Thigh Gap: Newest Exercise Craze
The newest craze to optain a “Thigh Gap” leads to eating disorders and unhealthy body images.
Every woman is insecure about one thing or another on their body. The biggest “problems” are that their butt is too big or that their stomach could be a little flatter. The newest thing that our generation feels the need to obsess over is something called a “thigh gap.”
The whole point of obtaining a thigh gap is so your upper thighs do not touch when you put your feet together therefore it creates a gap. On the internet, especially on Pinterest, there are exercises that can supposedly help you obtain this look. One thing that I don’t think a lot of people understand is that it all depends on how your bone structure is set up. Unfortunately, this does not stop girls from trying.
I see girls on my Twitter and Facebook feed constantly saying, “I just really want a thigh gap.” This is just something I don’t understand. I know girls who were literally starving themselves in order to have this “sacred gap of wonder” and that’s exactly what they look like, starved and in serious need of a big mac.
I was horrified when I was doing some research on this topic on Pinterest and after I searched the tag “thigh gap”, a disclaimer appeared at the top stating, “Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices, they are mental disorders that if left untreated, can cause serious health problems or could even be life-threatening. For treatment referrals, information, and support, you can always contact the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237 or www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.” That just goes to shows that people will go to dangerous lengths to get their body in this types of condition.
This topic has got a lot of attention and people are starting to fight back against this trend. In addition to the multiple pro-thigh gap exercises and pictures online, there are also anti-thigh gap images stating, “No Thigh Gap, No Problem.” and there is even a hashtag saying #closethegap.
To be perfectly clear it doesn’t really matter to me if you have a gap or not, everyone’s body comes in all shapes and sizes and that is what makes us who we are. What does matter to me is how it is being marketed to our youth online and even in clothing brands. Recently there has been an issue with the brand Lululemon’s zeitgeisty yoga pants and how the seams unravel and the fabric is becoming sheer exposing underwear. In response to the criticism, co-founder Chip Wilson says, “It’s not us, it’s you.” According to Cosmopolitan Online Magazine, he continued on saying that fabric can only stretch so far, which means “frankly, some women’s bodies don’t work for it…it’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it.” I feel like this just adds fuel to the fire concerning people’s body issues.
In our world today we have become obsessed with how we look and how others see us. I can confidently say that my thighs touch, and so what? I am healthy and happy with whom I am and I am comfortable in my body. I hope that this thigh gap fad is not here to stay and that eventually we can all be content just the way that we are. “Thigh gaps are like cellulite, just made up issues.”
