Hip Dips: a normal and natural body part

AAt the age of 17, when I was restricting my calories and working out a lot, I remember looking in the mirror while getting ready for a party and realizing, oh my God, these indentations between my hips and my thighs (called “hip dips”) don’t seem to be there anymore! I was delighted. I was hot.

I’ve returned to this moment countless times over the years when looking in the mirror and noticing my hip dips (not having them was a fleeting moment in my life). If I just had the discipline from my second semester of senior year, I could come back to this body, right?

The truth is that I had hip dips throughout my teenage years before that point, and I had them throughout my adult life after those few months – when I was a teenager with a teenager’s metabolism and close to zero liability. Hip dips were and are a part of my post-pubescent body.

Turns out there are probably physiological reasons why I (or someone else) suffers from hip dips, and it has nothing to do with your “fitness.”

“In today’s fitness culture, there is a lot of pressure to conform to certain aesthetic ideals, but true health and fitness is about how your body feels and functions, not eliminating natural features like hips,” says Ingrid Clay, CPT, NASM – certified personal trainer on Chris Hemsworth’s fitness and wellness platform Centr. “It’s essential to accept your body’s unique shape and not focus on things that are completely normal. Hip dips are not a defect: they are simply part of your body’s anatomy.

“Hip dips are not a defect: they are simply part of your body’s anatomy. » – Ingrid Clay, CPT

What are hip dips?

Hip dips have become the target of fitfluencer promises on social media, with workout programs and diets promising to eliminate or fill them. What do people mean when they refer to hip dips?

“This refers to the area just below the hips, the upper part of your legs, where there is a more pronounced indentation,” explains exercise physiologist Angie Asche, MS, RD, CSSD, an expert in nutrition and fitness at Centr.

Clay describes hip dips as “the natural inward curves found between the hip bones and the upper thighs, creating a slight indentation at the sides of the hips.”

What causes a person to have hip dips?

Hip hollows, or their absence, are a consequence of your musculoskeletal constitution. The distribution of your muscles and fat as well as the length and width of your bones all play a role.

“Hip dips are caused by the shape and structure of the pelvis and femur,” explains Clay. “Specifically, where the top of the thigh bone (greater trochanter) meets the hip bone (iliac crest), the bone structure creates a hollow. The distribution of muscle and fat around this area also affects the visibility of the hollows, but the main factor is the individual’s skeletal structure.

So yes, have you ever looked at a photo or model of a skeleton and noticed a concavity where the hip meets the pelvis? This is where hip dips come from.

Why do some people have them and others don’t?

Our bodies are all unique, but society tells us that certain bone structures and genetics are more ideal than others.

“The cause and reason why some get it and others don’t is really a combination of genetics and the general structure of the individual’s anatomy and body composition,” says Asche. “There’s nothing wrong with having it, for many it’s just a natural part of our anatomy.”

To get to the heart of the matter, the bone structure of your hips, pelvis, and femur can play a role in hip visibility. Then, if you are genetically predisposed to having more muscle and fat around your hips, this natural imprint may be more or less visible.

“People with wider hips or a more pronounced distance between their pelvis and femur may have more noticeable hip dips,” says Clay. “Those who have more muscle or fat in their hips and thighs might have a smoother curve. It’s mostly genetic: some people are naturally more prone to having visible hip dips, while others are not.

What if you want to “get rid of” hip dips?

Do workout or diet plans on social media play a role in this idea of ​​yours? First, remember that these promises are full of promise, because “point reduction has not been shown to be effective, meaning that an exercise or exercise program will not necessarily result in weight loss.” fat in that specific area,” says Asche.

It’s also worth taking the time to assess whether hip dips are simply a natural feature of your body. At different weights or fitness states, does your body seem to have hip dips more often than not?

“Much of the emphasis on hip dips in modern culture is due to social media and beauty standards, which often emphasize an idealized and unattainable body shape.” -Clay

Next, if hip dips seem like a part of your body, take some time to ask yourself Why you want to target them.

“It is in no way harmful to have or something you need to get rid of, but rather a very natural part of many people’s anatomy,” says Asche. Where did the desire to change this benign part of your body come from? Does this motivation correspond to your values?

“Much of the attention paid to hip dips in modern culture is due to social media and beauty standards, which often emphasize an idealized and unattainable body shape,” says Clay. “Instead of trying to get rid of it, the goal should be to improve strength and confidence in your body as it is.”