"Oh my gawd, Becky. Look at her butt."
Those words were the start of something big.
The opening monologue on rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot 's 1992 salute to the glute, "Baby Got Back" set the stage for a booty revolution. At last, we can reveal the woman behind that voice.
Seattle actress Amylia Rivas first met Mix on a video shoot. The two grew close and discovered they shared a pet peeve.
"The majority of the entertainment business was putting out thin and waify," Rivas recalled. "Women that looked like myself, or were built like me, were not necessarily what was popular at the time. And we were watching a Spuds McKenzie commercial, the beer commercial, and saw this really thin model. She was so skinny it looked like she was hungry."
Sir Mix-A-Lot, a.k.a. Anthony Ray, and Rivas set out to change perceptions of size and beauty as they relate to the female form. "Baby Got Back" was born.
In the massively popular music video, a valley girl character lip syncs Rivas' ad-libbed lines.
"I think most people probably had no clue who actually did the voice," Rivas said.
The music inspired by "Baby Got Back" continues to redefine body image from the bottom up.
"It is celebrated now," Rivas said.
She's even ended up on another number-one single, "Anaconda," from Nicki Minaj, which heavily samples Baby Got Back.
Whether or not booty worship is your thing, a lot of full-bodied women are grateful for the image boost.
"I felt good that my contribution helped to make people feel a little better about themselves," Rivas said.
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