Confession: Yes, I would like to have the thigh gap. I would also like to be the crown princess of a glam European country (Monaco would do nicely, thank you!). Unfortunately, neither is likely to happen. Actually, scratch that… there are higher chances of my becoming a princess than there are of my getting a thigh gap. Not unless I am willing to go in for reconstructive surgery, at least. And that’s never going to happen.
What is this ‘thigh gap’ thing, anyway? And why is it taking over the world?
In theory, it’s simple: the thigh gap is when you stand with your feet together and there’s a space between your thighs. In practise, it’s rare enough that something like 5% women in this world will have a thigh gap without resorting to drastic and dangerous measures.
Despite this (or maybe because of this) teeny, tiny percentage, the thigh gap has become the latest most coveted “It accessory”. It’s the body trend that’s launched thousands of blogs, Tumblrs, memes, eating plans, workout regimes and inspirational quotes. Passionate followers have also created Twitter and Facebook accounts dedicated to this super-skinny phenomenon, with more than 700,000 followers. There is even a hugely popular Twitter account devoted to Cara Delevingne’s (largely seen as the torchbearer of this trend) thigh gap – it has 3,000 followers.
No, it doesn’t come as news that young women are exploring yet another dangerous body goal but what’s truly alarming is that even being “skinny” is no longer the ultimate goal for a lot of girls. The thigh gap has now become the pinnacle of perfection: a measure of weight loss success or failure.
But this latest body obsession is downright scary and implausible, for many reasons.
Why I (and most possibly you too) will never have the thigh gap
I went through most of my life being grossly underweight (am making up for it in spades now!) but have never seen even the slightest hint of a thigh gap on my frame. And neither will 95% women across the world, even if they diet and exercise down to a size 0.
That’s because it’s more about your bone structure than your weight. Dr. Travis Stork explained this really well on a recent episode of The Doctors. He brought along 2 women for the demonstration: one was a size 6 with a thigh gap, while the other was a size 0 without a thigh gap. Their hip X-rays revealed how the skeletal structure determines whether or not you will have a thigh gap: if you have narrow hips and your bones angle inwards, the thigh gap is virtually unachievable no matter how much you exercise or starve yourself. If your hips are wider, you may have a thigh gap regardless of your size or weight. And no dieting or fitness regimen is going to change your bone structure, just like nothing can change your height.
In fact, a lot of doctors and other experts blame the advertising industry and its liberal use of Photoshop for pushing this kind of impossible body ideal. As Lynn Grefe, president of the National Eating Disorders Association, puts it: “With photo editing and photo manipulation these days, most of these… are not even real images.”
Extreme measures
But when has a little biological or physical impossibility stopped us in our quest for the latest fad? Remember the cotton ball diet? Or the IV transfusions? Similarly, the thigh gap is now being served up in many a doctor’s office, using some questionable measures.
For example, top cosmetic surgery clinics have seen a more than 200% rise in demand for Lipoglaze, a fat-freezing treatment, on the inner thigh area. It works by first heating and then rapidly cooling the target area. This causes the fat cells to crystallise and permanently destroys up to a third of fatty deposits every session. The body then naturally eliminates this waste tissue over a few weeks.
Others talk about the more easily available liposuction, where the doctor makes an incision in your skin and then uses rods that have a little hole in the middle to suck out the fat… possible after-effects include swelling, bruising, soreness, oozing, an uneven skin surface and damage to the nerves and skin. Oh, and for a fraction of people, death. Not much to worry about then.
Even women who shy away from the surgical route fall prey to extreme dieting and exercising in their desire for the thigh gap. Do a quick search and you will find plenty of teens committed to starving in the hopes of living up to this super-skinny trend. And when a goal like this becomes the measure of success or failure, it can be really unhealthy. Think what it would do to someone with an eating or exercise disorder… not a pretty end result, for sure.
Me thinks I will just sit this one out. Rather than focus on something so unrealistic and fraught with dangers, I would rather work at getting stronger, healthier and more toned overall. You too? Right? So let’s celebrate the thigh we have, gap or no gap. Make them stronger but let’s ignore the gap.
anusha says
phew…so much of trends..i dont follow them blindly..i am happy being me and as you said we should focus on being strong 🙂
Miranda @ Slashed Beauty says
THANK YOU for this post! The media totally distorts the image of women and therefore the self esteem of millions. Have you heard of the Media and Public Health Act? The goal is to get images in media that have distorted the body by photoshopping to be LABELLED so that the public knows the body does not exist.
Alanna says
That would be amazing if that were to happen…and GMO labeling while they’re at it 🙂
Advertising and media is very largely to blame for these ridiculous body trends, definitely time for them to be accountable to someone for the content they’re bombarding young girls with!
