Your curves have their own shape, and that includes the inward curve you might notice along the sides of your hips. Known as hip dips, these natural contours can be more visible in fitted dresses, leggings or skirts.
You can love your body and still enjoy choosing how an outfit fits. If you prefer a fuller-looking hip line or a smoother layer beneath clothing, the right shapewear can help you create that finish. Here’s what hip dips are, what shaping garments can do and how to choose a style that works for you.
What Are Hip Dips?
Hip dips are inward curves between the upper hips and upper thighs. Sometimes called violin hips, they are a normal variation in body shape.
Their appearance is largely influenced by the structure of your pelvis and upper thigh bones. Muscle and fat distribution can affect how noticeable they are. Hip dips can appear across different body sizes, and they do not tell you how fit or healthy someone is.
Can You Get Rid of Hip Dips?
Exercise cannot change the underlying bone structure that creates hip dips. Strength training may change the surrounding muscles, but it cannot promise to erase these contours. Shapewear also cannot permanently remove them.
What you can change is the silhouette beneath your clothes. Think of shapewear as another styling choice: a way to adjust the finish of an outfit whenever you feel like it.
How Can Shapewear Help With Hip Dips?
The best option depends on whether you want to smooth your silhouette or add fullness. Those are different effects, so look closely at where a garment provides compression and where it includes padding.
Hip Padding Adds Fullness at the Sides
Padded hip shapewear places extra volume around the sides of the hips. When the pads line up with your natural indentations, they can soften the look of the inward curve and create a rounder outline beneath clothing.
The result depends on your proportions, pad placement and the fabric of your outfit. A close-fitting dress may show the change differently from structured pants, so always check the complete look.
Compression Smooths the Surrounding Areas
Unpadded shapewear can provide a smoother foundation around the waist, tummy and upper thighs. Depending on the design, it may help clothing sit more evenly across those areas.
Compression does not fill the hollow at the side of the hip. Stronger compression also does not guarantee less visible hip dips. If added fullness is your goal, choose a garment with hip padding rather than relying on a tighter fit.
Featured Style: Hip-Dip Correcting Padded Shapewear Shorts
BodyFlexx Hip-Dip Correcting Padded Shapewear Shorts combine removable hip pads with a high-waisted design. The padding adds fullness at the sides, while the shaping fabric provides support around your middle.
Features include front and side tummy control, double-layer compression and a waistband with four bones and a gel strip to help it stay in place. Removable pads let you wear the garment with or without the added hip volume. Although “correcting” is part of the product name, the effect is a temporary change in appearance while worn.
Explore Waist & Hip Targeted Shapewear
Prefer smoothing support without added padding? Want to compare different levels of coverage? Explore our Waist & Hip Targeted Shapewear collection to find a foundation that suits your outfit.
Check each product’s features before choosing. Styles in this collection offer different shaping effects; hip-targeted shapewear does not automatically include hip pads. For extra volume at the sides, look specifically for padded hip designs.
How to Get a Smooth, Comfortable Fit
- Start with your measurements. Use the product’s size chart and our Size Guide. Avoid sizing down for stronger shaping.
- Check the pad placement. Make sure the pads sit flat in their pockets and align with the area where you want added fullness.
- Try it beneath your outfit. Look at the front, side and back. Thin or clingy fabrics can reveal edges that a thicker fabric conceals.
- Move before heading out. Sit, walk and bend to check that the waistband and leg openings feel comfortable and the pads stay where you want them.
Your Curves, Your Choice
Hip dips belong on real bodies. You can show yours, soften their appearance with padding or switch things up depending on what you’re wearing. The choice is yours.
At BodyFlexx, our mission is to help Queens of all shapes and lifestyles find confidence in every beautiful curve, with pieces that support the way you want to feel, dress and move.
