What are hip dips and can you do something about the supposed flaw? Hip dips are currently circulating on social platforms as a new twist on the body positivity movement. But what exactly is it and can you do something about the supposed flaw? Does the latter even make sense and is it necessary?
What Are Hip Dips?
Most women dream of a shapely hourglass figure. This means that a narrow waist turns into rounded hips. In reality, however, very few women correspond to this idea of beauty. The so-called hip dips are lateral dents in the hips. The dents are at the base of the thighs, which gives the silhouette a slight optical “kink”.
This kink is by no means a health risk. On the contrary: Most women have slight dents in their hips of varying degrees. While some can get along well with their hip dips or even show them off proudly, other women are dying to get rid of them. Both are perfectly legitimate.
What Causes Hip Dips?
In order to be able to take appropriate countermeasures, you should first understand the causes of hip dip dents. Three key factors play a role here:
1. The Body Fat Percentage
The typical distribution of fat in women means that love handles tend to form on the hips, thighs, and buttocks. From a biological point of view, this makes sense, but the aesthetic aspect is debatable.
However, you can actively influence your body fat percentage. The higher the total body fat percentage, the more pronounced your hip dips are. The less body fat you have, the less noticeable they are. This applies even if a corresponding assessment exists.
So if you are overweight, try to lose the extra pounds with a combination of exercise and a healthy diet. Don’t make the mistake of starving yourself massively! This only leads to the dreaded yo-yo effect, so that the dents in the hips become even more pronounced afterward.
2. The Muscles
With the weight reduction to your normal weight, an important step has already been taken to counteract the hip dents. However, you need muscles for a well-formed, tight silhouette! The best way to do this is through regular strength training. By the way, women with a pronounced gluteal musculature have hip dips much less often.
The dents in the hips will not disappear completely through strength training, but they can be significantly reduced in their severity. Tip: To boost muscle growth, you should consume enough protein. A daily guide value of 1.5 g of protein per pound of bodyweight applies as a benchmark for amateur athletes.
3. Bone Structure And Genetics
In contrast to the first two factors mentioned, you cannot influence your bone structure. If you have a naturally wide pelvis, neither exercise nor diet can change this.
Inheritance also plays an important role. If the majority of your female relatives also have hip dents, there is a high probability that the predisposition runs in your family. Only self-acceptance helps here, but that in no way means that the hip dips cannot at least be reduced in extent.
How Do You Get Rid Of Hip Dips?
As already briefly explained, you should concentrate on the influenceable factors of sport and nutrition. However, the extent to which your hip dips can be reduced by such measures ultimately depends on your bone structure. No workout in the world will change the structure of your pelvis.
You should always be aware of that. In addition, it is debatable whether some exercises actually increase the hip dents in case of doubt. The best way to reduce hip dips through exercise is a balanced butt workout. The buttocks are made up of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.
All three muscles should be trained in equal proportions. The best way to do this is with full-body exercises like squats or planks. Isolated butt exercises for the individual muscle groups (e.g. hip thrusts or lunges) can also be useful as exercises against hip dips.
In addition to training the buttocks, abdominal training can also help to optically conceal the denting effect. The fuller the lower abdomen, the more hip dips stand out.
If the sporting measures do not have the desired effect, some women even think about cosmetic surgery. In fact, it is possible to fill up the hip dips with your own fat or hyaluronic acid. It is up to you whether you want to take the risk of the operation, the risk of infection, and the downtime.
Hip Dips Conceal With The Appropriate Clothing
If you suffer a lot from your hip dips, the right clothing can alleviate the suffering a little. Avoid single-colored pants, as they will accentuate the hip dents. This applies above all to particularly tight-fitting models and leggings.
If it has to be a single-colored pair of pants for outfit-related reasons, then choose a dark color. Light pants emphasize the hips too much. You are well-advised to wear patterned leggings, as they distract from the hip dips.
The topic of skirts and dresses is particularly sensitive for some women with hip dips: completely figure-hugging dresses are not suitable. But that doesn’t mean that you should walk around in wide sacks of potatoes!
If you’re happy with your upper body, choose a fitted top and a skirt that flares out at the waist. This is how you put your assets in the limelight and conceal the hip area. A chic scarf that you can tie around your hips is suitable for swimwear.
Do You Even Have To Get Rid Of Hip Dips?
From a medical and health point of view, the answer is quite clear: no. Hip dips are not dangerous or in any way unnatural. If you take a leisurely look around the street, you will see that many women have hip dents.
Ideally, you will be able to make peace with your body and love yourself for who you are. However, the latter is often easy to say. No one can presume to say to another that the individual suffering is unfounded!
If you don’t feel comfortable in your body, you have both the opportunity and the right to make improvements. How limited or far-reaching these options are in relation to hip dips depends on the individual case.
Get Rid Of Hip Dips - Our Conclusion
Hip dips are a purely cosmetic issue if you can even call it that. With a reduction in body fat and targeted muscle building, the extent of the dents can be reduced, but usually not eliminated completely. Since the cause is often genetic in nature, the optimization options are often limited. It is therefore advisable to develop a healthy level of self-acceptance.
