An American woman with the biggest butt in the world

I’d like to introduce you to a truly remarkable woman! She’s from Los Angeles, has four children, and even has a butt that’s been included in the Guinness Book of World Records!

Mikel Ruffinelli is 39 years old. She weighs 190 kg (428 lbs), and her hips measure 244 cm (9.5 in). This is an officially registered world record: Mikel has the largest butt in the world. Her waist, however, is proportionally small—101 cm (39 in).

Ruffinelli’s life isn’t easy. She increasingly relies on a power wheelchair for mobility, and she can’t negotiate some doorways. Mikel buys furniture with reinforced frames for her home to support her weight. She barely fits into her 220 cm wide bed. She says she began gaining weight at age 22, immediately after giving birth to her first child. Meanwhile, she consumes approximately 3,000 calories per day.

Michele Ruffinelli says the following about her body: “In the past, I was embarrassed by my big butt, but over time I learned to love my body and am no longer afraid to show it.”

Mikel Ruffinelli is an American woman who currently holds the record of widest hips in the world,^[1] according to the World Record Academy.^[2] Her weight is more than 420 pounds (190 kg), and her hips measure an unusual 8 feet (2.4 m) in circumference, although her waist is only 3 feet 4 inches (102 cm). She is 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall.

Ruffinelli was a normal-sized young woman, and in her early 20s weighed an above average 13 stone (180 lb).^{[citation needed]} At 22, she put on 4 stone (56 lb) after having her first child, Andrew. After daughters Destynee, Autumn, and Justyce followed, her weight and hips ballooned further.

She eats an average 5,000 calories a day.

It is possible that this extraordinary accumulation of fat tissue is an advanced stage of a medical condition called lipedema.

Mikel Ruffinelli was born in California, USA (Los Angeles or Santa Monica are the locations most frequently cited). In her younger years, she looked completely different; she was athletic, weighed around 140 pounds (63–64 kg), and had a fit physique. However, even then, her hips were relatively wide—a trait she later attributed partly to genetics, noting that her mother also had wide hips.

How her body changed

At the age of 22, following the birth of her first son, Andrew, her body began to change rapidly. She has recounted that she initially weighed around 182 pounds (82 kg), but after each subsequent pregnancy, her hips and lower body grew significantly larger.

In total, she has four children: one son and three daughters. According to her, the changes in her body became more pronounced after each pregnancy. Regarding a possible medical cause, various interviews have suggested that her distinctive physique might be linked to lipedema—a condition characterized by the disproportionate accumulation of fat tissue, particularly in the legs and hip area. However, there is no definitive confirmation in public sources that this diagnosis has been officially confirmed by medical professionals.

In 2002, she married Reggie Brooks, who worked as a computer technician. Reggie has stated in numerous interviews: "I find her body very attractive. I tell her every day that she is beautiful." He also joked, "I'm licensed to operate heavy machinery." This phrase went viral, as it humorously referred to his wife's famous physique. Regarding her daily life, Mikel has explained that she has to make numerous adjustments due to her size.

He buys two airplane seats, drives a truck or a large vehicle, has a specially reinforced metal chair at home, sleeps in a bed about 7 feet (2.1 m) wide, and has to turn sideways to pass through certain doorways; when going to a restaurant, he often calls ahead to ensure there is suitable seating, and sometimes even brings his own chair. Diet: In one interview, he detailed his daily meals: Breakfast—2 eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes. Lunch—fried fish and french fries. Dinner—grilled chicken with rice or mashed potatoes. Snacks—peanuts, granola bars, and chips.

She noted: "3,000 calories seems like a lot, but for someone of my size, it’s actually not that much." After gaining global recognition for her modeling career in 2013, she began working as a plus-size model for the Big Beautiful Women (BBW) platform. According to several reports, she earned around $1,000 per photoshoot. She also worked as a BBW fashion consultant and advocated for body positivity. Regarding television appearances, she has participated in...

..to the medical talk show *The Doctors* and TLC’s documentary *World's Biggest Hips*, which showcased her daily life, the challenges of finding a wedding dress, and the public's reaction. Regarding criticism, when asked about people staring, she replied: "Of course people stare, but it doesn't bother me." She also said: "God made me different and gave me this journey to help others see what confidence looks like." And one of her most famous quotes is: "I don't want to get bigger, but I don't want to lose my curves."