A new documentary on Channel 5 is set to showcase four women who are contenders for the title of 'world's biggest hips', while also shedding some light on how they get by on a daily basis with such bountiful assets in tow.
Mikel Ruffinelli, 42, from LA, Denise Souder, 56, from Las Vegas, Marlena Plummer, 35, from New York, and Claudia Floraunce, 40, from LA, have a combined hip circumference of almost 27 foot.
Before they hit the big screen tomorrow, we got the lowdown on these four body-confident ladies.
Currently holding the world record for the biggest hips in the world is Mikel Ruffinelli, 42, whose hips measure around eight foot in circumference.
The mum-of-four, from Los Angeles, loves her womanly shape as does her husband Reggie.
Ruffinelli says: “I’m extreme, I have an extreme physique. I love my curves, I love my hips and I love my assets.”
But with the visual perks come the physical drawbacks and Mikel is forced to side-shuffle around her house to avoid getting stuck in corridors and even struggles to fit in the shower.
She is forced to drive a wide truck which she accesses using a step ladder as she doesn’t fit into a standard size car.
Meanwhile grandmother Denise Souder, or ‘Sweet Cheeks’ as she is known, is a 56-year-old Las Vegas stripper whose hips measure 74 inches – twice the size of the average woman.
Souder sells scantily clad clips of her hips online and even ropes her daughter Rachel, 23, in for the saucy shows.
She said: “God gave it to me, why not love it and use it? I do like to get up and walk from my seat to the bathroom and just kind of take a glance at who’s looking.”
But Souder's story is worrying. Her partner Steve is a self-confessed 'chubby chaser' who admits that his lover would become significantly less attractive to him if she lost her hips.
The pair met when Steve posted an ad in the local paper looking for a woman over 21 stone. Before long, they were married.
But twelve years ago Steve left Souder for a bigger woman.
Despite their relationship tumult, Steve broke up with his new love when she decided to have weight loss surgery, and a year ago, he rekindled his relationship with Souder.
And while Steve is happy to fatten up Denise further, he admits her suffering health makes him feel guilty.
Denise suffers from arthritis in her hips and knees, which affects her mobility and can be painful.
Steve said: “I want her to be as fat as she can be but not be unhealthily fat and there’s a fine line there. As you get older it can become more problematic so there’s part of me that feels guilty that I like it so much.
“It’s something that as she gets older I struggle with because I feel bad about it but I also like it. I feel conflicted sometimes especially if she’s in a lot of pain or having a particularly hard day.”
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Marlena Plummer, 35, is a hip-heavy singleton from New York whose hips span an impressive 83 inches.
But far from letting her hefty hips hold her back, active Marlena partakes in swimming and even pole dancing in her spare time.
And now she is on the lookout for love.
She said: “I believe there’s somebody out there who’s going to love me for me.
“I always had hips even as an infant. I have a small appetite and it’s a mystery why my hips are the way they are but I love my hips, I love my shape and I love me.”
Aspiring actress and plus-size model Claudia Floraunce, 40, moved to Hollywood from Austria with dreams of making it big.
She believes her 64 inch hips hold the key to potential stardom and has amassed a legion of fans on YouTube where she posts videos about her love handles.
Claudia said: “I find my hips very sexy, in fact I find my whole body very sexy.
“I think people like looking at me because I’m a very unique size. I’m very large but I carry myself with a lot of confidence.
“I get a minimum 27 marriage proposals every day. To have curves is in and I’m in – finally.”
In the words of Shakira, these hips (certainly) don't lie.
The Women With The World's Largest Hips airs at 9pm on Wednesday 18 February, Channel 5.