What is Hip Cleavage?

Hip Cleavage is a fashion catchphrase for the strip of skin exposed between the hip bone and the thigh, usually produced by a high-cut bodysuit worn with low-slung pants or a high-waisted bikini bottom[1].

Where did Hip Cleavage come from?

The term first showed up on Reddit when the r/HipCleavage subreddit launched on July 23, 2013[5].

What does Hip Cleavage mean?

It refers specifically to the exposed hip bone and pelvic area treated as its own body part for fashion display, separate from chest cleavage[6].

How do you use Hip Cleavage?

The typical outfit pairs a high-leg bodysuit or leotard with low-rise track pants, sweats, or high-waisted bikini bottoms pulled below the hip bone[1].

Is Hip Cleavage still popular?

The press cycle peaked in the summer of 2018 with coverage in Page Six, The Sun and The Guardian, and coverage cooled off after that[4].

Who popularized Hip Cleavage on the red carpet?

Bella Hadid drove the 2017 wave with a mesh bodysuit and Chrome Hearts track set in New York, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner were also credited early[1].

What other 'cleavages' is Hip Cleavage grouped with?

The Guardian's 2018 recap put it in a lineage that includes sideboob, underboob, overboob, thighbrow, leg cleavage and Manolo Blahnik's toe cleavage[4].

When did Hip Cleavage move to Instagram?

An account called @hipcleavage posted its first image on September 19, 2015, a leather corset and fishnet stockings shot that cleared 65 likes[3].

What did The Daily Dot say about Hip Cleavage?

The Daily Dot argued in May 2018 that hip cleavage was not a new trend at all, just a rebrand of the 2016 'thighbrow' story with the same celebrities attached[7].

Are there joke definitions of Hip Cleavage?

Urban Dictionary lists an unrelated gag definition where 'hip cleavage' means skin peeking out from the unfastened side of an overweight man's overalls[8].

Hip Cleavage

2013catchphrasedeclining

Hip Cleavage is the term coined on Reddit in 2013 for the strip of skin exposed between the hip bone and the thigh, usually created by pairing a high-cut bodysuit with low-slung pants. The label bounced from a niche subreddit to an Instagram account before hitting celebrity red carpets, driven by Bella Hadid and the Jenner sisters in 2017 and 2018. That celebrity push turned it into one of the late-2010s running press cycle jokes about invented body parts.

body image memes fashion aesthetic memes subreddit origin memes slang memes 2017 memes

Overview

The look centers on a narrow strip of visible flesh where the hip bone meets the upper thigh, usually produced by tugging track pants or bikini bottoms below the pelvic bone while wearing a high-cut bodysuit or leotard on top1. Bella Hadid's 2017 red carpet and street style photos locked in the visual shorthand, a mesh or lace bodysuit paired with either Adidas sweats or Chrome Hearts track pants, sometimes finished with heeled sandals and a Céline bag1.

The term sits inside a running fashion media joke about invented body parts, alongside sideboob, underboob, thighbrow, and Manolo Blahnik's toe cleavage rulings. The Guardian pulled the whole lineage into one recap when Page Six treated hip cleavage as summer 2018's answer to the traditional décolletage4. On the r/HipCleavage subreddit the same idea gets a less glossy treatment, with users posting candid shots and high-waisted swimwear pics that emphasize the crease itself rather than the styling around it2.

Origin & Background

Platform

Reddit (origin) / Instagram and celebrity press (viral spread)

Creator

Unknown

Date

2013

The earliest documented use of the phrase traces to July 23, 2013, when the r/HipCleavage subreddit went live on Reddit and started collecting images that fit its narrow definition5. The subreddit's own description framed hip cleavage as its own category of exposure, separate from cleavage of the chest2.

Two years later, on September 19, 2015, an Instagram account called @hipcleavage posted its first image, a shot of a woman in a leather corset and fishnet stockings, which cleared 65 likes3. The feed acted as a curated version of the same aesthetic Reddit had been aggregating, giving the label its first foothold outside the subreddit.

How It Spread

The label crossed from meme circles into mainstream fashion coverage on March 28, 2017, when Popsugar ran 'Bella Hadid's Hip Cleavage Is the New Thighbrow,' crediting the model with popularizing the high-leg bodysuit and low-rise track pant combination1. Popsugar also flagged Kylie Jenner as an early adopter, spotted in a matching bikini underwear set and sweats months before the article ran1.

NBC's Today picked up the story on April 25, 2017, asking whether hip bones were the new cleavage and pointing to Kendall Jenner's floor-length Fausto Puglisi gown at the 2014 MuchMusic Video Awards as an earlier red carpet example6. Actress Jaimie Alexander's black gown with sheer side panels at the 'Thor: The Dark World' premiere got the same treatment in the piece6.

By summer 2018 the trend had gone full press cycle. Page Six asked whether hipbones were the new décolletage, The Sun called it the newest cleavage in town, and The Guardian roasted the whole idea as another entry in a series of invented body parts including sideboob, underboob and overboob4. The Daily Dot pushed back harder on May 18, 2018, arguing hip cleavage was really just repackaged 'thighbrow' from 2016, and named Kim Kardashian, Ashley Graham, Rita Ora and Christina Milian as the celebrities driving that summer's Instagram push7.

How to Use This Meme

The formula is usually a high-cut bodysuit, thong, or leotard worn under low-rise pants, track bottoms, or a high-waisted bikini set low enough on the hips to expose the pelvic bone1. Fashion coverage from the peak years often paired the look with athletic pieces like Adidas sweats or Chrome Hearts track pants for a leisure version, or long side-slit gowns for the red carpet version6. The r/HipCleavage subreddit takes the same idea and strips out the styling, cropping in on the exposed crease itself2.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (8)