"Break the internet, Kim Kardashian," came the challenge.

And to be fair the reality TV star attacked the task with gusto, posing with her famed backside in all its naked, oiled up glory on the cover of Paper magazine.

It was a moment which summed up the most talked about body part of 2014: the derriere. If silicone enhanced breasts were a staple of the nineties and coltish limbs the badge of honour in the noughties, then this year has been all about having junk in the trunk.

The battle to be crowned queen of booty has been as eye-watering as it was fierce. Kardashian's fondness of documenting her famed ass(et) has even led to the coining of a new phrase: "belfie". That's shorthand for "bottom selfie".

American rapper Nicki Minaj, who hosted the 2014 MTV European Music Awards (EMA) in Glasgow in November, is another to have carved a career out of a rear more cartoonish than the curves of Jessica Rabbit.

Her song Anaconda, which reached number three in the UK charts, samples the 1992 hit Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot. With the lion's share of the lyrics not exactly suitable for a family newspaper, you get the jist from the signature line: "My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hon." Err, quite...

The accompanying album cover, featuring Minaj posing in a dental floss-esque pink thong, sparked a host of copycats with even Kermit the Frog getting in on the act.

Another to pen an ode to the ample behind is Meghan Trainor whose debut single, All About That Bass, went reached number one featuring the sage words: "Yeah, my mama she told me don't worry about your size/She says: 'Boys like a little more booty to hold at night.'"

Not to forget the original queen of bountiful bahookies Jennifer Lopez - aka J Lo - whose 2014 track, Booty, urged listeners to: "Throw up your hands if you love a big booty." Well, you heard the woman ...