The truth about "leggings legs"

The truth about "leggings legs"

Can you get a thigh gap fast? 👀

Body image & positivity

Quick summary

1️⃣ "Thigh gap" or "leggings legs" reality check: common variations in the human body can be a big source of insecurities, so luna's here to debunk it all 🤝

2️⃣ What actually is it?: a “thigh gap” refers to the presence of a gap between the thighs that some people have when standing up with their feet together🧍

3️⃣ It's mostly genetic: it's often down to your genes, and determined by factors like bone structure, height, and muscle distribution, which you can't control!

4️⃣ Healthy goals: it's important to focus on on feeling good and being healthy, not chasing a "thigh gap" or having the "perfect" "leggings legs"❤️

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In the world we live in, unfortunately, insecurities are created out of very normal anatomical variations in the human body. Be it “hip dips”, uneven breasts, or “thigh gaps”/"leggings legs". Diet culture and the media take advantage of this, by turning them into a problem that needs fixing 😔 But luna is here to debunk it all ☝️ and give you the facts.

What is a “thigh gap”?

A “thigh gap” refers to the presence of a gap between the thighs that some people have when standing up with their feet together 🧍For years, this has been made a marker of beauty and health, and people have turned it into a goal 🎯

The reality is, thigh gaps are mostly genetic, and therefore largely out of our control 🧬

So what’s the truth? Can you get a thigh gap fast? 🤔

Lots of factors come into thigh gaps, the main ones are:

🦴 Firstly – our bones. People with wider hips will naturally have thighs that sit further apart and are therefore more likely to have a gap between them

🧍 As well as this, height plays a role! Science has found that shorter people are more likely to have a gap between their thighs due to the shape of their hips and the angle of their thigh bones

💪 Then there’s muscle. There are lots of really important muscles in the inner thigh that help keep us balanced – without which it would be so hard to walk, run, cycle, anything! Stronger legs are naturally more likely to touch, and less likely to have a gap between them

So far, you can probably tell that these are all things we have no control over – they’re mostly determined by our genes 👖 If you're curious about how these factors impact other parts of our body, check out: is it normal not to have a flat stomach?

Is it possible to get a thigh gap fast?

One final factor that comes into play is body fat. Unfortunately, there are many workout videos, products, or dieting regimes out there that claim to give you a “thigh gap” or "leggings legs" 👀

While, yes, someone with less fat on their thighs is more likely to have a gap between their thighs, they would also need to have the bone structure, height, and muscle distribution to allow for this.  So really, no diet or exercise can give you a “thigh gap”, and not everyone will develop a gap between their thighs by losing weight. 

Regardless, this isn’t a healthy goal to aim for – there are no health benefits of having a gap between your thighs 🙅

If you want to explore more about setting healthy body goals, you can read about how to build healthy habits on luna.

What should I aim for instead? 🌞

luna’s advice is to do things that make you feel good ❤️ Try exercises that you enjoy – whether that’s walking, swimming, cycling, yoga, or anything else. And create goals fuelled with love for your body ✨

Rather than aiming to lose weight, aim to become stronger, more flexible, or increase your endurance.

When it comes to food, you can eat foods that nourish your body and fuel your muscles 😊

And listen to your body! Pay attention to what your body likes and what makes you feel good 🫶

Overall, everyone’s body is uniquely different and uniquely beautiful. And you don’t need to change anything about it to fit in or look good! Do what makes you feel happy, healthy, and confident 🙌

How we answered this question:

luna's team of experts comprises GPs, Dermatologists, Safeguarding Leads and Junior Doctors as well as Medical Students with specialised interests in paediatric care, mental health and gynaecology. Questions are answered and reviewed by this team.

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