Hip dips have now been lumped into the long list of body insecurities women should care about. I’ve now seen countless YouTube and TikTok videos telling women how they can “get rid” of their hip dips, forcing me to reflect on my own divots below my hip and question them. But like many of the insecurities on that problematic list, they are not even worth worrying about. They were just one of the only things left to add to unattainable beauty standards.
According to Healthline and Woman’s Health, hip dips are “naturally occurring indents just below your hip bone” and are “caused by the shape of your pelvis.” This is because, for some people, the area connected to the greater trochanter on your femur is tighter, causing an inward curve. The keyword in this description is “natural.” Hip dips are a part of your bone structure and genetics, and they are a lot more common than you may think. They can look more prominent depending on how wide your hip bones are or where you are genetically predisposed to storing muscle and fat in your gluteal region.
This means that while you can take measures to somewhat reduce the appearance of your hip dips by focusing on gluteus medius and upper quad exercises, they will never completely go away, no matter what all those clickbait fitness videos tell you. No amount of side-to-side bridges or restrictive calorie-counting diets can change your skeletal anatomy.
In fact, the very notion that hip dips are supposedly “unhealthy” is incorrect. They say nothing about what percentage of body fat you have. All they really say is you have a different pelvis shape than other women, something that comes with being a unique and individual human being.
The bottom line is to learn to love what you got. And although that’s easier said than done, when it comes to your body, it is incredibly important, especially in the case of permanent features like hip dips. Embrace them and show them off because constantly wanting to change your body to fit the new ideal will never leave you satisfied. Trends come and go, but loving yourself for who you are is what sticks.