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.
A person's ability to have a thigh gap largely comes down to their genetic predisposition and bone structure. This means that even naturally slim people won't necessarily have a thigh gap, or that someone who is curvier may have a thigh gap.
Can everyone have a thigh gap? Short story: No. And for good reason – we're all different. 'For some people, a thigh gap is a natural part of their bone structure and genetics,' says Dr Rekha Tailor, GP, cosmetic doctor and medical director at Health & Aesthetics.
Unless you are underweight or have femurs that are extremely bowed or your hip joints live unusually far apart inside the pelvis, your thighs will touch.
Stand straight before a mirror with your back upright, your left and right knees touching each other. If you see space between your inner thighs, you've got yourself a thigh gap.
Most women are endomorphs—curvy, feminine and soft. Mesomorphs are muscular with a medium frame. And ectomorphs are slender, with lean muscles and minimal fat, good candidates for thigh gap. Depending on your genes, your body build will be one, or a combination, of these.
This is a common condition in women and can occur at any age due to genetics, ageing and when you consume more calories than your body needs or is able to burn, which then turns into fat.
Researchers tracked the volunteers for an average of 12.5 years. They found that people with big thighs had a lower risk of heart disease and premature death than those with thin thighs.
Skin-to-skin contact can cause inner thigh chafing. This is especially common for women who wear skirts or dresses. The thighs rub against each other more because there's no barrier between them. Friction from clothing or underwear can also cause chafing between the legs.
Basically, having a gap between your thighs was considered beautiful, which shamed a ton of women whose thighs naturally touch. The mermaid thigh movement recognizes that other group of women—those who don't have a natural thigh gap—effectively giving every woman a body-positive trend to identify with.
Ok, a thigh gap is only due to the structure of your pelvis. Some women have them, others don't, regardless of weight.
The idea behind a thigh gap is that your legs are spaced far enough apart to look gamine and young. Don't think this is a coincidence. Our patriarchal society encourages women to infantilize themselves for sexual and social gain. When women relinquish their womanhood, they relinquish control over their bodies.
Dieting and exercise will not give you a thigh gap overnight — it is a long-term lifestyle change, not a quick fix. Physical results could take as long as three to four weeks to start showing. Even then, some girls' genetics keep them from achieving a thigh gap, no matter how skinny they are.
According to the National Centre for Health Statistics, the average female thigh circumference is 20.8 inches or 52.9 cm. This is based on a sample size of 4,065 women. As with male data, the average female thigh size grows and declines with age, although to a lower amount.
Chafing is a common problem that affects men and women of all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, this skin condition got nicknamed 'chub rub'. The use of this term spreads the common misconception that only people with larger thighs suffer from chafing.
In fact, chub rub isn't always due to being overweight. Even skinny people experience chafing and it's nothing to worry about.
Inner thighs
Similar to the inner arms, the fleshy inner thighs are sensitive. But unlike the arms, they're super close to the genitals, which ups the arousal game automatically. Run your fingers down the front of your partner's thighs, slowly moving your way inward and upward.
After reading the most we ever have about guys thighs, it seems that most seem to be around the 23-26 inch mark. To give you some perspective, let's look at a pair of 25 inch quads... What is this? As you can see, anything above 25 is already pretty massive, and 30 inch legs are absolutely huge.
Model leg workouts tone your thighs, calves, and glutes. The primary exercises that will help you achieve this are lunges and squats. Those two exercises are the foundation of strong, well-toned legs, and will be a crucial part of your legs routine. Lunges and squats are basic leg exercises that you can do anywhere.
Hormones drive the deposition of fat around the pelvis, buttocks, and thighs of women and the bellies of men. For women, this so-called sex-specific fat appears to be physiologically advantageous, at least during pregnancies. But it has a cosmetic down-side as well, in the form of cellulite.
Most likely genetics. Everyone's body has it's own natural distribution of muscle and fat. If you're in shape then don't worry about it.
This is usually due to your genes. Leg fat may be comprised of different types of fat cells, including: Subcutaneous fat: most common in the thighs and located right beneath the skin. Intramuscular fat: fat dispersed within the muscle itself, much like the marbling seen in meat.
"You can change the composition of your leg muscles — the ratio of fat to lean mass. Increasing your strength and endurance will lead to a change in how your legs look," says Dr. Wright.
The size and shape of your thighs are mostly determined by your genetics (e.g., bone structure), fat distribution, and muscle mass.