Why France`s obsessed with the bottom

London: France`s fascination with the bottom has been laid bare, thanks to a new documentary and book that document how "les fesses" have contributed to civilization. Mixing views of top psychoanalysts, philosophers, scientists and artists, La Face Cachée des Fesses (The Hidden Side of the Bottom) charts the importance of "derrière" in human evolution.

"They are every present in daily life and yet they have never been considered a serious subject of study in their own right," claim the authors of La Face Cachée des Fesses (The Hidden Side of the Bottom). "They speak of the foundations of our society – in the literal and metaphorical sense – of its taboos and desires. When we talk about `les fesses`, we`re talking about ourselves," they added. The bottom line is that, the film says, without our Gluteus Maximus, humans would never have come down from the trees, reports The Telegraph. Claudine Cohen, science historian at Paris` Higher School of Social Sciences said: "The gluteal muscles are unique to humans, enabling bipedal locomotion – on two feet. (Their) size and strength developed to fulfil an essential human need, erect posture and walking." The docu, which will broadcast tomorrow on the Franco-German channel Arte, claims "fesses" is a uniquely French word. An accompanying book will be on sale in all French museum shops starting this week. Edward Lucie-Smith, an art historian, pointed out there was no exact translation for the word covering the thighs, the bottom and the loins. "There`s no word in English which means quite the same thing. English words reduce it to the backside," he said. "We have a special relationship with this party of the body," said Allan Rothschild, co-director of the documentary. Philippe Comar, morphology professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, said: "The faux-cul (literally "false butts") reduced the woman to a sexual object. It is not surprising feminist movements took flight at this time." ANI