The Scoop on Hip Dips: Are They Normal?

What exactly are some hip dips? Are Hip Dips Common? Find out what causes them and why it's typical for people of all body types to have them here.

You would think that with all that is going on in the world, all of those concerns about how we appear, such as "what are hip dips?" Who has to bother about lipstick, pants, and shampoo when we've got face masks, soft loungewear, and the millionth COVID version? Isn't that right?

However, how we feel about our appearance has significantly deteriorated over the past year. According to a survey conducted in 2021 and commissioned by a committee of the House of Commons, more than half of adults in the United Kingdom reported feeling "terrible" about their body image.

The phenomenon of stress about called hip dips. These body trends follow in the footsteps of the "thigh gap" and "highbrow" body trends. The "hip dip" craze has been gaining popularity over the past few years, but it has become even more of a physical preoccupation during the lockdown. On Instagram alone, the hashtag #hipdips has been used more than 50,000 times.

We are all for healthily focusing on our lower halves, including strengthening that booty by performing workouts that target the glutes (our guide to the best resistance bands for women will help with that, BTW). However, despite the efforts of the internet to popularise hip dips, all any of us genuinely want to do is move our hips to Shakira's song "Hips Don't Lie."

We consulted plastic surgeons, medical professionals, fitness instructors, dancer teachers, and other industry professionals to learn everything there is to know about hip dips, including who gets them, why, and how they can be reduced in appearance through diet and exercise. If you want your hips to look less dipped, read on to learn about what hip dips are, who gets them, and why.

Related Are hip dips genetic?

What Are Hip Dips?

The hip dip is the exercise "Love handles" is a slang word for the inward depression or curve that runs down the side of your body right below your hip bone, according to Dr. Rekha Tailor, the medical director and creator of Health and Aesthetics, who spoke with My Imperfect Life. These depressions are sometimes referred to as "violin hips" or "trochanteric depressions" if you want to sound all sophisticated and scientific about it.

Many people refer to them as the new "thigh gap," a preoccupation that began in the 2010s and has remained throughout the past decade. According to Dr. Tailor, "Interest in [hip dips] has greatly grown in the last few months," and he points out that searches related to lockdown more than doubled. This brings us to the following.

What Causes Hip Dips?

Genes have a significant role in the development of hip dips. Assuring us that they are "totally normal anatomical phenomena," Dr. Ross Perry, the medical director of CosmedicsUK, describes them as such. According to him, "they occur when a person's hip bone is placed higher than his or her femur, forcing the fat and muscle to collapse inward."

The skeletal structure of an individual's pelvis, the width of their hips, and their overall body fat and muscle distribution will all impact how visible their hip dips are when viewed externally. Similarly, Dee Hammond-Blackburn, a personal trainer at OriGym(opens in new tab), insists that hip dips are entirely natural and completely down to how your bones were built. She told our writer: "The skeletal structure of an individual's pelvis holds for almost every component of the body. Performing hip dips does not indicate that a person is unfit or overweight.

According to Mark Fox, a health and fitness specialist who works at The Training Room, "Recently, more and more people believe that hip dips—or absence of them—are a measure of how healthy you are." [citation needed]. "Although the amount of body fat that is stored in that area can make them more noticeable, and additional muscle mass can also give you a more prominent look, losing the amount of body fat around that area will not make them go away because they are primarily caused by bone structure, which the individual cannot change.

Hip Dips Vs. Love Handles: What's The Difference?

The accumulation of extra fat on the sides of the abdomen is referred to as "love handles," which is also often referred to as "muffin top." They are distinct from hip dips in that they are performed considerably higher on the body, namely around the waistline of the individual being worked out. However, similar to hip dips, some people have a higher genetic predisposition to having love handles than others.

How Are Common Hip Dips?

You probably don't do hip dips as much as you think you do. According to Dr. Perry, "hip dip" is something that almost everyone possesses to some degree. "In some people, it is just more prominent than in others."

However, they are more prevalent in women than in males because of the location of the hip bones and the distribution of fat that is genetically predisposed to occur in women.

It may simply depend on your point of view; for some people, the differences are difficult to detect at all, while for others, the differences might be pronounced. Sam Markham, a certified personal trainer and co-founder of Common Purpose Wellbeing, says, "typically, hip dips are most evident when you look squarely at your front profile in the mirror." [citation needed] individuals have them and how many do not, and I believe that as a result, we should embrace and enjoy how unique we are all individually.

How To Get Rid Of Hip Dips?

It is a common fallacy that you will be able to completely rid your body of hip dips, and this is not the case. According to Dr. Tailor, "although exercising to decrease fat and create muscle can assist in lessening the appearance of hip dips." [citation needed] "However, exercising to reduce fat and build muscle can help."

Rhea Sheedy, a dance instructor and the founder of Ballet Fusion, provides the following advice: "Concentrate on exercises that specifically target the gluteal muscle groups, such as the Bulgarian split squat, the glute bridge, and the lunge. Walking and running are also excellent forms of exercise for shaping the legs, while core exercises, particularly those that focus on the abdomen and obliques, are effective for shaping the waist."

However, Sheedy observes: "You'll occasionally observe hip dips in folks who train a lot since increased muscular mass—or prominent strength in specific muscles—can cause more visible hip dips." [citation needed]

The intense amount of effort that dancers put into their hamstrings, hips, and legs has given rise to the term "dancer's dents." Hip dips are one of the exercises that contribute to this term. We cannot guarantee that you will have the behind of a ballerina, but we can provide some pointers on how to tone your butt to get you started.

Hammond-Blackburn reminds you that you must not neglect to take into account how you provide yourself fuel. Particularly one that provides a sufficient quantity of protein will significantly impact determining how efficient an exercise program is. This will assist in stimulating the building of muscle in the region and will also aid in the reduction of extra body fat ".

Therefore, rather than repeatedly searching the internet for "what are hip dips? or Are Hip Dips Common?"

Self-compassion is the one and the only thing that can make you feel better about your hip dips, so make sure you practice it. Fox suggests: "A little self-love goes a long way, so accept your hip dips (or lack thereof) and give yourself some credit! The human body is wondrous and exquisite in its own right." Guidelines for daily life.