"Little in the middle, but she got much back." That's how Sir Mix-a-Lot described his ideal woman more than two decades ago in his classic 1992 booty-jiggling, body-gyrating anthem "Baby Got Back." Essentially, the song served as a catalyst to get those hesitant high-school seniors on the dance floor at prom. There's something about that "I like big butts and I cannot lie" lyric that gives listeners a sense of obligation to get up and embrace every last bit of its novelty and ridiculousness.

There's a sort of "Cha Cha Slide"/"Cupid Shuffle"-esque appeal to the song, and you know exactly what I'm talking about.

"Baby Got Back" proved that America really is obsessed with butts. Thick, juicy butt cheeks -- the idea really gets people going as much as it divides them. There were those who celebrated and shook their big booty to the song whenever it came on, there were the concerned parents who discontinued MTV in their households and then there were the feminists.

These were the people who ranted about the backwards gender roles and female objectification in the song's lyrics and, most prominently, in its accompanying music video. The big-bootied woman is putting in work, shaking her butt ultimately for Mix-a-Lot's pleasure, presenting herself as an object for a man's satisfaction rather than being her own sexual entity. Each of these sexually charged music videos, the argument went, detracted from the gender equality that feminist leaders of the late 20th century had worked so hard to achieve.

Fast-forward to the early 2000s. The controversy and excitement surrounding "Baby Got Back" had died down, and the music scene was in a place where a big booty was not really something to strive for. With bubblegum-pop singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera flaunting their thin figures and toned abs, it seemed like it was all about accentuating your skinny.

But skip ahead a few more years, and the big booty began coming back; take Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps" or Flo Rida's club anthem "Low." By this point, pop artists were recognizing curves in their songs and music videos, but more as a way to gain attention and sell songs.

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