While a lot of women would give anything for a Kim Kardashian or Jennifer Lopez butt, not everyone who’s born with it views it as an asset. If you feel like you’d like a smaller butt, there are plenty of ways to achieve it, but the most effective ones will always be weight loss and the right exercise regimen.
Find out how to make your butt smaller, from making the right weight loss choices and choosing the best exercises for your glutes to a few style tricks that will help you draw attention away from your backside.
1. Try a Long Term Weight Loss Approach
Lowering your BMI can reduce the size of your butt, even though you shouldn’t expect your derrière to shrink or grow proportionally to your weight loss efforts. The best answer to the question of how to make your butt smaller is to lose some weight, or focus on exercise if you’re happy with your current weight.
Avoid crash diets and other weight loss plans that include severe calorie restrictions. They will slow down your metabolism and can actually increase the fatty deposits on your butt once you return to a better eating plan. Focus on making healthier choices and eating the right foods that boost your metabolism.
2. Stay Active
An active lifestyle can be great for your butt. When you’re spending a lot of time sitting down, you’re encouraging fat build-up on your rear. A study published in the journal Cell Physiology quoted by The Telegraph shows that being sedentary can literally make your butt grow. You can take breaks from sitting down and walk around for a bit, even if it’s just for 5 minutes every hour, and you should definitely aim for a more active lifestyle, from walking more to taking up running.
3. Choose the Right Exercises
In order to shrink your butt, you have to tone your muscles and reduce the fatty deposits. In order to make your butt smaller, you’ll need to tone your butt with everything from squats and lunges to step-ups and one-legged dead lifts. There’s no danger of over-toning your butt as long as you don’t exercise it excessively, like an hour every day, seven days a week. Don’t be afraid to tone these muscles and you’ll burn plenty of fat, even if you choose an outdoor activity like cycling.
4. Reach for the Bronzer
When you can’t stay covered up, the lighter your butt is, the bigger it will register. You don’t have to risk skin cancer to get a gorgeous glow, so reach for the bronzer or try a spray tan. Going too far can backfire, so the best solution can be a gradual tanning lotion. Using it on your derrière, hips and legs can help you look a little slimmer.
5. Try Shapewear
One of the easiest ways to make your butt smaller occasionally is to use the right shapewear. While medium and light control shapewear are more suited to stay smooth, you’ll want firm control shapewear in order to make a real difference for a big butt. However, you shouldn’t wear them every day, since they can cause a lot of serious health issues when worn for extended periods of time.
See also: How to Pull Off the No Bra Look
6. Find the Perfect Pencil Skirts
If your butt is wide, the pencil skirt is one of the best ways to achieve a flattering shape. Pair it with a looser top for the right balance and your rear will definitely look smaller. If you’re wearing a skin tight pencil skirt, do not choose a slim-fit top as well.
7. Choose the Right Jeans
Your choice of jeans can also contribute a lot to your proportions. Make your butt smaller by wearing jeans with a deep yoke and pay extra attention to the backside. You’ll need to avoid any type of embellishments, and you should also be wary of small back pockets and rounded ones. Distressed denim, particularly in your rear area is a bad idea.
8. Try a Wide Waistband
Finding the most flattering pair of pants is much easier if you look for wide waistbands. They can help create an illusion that makes your derrière look smaller.
More: 10 Fashion Mistakes That Make You Look Fat
9. Love Your Curves
Once you’ve tried all the tricks to make your butt smaller, you can also take it to the next step by getting liposuction. But in the end, learning to love your body as it naturally is can be a lot more fulfilling than painful cosmetic surgery.