30+ year NUTRITIONIsT says
Your stupid, ITs simple to have glowing skin and a thighgap, Just GO ORGANIC VEGAN!
Shelby says
You should use correct grmmar when you call someont “stupid”. Otherwise it’is just laughable.
Jenna says
Shelby are you on the freaking moon? Did you even pay attention to your grammar? Don’t say shit if you can not write. Geeezz
Denise says
LMAO FACTS
Nathalia says
Crazy. But I am not sure whether that is a new thing. About 15 years ago a friend of mine said she would diet till she got a thigh gap. So I experimented a bit, and found that if you stand straight and push your thighs outwards, you get a thigh gap for the lenght of a picture. Or if you want to be awkward, forever. I am a size 10 or so, and it works. She then stopped dieting, thank god.
I have actually met a girl with a natural thigh gap years later, and she looked like a stork to me, because her legs did not cross easily when she walked or sat.
Can’t we all just say that Healthy is beautiful and leave it at that. Besides, how bored must you be to actually get your fat frozen?
The Thigh Gap Hack says
Please stop perpetuating this myth that it’s virtually impossible to have a gap without wide hips. I have very narrow hips and was able to get a gap by getting lean enough and avoiding exercises that builds leg muscles (weighted squats, lunges, etc.) while strategically doing exercises that burn stubborn body fat.
I wrote a book on it called “The Thigh Gap Hack” (google it or see http://www.thighgaphack.com) and my clients/readers have been getting results.
I assure you, with the right know how you too can get the gap you’ve admitted to wanting. There’s no starving, throwing up, extreme anything (like 3 hr long cardio sessions) involved. Just knowing the right foods to eat and avoid, the most efficient ways to train and staying motivated.
sasha mizaree says
You found a way to make money off women’s insecurities. Why the fuck would anyone “Eat the right foods” to get a thigh gap, which many of the most gorgeous women on earth don’t have and look JUST FINE.
Amy . P says
FYI
We are trying to show teens to love and accept their bodies.
No one needs a Thigh Gap to be cool or hot.
Then you show up with some silly book trying to convince everyone that they should have the thigh gap?
why not accept your body structure? If you were born with the gap Fine, but if you have curvs you should be proud. I know most people find more attractive and HOT a pair of feminine legs and a BOOTY rather than a bony ass….
Girl Person says
Well excuse me for having a naturally bony ass and natural thigh gap even though I eat literally almost everything out of the fridge and pantry
rachel says
what the fawk — anyways dont ome here and say that ok? ok thank you
The Thigh Gap Hack says
PS – don’t publish this comment, but if you’re interested I would love to send you a copy of the book for you to read and review. You have a voice, and I’m willing to put up or shut up when it comes to this matter. Just email me with your name and email address and I’ll send you over your free copy.
Amie says
I agree that thigh gap has a lot to do with bone structure, but it does not necessarily mean you have wide hips. I think the angle of the greater trochanter has a lot to do with it (where the thigh bone joins with the hip). I have narrow (boyish) hips, and also a thigh gap, whether or not I gain weight. I would trade my thigh gap for a curvier figure if I had the choice.
adventure time says
This thigh gap trend is utter bullshit!!!it’s crazy the lengths women go,to obtain something they weren’t born with!it’s really disgusting to see women and young girls,who look almost skeletal,with this so called thigh gaps,it’s scary,(just Google images on thigh gap),you’ll see what i mean,women who have unnatural thigh gaps,make people like me,with a natural thigh gap,look bad.(p.s having a thigh gap is no big deal,it’s just a stupid fucking gap!!!),tbh i can’t wait for this dumb ass trend to go away! o_o,even if i’m a size 0,and eat like a fat cow,hate having an ultra fast metabolism,so hard to gain a bloody pound!) i kinda wish the voluptuous figure would be the new trend,like those beautiful vintage women,Audrey Hepburn,Ava Gardner,Marilyn Monroe,Sophia Lauren and so many others….
Summer says
I am a size 0 with a thigh gap but my friend who is the same size as me doesn’t AT ALL! but when we measured our hips, mine were much wider than hers.
