Know your body
What Causes Hip Dips? Your Skeleton, Explained in 4 Minutes
Hip dips are caused by the vertical gap between two bone landmarks: the iliac crest (top of your pelvis) and the greater trochanter (top of your femur). A taller pelvis or lower trochanter creates a longer inward curve. Genetics set this geometry; muscle and fat over it only soften or sharpen the look.
Short version: you’re built like this, it’s working as designed, and the internet only recently decided to have feelings about it.
The two bones that decide everything
Your silhouette between waist and thigh is drawn by two landmarks:
- The iliac crest — the top rim of your pelvis. Put your hands on your hips; that ridge is it.
- The greater trochanter — the bony knob at the top of your femur, the widest point of most people’s hips.
Between those two points there is no bone holding the line outward — just muscle (mostly your gluteus medius) and a fat pad. If your iliac crest sits high and your trochanter sits low or prominent, the span between them reads as an inward curve: a hip dip.
That’s the whole cause. Not your weight. Not your workouts. Not how you sit. Geometry.
Why some dips look deeper than others
| You have… | The dip tends to look… |
|---|---|
| A tall or wide pelvis (“high hips”) | Longer and higher, just under the waist |
| A prominent trochanter | Sharper, with a defined shelf below |
| Low fat over the hip zone (lean/athletic) | More defined — bone landmarks show more |
| Fat stored mainly at hips/thighs | Deeper by contrast — fullness above and below |
| Well-developed glute med | Softer — muscle fills part of the span |
Notice only one row of that table is trainable. That’s why our whole training philosophy targets the glute med specifically instead of promising to redesign your pelvis — and why every “eliminate your hip dips” product is lying to you by the second sentence.
The weight-change trap
Every summer someone decides to diet the dip away. Here’s why that backfires: fat loss comes off everywhere, including the pad directly over your trochanter — which can make the bone landmarks more visible, not less. Meanwhile weight gain often pools above and below the dip and deepens the contrast. Your dip is not a fat problem, so fat is the wrong lever. If you want to change how it looks, the levers that actually connect to it are muscle and fabric.
When a “dip” isn’t a hip dip
Rarely, what looks like a new dent is something else: a muscle divot from an old injection site, or atrophy after long inactivity — these tend to be one-sided, newer, and sometimes tender. A hip dip is symmetrical-ish, lifelong, and painless. New + painful + one-sided = physio, not fitness content.
Still wondering whether yours is the trainable kind? Four questions: the quiz will tell you honestly — including if the answer is “you’re fine, go enjoy your summer.”
Real questions, real answers
Are hip dips genetic?
Yes. Pelvis shape, femur angle and fat-storage pattern are inherited. If your mother or sister has visible dips, odds are you do too — same blueprint.
Do hip dips get worse with weight gain or loss?
Either can change how visible they are, in either direction. Losing fat over the trochanter can deepen the shadow; gaining fat can pool above and below the dip and deepen it too. There is no weight that 'fixes' bone spacing — chasing one is the wrong tool.
Why do I have a hip dip on one side only?
Mild asymmetry is the human default — one hip often sits slightly higher, or one glute med is stronger from how you stand, carry bags, or cross your legs. If one side appeared suddenly with pain, see a physio; otherwise it's normal variation.
Did sitting or sleeping position cause my hip dips?
No. That myth resurfaces every year. Bone geometry doesn't remodel from sitting cross-legged. Habitual posture can slightly change muscle tone side-to-side, but it did not carve a dip into your pelvis.
What’s your hip dip type?
Four questions, one honest answer: what actually works for your silhouette — training, styling, or just reassurance.
Take the quiz