Thigh gap

A thigh gap is a space between the inner thighs of some people when standing upright with knees touching.

Beginning around 2013, the thigh gap had become an aspect of physical attractiveness in the Western world and has been associated with fragility and femininity, although it is also seen as desirable by some men as a sign of fitness. In the United States, it had been reported that among teenage girls, a gap had become a beauty ideal. Many women and men have found it difficult to achieve a thigh gap and has led to cases of extreme dieting or even surgery in order to try to obtain it. The thigh gap craze has also been criticized as physically unnatural and a mostly unachievable body shape goal and as a cause of eating disorders.

The idea of the thigh gap received widespread news coverage in December 2012 after the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which featured several models with thin thighs. Images of thigh gaps featured in "thinspiration" blogs and across social networking sites.

In 2013, author Camille Hugh published her book The Thigh Gap Hack, and in June 2013 she was interviewed about the book on The Dr. Oz Show. The book was criticized by Lisa Delaney of Spryliving.com, who said the book "feeds girls' and women's obsessions with their bodies, promotes thinness at the expense of healthfulness (because of Hugh's disdain of fitness, exercise, muscles, etc.), and promotes flaky, unproven methods for weight/fat loss."

A backlash quickly developed amongst those concerned about the potential negative consequences of the trend. Parenting experts and counselors formed anti-thigh gap movements. The medical community and female-empowerment advocates have also commented critically on the subject, and the U.S. National Eating Disorders Association launched a website to promote healthy body image and attitudes to food and weight.

...
Wikipedia