The “thigh gap”. Ever since my freshman year, that term has been swimming around in the conversations of my fellow female teens. We all know what it is. Heck, even boys know, and it doesn’t even concern them. Basically, a thigh gap is the desired space between one’s legs when their knees are pressed together. It’s also a stupid idea created by society to make girls (or boys) feel bad about their weight and have a negative self-image. The thigh-gap still barely clings to relevancy, but it’s slowly dying out. All I have to say to it is good riddance!
Does anybody realize the kind of pressure a girl is under when they try to fit into a mold that is only achievable by genetics? Yes, GENETICS. A thigh gap is completely dependent on the bone structure of the pelvis, not on how much you wish it was there. Why try to please everybody by attempting the impossible? Some people like to eat ice cream and pizza, some don’t. Some people exercise everyday, some don’t. Some people’s thighs touch, some don’t. That doesn’t make anybody better than anybody else.
At long last, a new trend is surfacing: self love. After a good four years, I’m not hearing girls worry about their weight as much anymore. The elusive thigh gap is finally filtering it’s way out of the high school halls. Maybe it’s because, as a senior, my senior friends and I are developing better body confidence and a stronger sense of self worth so I don’t hear it come up in conversation anymore. Maybe it’s because we all had the same crazy epiphany that we should love the skin we were born into. Maybe it’s because body negativity is a fading trend. Whatever the case, let the thigh gap fade with it. It was dumb anyways.
So, it is finally time that we say goodbye to our backstabbing, two-faced comrade the thigh gap. We’re all different, physically and psychologically. Your worth is not based on the space between your legs, may it be great or small. Embrace it ladies: sturdy or skinny, you’ve got it goin’ on. And as for the thigh gap trend? It was (not) nice knowing you!
