Butting back

Look no further

And you thought thin was in. In actual fact, a rounder rump is back in fashion and, if you are not naturally gifted in that area, there?s always artificial aid to turn to. In the shopping malls of New York this fall, the new mannequins lining the shop windows have plastic posteriors which billow below like never before. And pundits think they owe their sudden prominence to the rise of bodacious stars like J. Lo and Beyonce. It?s well-known that both these stars have rearviews to rival most others, and young women are in haste to emulate them. What?s added to the rush is the popularity of low-slung jeans among the 20-and-some-less age group. On the drawing board are also mannequins who will measure up to maternity sizes.

For helen hunt, things are again as good as they can get. The Oscar-winner is ready to star in Shekhar Kapur?s new venture, 100 Days In Darkness, on the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Hunt stars as an American relief worker. For those who were writing her off, that?s some relief.