From a snatched waist to a Brazilian Butt Lift booty, there are many ways in which social media attempts to dictate what our body is supposed to look like. It can inadvertently shame parts of us that are organic and totally wonderful, like the naturally occurring, inward curves known as hip dips.

Hip dips have been made to feel like the ugly stepchild of our lower half composition, which has led to a boom in clickbait YouTube videos promising you fully filled out hips in a matter of a few exercises. In a society that profits off of women experiencing body dysmorphia, it’s important to ask: who is to say that there’s anything wrong with hip dips, and why have we made it the enemy?

What Are Hip Dips?

Below your hips and above your thighs, hip dips refer to the inward curve where others may have more of an outward curve. Like thigh gaps, hip dips have very little to do with being over or underweight, mainly caused by the shape of your pelvis. Some may have it more pronounced, while others may have it more subtle, depending on their pelvis shape. Underneath us all, however, are skeletons with indentation where the hip bone meets the top of the thigh.

Can You Get Rid Of Hip Dips?

Our genetics and bone structure are both pretty set in stone. What plays a major factor in our hip dips is out of our control, though things that may help alter the appearance of our lower body, like building muscle mass, can certainly change our look.

Having more or less body fat may also make your hip dips more or less noticeable, though it’s not indicative of being in a healthy or unhealthy state. It’s also important to note that while building muscle and losing fat can help minimize your hip dip appearance, it won’t vanish all the way.

Can Hip Dips Be Hot?

Not only are there a ton of body positive influencers celebrating the divine sensuality of their hip dips, but there are celebrities all for it, too! Ashley Graham is a top model turned host who frequently takes to Instagram to proclaim her admiration for her hips emulating that of a violin, and rightfully so. Names that join her include icons like Lizzo, Tracee Ellis Ross, Miley Cyrus and even Kourtney Kardashian.

Hotness is a choice, a mindset that takes discipline and commitment. That upkeep may look like saying positive mirror affirmations or muting toxic fitness influencers on social media, but whatever you do, it’s important to reclaim your magic. You’re allowed to love your body as it is, and whether your hips are lying like Shakira or dipping like Ashley Graham, your hotness is a conscious decision.

Hip Exercises To Consider

Okay, so all the body positivity has got you yawning. We get it, you can still love yourself and want to evolve your body, even if it means evolving your body out of hip dips. While we can never exactly chip at our bone structure, here are your exercises that can target the hips and improve the muscle mass in your lower body, indirectly impacting the pronunciation of your hip dips. These can be practiced at the gym, or with enough at-home tools, from the comfort of your living room.

Hip Abduction

It’s the machine every girl in the gym practically battles to get a chance to do a set on, and rightfully so! It stands as one of the most effective exercises there is for hip dips, and luckily, you don’t need a machine to execute. Lying on your side, keep your upper body and core engaged as you raise your top leg horizontally towards the ceiling. You’ll then lower the leg back down with slow and precise control, and repeat.

Squats

Standing with your feet hip-width apart, hinge at the knees to come into a squat position, keeping your knees behind the toes. Using the weight in your heels to push back up to standing, squeeze your glutes to maintain mind and muscle connection. Placing dumbbells on both shoulders or holding a kettlebell between your legs will also add some impact to this tried and true.

Clams

This is the exercise you’ll definitely want to throw in some resistance bands for. Laying down on the ground on your side, pivot your hips to a 45-degree angle and your knees to a 90-degree angle. Pushing your knee away from your core while keeping your feet pressed together, you’ll want to pause once you reach the top, engage your glutes and abs, and return to the ground. Making sure to repeat on both sides

Lunges

Whether it’s a side lunge or a curtsy lunge, this exercise does wonders for your hips, and you’ll certainly feel the burn. Cross your lunging leg behind you for a deep curtsy, or out to the side laterally. Keep dumbbells in hand will help enhance this move.

Your Body Deserves Your Love

With the BBL era coming to a close, if we’ve learned anything, it’s that it’s undoubtedly foolish to base your relationship with your body with the trends of modern day. Celebrities with under-the-radar access to surgeries and facetuning can communicate to the media what’s in or out, but with such a fluctuating rhetoric, it’d be much easier to just love the vessel you’re in right now, even while getting healthier and stronger. Build all the muscle mass and lose all the fat you want, just make sure you enjoy who you are along the way, hip dips and all.

Fitness