Are hard buns needed in today's world? How many exercize tapes and routines promise you 'buns of steel?'

Yoga says that if you have 'buns of steel,' you can't walk properly--you're holding yourself in.

And yet, agism in the US deplores the sagging butt as a sign of 'weakness' and 'succombing' to the natural aging process.

For some reason, unbeknowst to me, I happen to have a non-saggy butt, but most of my friends do. So what?

What does a saggy butt really mean?

The media (and email spam) proclaims the primacy of the huge phallus, the six-pack abs, the mountainous bicep, the massive bust and the tight ass. There are obviously the new priorities of society or at least they are things that media have brainwashed into us.

Perhaps if McCain focused on these, the economy wouldn't have been such an important issue .

A strong gluteus maximus, one that used correctly is important. Besides being one of the biggest, muscles in the human body, it also is a stablizing muslce and functions to right the body after bending over. All those weight lifters you see? They are engaging their "butt", not their backs to lift weights. Likewise for all of us....in everyday life, lifting can cause serious back injury. This is needless, if people were to learn to properly use their butt muscles. Yes, these muscles should be properly strengthened.

I haven't read from my yoga manuals, a muscular butt is bad for the body??? I think the author you are referring, is talking about "abductor" muscles, which when over worked and strengthened, can pull your body out of alignment.

Of course, all this doesn't matter, if you have a weak core...

From my perspective, I'd much rather stare at a nicely shaped "apple" butt rather then a saggy one, but your mileage may very.

A nice shapely "apple" butt is the result of properly exercised buns....needed of course to avoid those back aches.

Actually, CG, it was my yoga instructor who had us all walk around the room with arms and legs swinging naturally and with softened buns.

But then he, too, may have been trying to introduce a little zaniness into a roomful of seriousness.