So it just depends on your hip width! xx
Maggie says
I have a thigh gap…but I am not anorexic-I just work out a ton-I am like 10 percent body fat! :p
30+ year NUTRITIONIsT says
YOUR WRONG ABOUT THIGH GAPs, ITs NATURAL TO HAVE ONE! BUT THE ONLY WAY TO GET ONE Is TO GO VEGAN OR sTARVE YOURsELF. THE REAsON A NORMAL PERsON Is NOT CAPABLE OF GETTING A THIGH GAP, Is BECAUsE THEY EAT A TON OF ANIMAL PRODUCTs AND CHEMICALs + REFINED sUGARs ECt… EVERYTHING FROM THE FLOURIDE IN THE WATER TO THE HORMONEs AND FATs IN YOUR MILK AND MEAT CAUsE THIs WHEN WHAT THEY sHOULD BE DOING Is EATING HEALTHY FATs FROM COCONUT, CHIA sEED, Ect… COCONUT FAT speeds up the metabolism! ALONG WITH A TON OF FRUITs AND VEGGIEs AND GRAINs. NO FUCKING ANIMAL PRODUCTs OR CHEMICALs! EVER! YOUR sKIN WILL GLOW AND YOU WILL HAVE A THIGH GAP~! AND DONT BE AFRAID TO EAT TILL YOUR FULL! CALORIE REsTRICTING DOEsnT WORK ANYWAY, IT sLOWs DOWN YOUR METABOLIsm, IN RARE CAsEs IT WORKs BECAusE THE PERsON Is AVOIDING ANIMAL PRODUCTs AND OR LITTERALLY sTARVING THEMsELVEs. JUsT GO VEGAN YOU DUMB BITCHEs!
Al says
Nice trolling.
Girl Person says
I eat all of the stuff you said a “normal” person eats and I’m still super skinny with a thigh gap, oh no! *sarcasm*
keishagirl says
Thank you Thank you Thank you. I’m going vegan now! I wish I had more people like you around for some support on this. I’m almost 22. If I adapt a clean vegan lifestyle
I should have thigh gap by the time I’m 25.
jade says
My sister naturally has thigh gap and she doesn’t like it. She was different in our family as the second eldest and I guess she inherited something that we didn’t since she actually looks different from the rest of us while we all look almost alike. She says things keep falling out of it whenever she places one(the small or thin ones of course) and it’s hard to do ballet or ballroom with it. Not that she have tried a vegan diet or a surgery of some sort. It really is a bone structure that you are born with.
Girl Person says
It’s so rude of you to say that only 5% of women have thigh gaps and that they’re unnatural and gross and only “normal people” don’t have thigh gaps and the only way to achieve a thigh gap is starving yourself and instead of putting the thick people down for not having thigh gaps, instead, we should make the thick people happy but the skinny people super depressed because you’re putting us down! Hurray??
black girl says
So true I feel awful for having one after reading that sentence.
Cgirl says
I had a thigh gap up until this year. Its almost gone. Theres maybe a quarter of an inch remaining. I am 22 btw. Growing up with my big family we didnt have a lot of food. I didnt even know it was going to be a “thing”. When people would say things about my weight, id blow it off, i still do. My weight should concern no one unless it is damaging my health. Some people would he highly jelous, some people would be angry towards me. Some would call me stick or bones or things of that nature. But when youre skinny, and work out too btw ( free time when youre poor) lol, and fat people say things most of the time ots not even heart because youre fat! Like you dont exist in the same way to skinny people not physically anyway. Youre looked at like you dont take care of yourself. Ihave a child of my own. I have lost motivation to be skinny amwith a flat tummy amd thin arms and perhaps thin legs too, i care less these days. In the bible it says dont worry. So i dont worry i just do and i pray about it and i just remember my body is a temple for the Lord and it is my job not to stuff it. If you k ow what i mean. Ive gained a lot. My body is much different now. I have shapes on me i never knew existed. As i grow i care less about being skinny but more about simply being careful with myself and how i carry myself. Ive found that even though when i was skinny yes id attract lots of looks( it also helps if youre naturally gorgeous) but all i wanted was one special man to notice and it doesnt matter in the end of your hearts and emotions and all those things connect with God in the middle and all of that. You need to he loved for your personality also. Dont just be lloved for your body. Sometimes men have a hard time letring go of your body after they have their way with you. Fat or not fat lol. I feel like im getting chubby lol akd i still wear a size zero just fine. Its just crazy lol. Give all yourself to the Lord and let him love you just the way you are and to shape you i to who you should be in his eyes, not your own and def not others. Byyye.
Mariam says
Actually its Lana Del REY nit RAY
Brent says
Personally as a man I find so called though gap on a lady not sexy at all as a matter a fact I find it grossly nasty
Jo says
That attitude is gross and nasty
Frank says
As a guy I am quite sure, that other men do not like ‘thigh gaps’ like they are portrayed in the pictures in this article.
Most men don’t like women with skinny legs that look anorexic. Men like regular, ‘soft’ looking women with a healthy body-fat ratio.
And yes, there is no diet that can magically create a thigh gap, because it is all about having wider hips which probably make a woman look subconsciously more ‘fertile’ to men.
rachel says
KDFHSDLFKGJH are you the vegan teacher or..