to the normalisation of body modification as a route to social validation.
References
Allan, K., & Burridge, K. (2006). Forbidden words: Taboo and the censorship of language. Cambridge University Press.
Bartky, S. L. (1990). Femininity and domination: Studies in the phenomenology of oppression. Routledge.
Crystal, D. (2003). The Cambridge encyclopedia of the English language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Eble, C. (1996). Slang & sociability: In-group language among college students. University of North Carolina Press.
Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. A. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173-206.
Kuku, D. (2024). Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow (adapted in “Temi”).
