I can remember scrolling through the #thighgap tag on Instagram and then glancing down at my cushy, muscular thighs and wondering how the hell a “thigh gap” was physically possible.
Glorifying the inches of space between a woman’s legs when her knees are touching became a fad that hitched a ride on a hashtag a few years ago. The notion of having a “thigh gap” was associated with having the perfect body.
The fad seems extra nauseating after looking at the statistics; 40 percent of women would feel more confident with a thigh gap and 27 percent of women feel pressured to have one. Now I understand feeling pressured to do well in school and get a decent job, but pressure to have an inch of space between my thighs? Totally absurd.
A woman’s body is shaped by everything from lifestyle to diet to the genetic lottery. As a dancer, I will never be able to possess a thigh gap, as my thighs are the main sources of power behind my favorite hobby. But that doesn’t make me “fat” or “out of shape” by any means.
After my first two years of college, I became accustomed to my changing body. A few stretch marks and new curves were something I began to embrace, knowing that it’s nature’s way of introducing me to womanhood. I’ve definitely experienced the slumps of trying on clothes that used to fit perfectly freshman year and finding that they’re no longer wearable, but such is life. I knew I didn’t have a model-type figure, but I still embraced my healthy, more curved figure.
“Thigh brows,” the recent trend you may have seen on your Instagram feed, is drifting away from “thigh gaps” and turning towards a more uplifting and realistic portrayal of female body images. Thigh brows are defined as “the skin roll that forms at the top of your thighs when you sit or bend forward.” This trend encourages women to embrace their curves and feel comfortable with a womanly body instead of promoting stick-thin bodies as the only sexy shape.
Some notable celebrities who are embracing the thigh brows trend are Khloe Kardashian, Beyonce and Rihanna, all of whom openly embrace their curves.
Whether this fad is merely a celebrity driven social media trend or a true protest against the thigh gap movement remains to be seen, but regardless, I find it reassuring.
With the power that social media holds today, there will always be negative messages swirling around, but maybe this is one hashtag that can bring us closer to celebrating all body shapes and sizes.
As for me? I’ll keep loving my thighs exactly how they are.
