It’s official; 2014 is the year of the ass. There are asses everywhere. In our music, in our TV shows, our films, the ass has become part and parcel of pop culture in the world today, with Nicki Minaj’s smash hit Anaconda leading the rear guard.

But when did this happen? A big badonkadonk used to be something to hide away and minimise in any way possible, but now a portly posterior seems to be something that women flaunt. You can track this newly found pride in a big backoff all the way back to 2001 with Destiny’s Child’s Bootylicious

And for once, having a deluxe derriere isn’t exclusively for those of a black or Hispanic persuasion. White girls are getting in on it too, with Miley Cyrus throwing her own behind into the arena...

And Kiwi rapper Iggy Azaelia is getting her twerk on alongside the duchess of dat ass herself, J Lo

Singers like Meghan Trainor also attempt to tell girls with proverbial junk in the proverbial trunk that they’re beautiful, with lines like “Boys like a little more booty to hold at night.”

And Jason Derulo is still asking the important questions, like “What ya gonna do with that big fat butt?” I think we all know the answer...

And it’s not just music that seems to have an obsession with the junk in that trunk. Even Marvel superheroine Spider-Woman is getting in on the action, shown here on the alternate front cover of Spider-Woman #1 as drawn by artist Milo Manara.

So what happened? How did having a bulbous booty become so popular? Was it due to a variety of strong, female figures being proud of having a banging behind? Was it a calculated move by the tastemakers and the record labels? Or did people just decide that having a healthy amount of junk in the trunk is now suddenly something you can build a career on? We honestly have no idea, we're just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride.