Although I am a pinup model, many of you will be surprised to know that I am a licensed esthetician by trade. Yay! Go skincare! I could make posts upon posts all about skin, but today I wanted to focus on one question I get asked quite a bit. “How do I get rid of cellulite?”

I am sure that you have all googled that exact question at some point. So here is the scoop straight from a skincare expert herself! If you want to know more, keep on reading!

What is cellulite?

To really answer this question properly, we need to know what cellulite is. Well, I’m sure you are partly aware. In short, cellulite is the little collection of dimples and bulges that collect in areas like the thighs, booty, arms, or basically anywhere. Especially on females.

From an anatomical standpoint, cellulite is simply part of our skin! The subcutaneous layer, to be exact. This layer keeps us warm, and provides protection for all of our internal organs. Most importantly (in my opinion), it makes one good to snuggle with.

From the diagram above you can see that men and Women actually do store this fat differently. The cute little chart explains why, but basically because our fat cells are not stored in criss-cross chambers, we end up with the bumpy appearance that is cellulite.

If you would like a more in depth explanation on the anatomy of our skin, you can go look here.

How can I get rid of it?

Okay, so here is where I am gonna lay some truth down. It may not be the exact answer you’re looking for, but it is 100% accurate and something I desperately want my readers to be aware of. The short answer?

You cannot get rid of cellulite.

That’s right, you heard me. (Read me…?) Because cellulite is just a normal part of a healthy female Body, it’s not really something you can make go away. It would be like typing “how to get rid of belly button” on Google. Truly, this dimpling is just another aspect of having a human body!

Of course, there are different ways you can temporarily mask the appearance of cellulite. Body wraps and scrubs can cause of the cells to give up water and shrink for a little bit, but it will always comes back. And just like with many other “problems” on your body, photo-shop does great at getting rid of it.

But no, there is no actual way to remove the dimpling from your body. Because there’s actually nothing wrong with it. It’s how your body stores fat as a woman. And despite what the media wants you to think, fat is necessary for us to live.

So why the heck is everyone so up in arms about a completely natural and normal part of the human anatomy?

The History of Cellulite

Once upon a time, cellulite was regarded as, well, nothing. Nobody really thought anything of it because it was just a part of having a body. People who have fat (aka people who are alive) are gonna have some lumps and bumps. Which isn’t a good thing or a bad thing, it just is.

Take a look at this painting by Rubens from the 1630’s! This is one of the most famous for showcasing cellulite in all its glory, but it is one of many. These women were seen as beautiful! It was completely normal. No one gave any dangs.

So what exactly changed from then to now?

Unfortunately, as with many instances in the beauty industry, the answer has to do with money. After WWII, traditional gender roles were being challenged. Lots of women were now working, and making their own cash to spend.

In addition to this, corsets started to go out of style. Which, how scandalous. Women were now expected to stay thin and trim, rather than achieve the hourglass silhouette. The hip new body shape was to be small, and instead of relying on shapewear, women were supposed to get the look by themselves through exercise and diet.

And of course, there were people who saw this as an opportunity to make some money. Women had extra cash? No more corsets? Pressure to stay small and thin? Well, why not just take something completely normal and healthy and turn it into a problem?!

That way, women everywhere would have to pay in order to get rid of their insecurities. In 1968, the magazine Vogue put it right on the cover. “Cellulite, the new word for fat you couldn’t lose before”. It wasn’t long before people everywhere were spending money on creams, wraps, massagers, and other contraptions to get rid of the so-called problem.

Except, it’s not a problem. It’s just the way your body stores an essential substance. However, it’s gotten to the point now where it was almost impossible for me to find an anatomical diagram that didn’t label skin as “normal” or “healthy” to compare it to the evil and disgusting *rolls eyes* cellulite.

It’s regarded as unhealthy, gross, unsightly, and the list goes on. Even though basically every woman has it and there isn’t actually anything wrong with your body if you have it.

So what do I do now?

I think what has been most helpful for me is to realize that there really isn’t anything I can do to get rid of it. And why should I beat myself up for something that isn’t a result of anything I need to do differently? It’s simply a part of my anatomy as a female.

In addition to that, almost every single woman on this planet has it. I promise you, they do. Even models and instagram influencers and generally skinny people. All I do all day for work is wax people, and I see EVERYTHING. Every woman has cellulite. Unless she has been photoshopped to oblivion.

And that is completely okay.

There is nothing wrong with cellulite. There is nothing you can do to fix it, and you shouldn’t feel bad or ashamed for having it. Sometimes I still struggle with fixating on how my thighs look a certain way, but I am doing better.

What I recommend is to try to talk positively about yourself and other people. If I catch myself making a negative comment about someone else’s cellulite, or thinking something negative about my own, I quickly correct it. And if someone else is talking about their own in a negative light, I tell them it’s normal and not a problem.

Another thing that I find really important is to make a concerted effort to support companies(or people) that don’t photoshop models into oblivion and use pictures that show what actual women look like. As we do this, we can normalize it, instead of the airbrushed and unrealistic female bodies we see featured now.

Unfortunately, I’m not perfect at any of this. I’m not sure I even have a great solution but it’s something that’s been on my mind for the past little while, and it’s something I am very passionate about.

I want women to know that there is nothing wrong with the way that they look, and most importantly, how they look is second in importance to who they are. What your thighs look like do not determine your value, or who you are. Rock on with your bad selves, comrades.

Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can be notified of email every time I post. I don’t usually rant about body image, so feel free to catch me talking about vintage fashion! You can take a look at my review of Onique’s Uniques jewelry, or my feature on the vanity fair dress from Micheline Pitt.

SURE LOVE YA! — Miss Aphrodite Darling

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