Instagram and other social media channels build up the idea of a so-called ‘perfect body’. One trend driven by social media is an elusive ideal of a ‘thigh gap’. Beginning around 2013, the thigh gap started trending on social media, becoming a body ideal and goal for many women.
Women are dealing with higher levels of body scrutiny than ever before. With the invention of social media, we are taking more and more pictures of ourselves. We are also comparing ourselves to other people more than ever before. At Bandelettes we believe you don't need a thigh gap - here's why.
What Is A Thigh Gap?
A thigh gap is just air between our legs. Where your thighs are so thin that they don't touch when you stand with your feet together. Most women do not have a naturally occurring thigh gap and find it difficult to achieve. This has led some to resort to extreme dieting or even surgery. The thigh gap obsession is criticized by medical professionals who link to it a rise in eating disorders.
Summer is around the corner, so it's time for the media to start telling us to get ‘beach body ready’. Magazines and advertisements start talking about bikini bodies and thigh gaps. But why should we bother spending so much time and energy worrying about air between our legs?
You Don’t Need A Thigh Gap
You don't need a thigh gap to be a healthy person. In fact, very healthy and athletic women are unlikely to have a thigh gap, even if they have very low body fat. That’s because athletic legs have muscle and muscle naturally makes the thighs touch. It doesn’t matter how many squats or donkey kicks you do, you cannot "spot reduce" fat anywhere on your body. Exercises for your thighs are fine as part of a healthy lifestyle. But thigh exercises will tone the area by building muscle, but that muscle will not create a thigh gap. It’s just not how most female bodies were built.
Luckily, the trend and desire for a thigh gap are dying down. Social media, despite encouraging this trend, also allows us to see a more varied range of women. We used to only see waif body shapes on the catwalks. Now, with the rise of curvy supermodels and influencers, we see more women with different body shapes. Models like
Emme who walked in the
Chromat runway show featuring Bandelettes. These women are all gorgeous and confident in their own skin.
One such positive role model is Jameela Jamil. In March 2018, British actress and TV host
Jameela Jamil urged women to think about everything else they had going on for themselves. Saying
“I’m tired of seeing women just ignore what’s amazing about them and their lives and their achievements, just because they don’t have a bloody thigh gap.”
Instead of striving for one ideal, we should look to a wider range of beauty. We can be inspired by athletic bodies like William’s sisters Venus and Serena or Simone Biles. Curvy silhouettes are being championed by Beyoncé, Rhianna, and Kate Upton.
Plus-size models like Ashley Graham and Tess Holliday are breaking barriers and redefining modeling industry standards. The thigh gap is unobtainable and unhealthy for most of us to try and achieve. Instead, we must learn to live with and love the bodies we have. We must also appreciate the wider range of beautiful bodies all around us.
Learn To Live With Your Chub Rub
Most women whose thighs touch have experienced thigh chafing before. This has unfortunately been termed ‘
chub rub’. If you like to wear dresses, skirts or shorts during warm months, rubbing thighs can be painful. But thigh chafing doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying life to the fullest.
Bandelettes thigh bands are the perfect solution for women who experience inner thigh rubbing. Try one of our lace styles today and experience the comfort for yourself.
Embrace the body you have this summer and be comfortable in your own skin with Bandelettes. For more inspiration check out our Ultimate Guide To Body Positivity.
