Re: What makes thighs fatter, (bigger or larger)

Big Thighs

	The first thing that makes your thighs seem "fatter" is perspective.  
Because our eyes are over our thighs, they look a bit forshortened, this 
means that the wideness is exaggerated, and the length is reduced.  Also 
the picture created by the media...  What is a "fat" thigh these days would 
have made the front page of Vogue in the 1940's through the early 1960's.  
Our sense of body proportion has been changed. (For instance Marilyn Monroe 
was about a size 14!)
	The second thing is your genes and chromosomes.  Males (xy) have genes 
that cause them to accumulate their fat high in the abdominal cavity, and 
very little in their extremities untill they reach extreme obesity.  While 
females (xx) tend to distribute their fat through their upper legs, rear 
end, and lower abdominal cavity.  (Look at overweight men and women, and 
notice the difference, it is rather striking).  Further, your specific genes 
related to your own family history increase or decrease the tendancy to 
deposit fat.  Some geneticists think this has to do with the tendancy for 
plenty or starvation in your long past history.  If your distant ancestors 
were often threatened with starvation, those that could gather and hold onto 
fat in their body tissues the best were the ones that survived, and passed 
on this tendancy to you. 
	The third thing is your own habits.  If you are a couch potato, well 
that will cause fat to accumulate, not just own your thighs, but everywhere.  
On the other hand, if you are an active athelete, working your thighs by 
running, cross county skiing, rowing, rock climbing or whatever - you will 
develop muscle, and this will cause your thighs to increase in size.  
However, when you flex them you may get cool grooves, and they certainly 
won't jiggle anywhere near as much as fat thighs.  Incidentally, your genes 
will help determine the shape of your muscles.  Some people develop long 
stringy muscles, and some people develop thicker, bulkier muscles.  Again 
this has much to do with your genes.
	The last thing that causes our thighs to look like they do is the 
strange way that the muscles and tissue connect to the bones.  Look at the 
skeleton below - see how the femur actually goes somewhat diagonally through 
the thigh area?  This is ultimately what causes the thigh shape to be what 
it is. 

	Overall, if this is a question you are wondering about for personal 
reasons... don't let it worry you too much.  I takes a little while for our 
bodies to sort themselves out in high school (sure there are a few people 
that seem like they've got it all together... but they are the exception. 
Besides who wants their personal high point to come when they are 17?  
There's lots of livin' to do after that!)  Things seem much better, much 
worse and much more complex at this point than they will seem later.  Hang 
on, and much will sort itself out.

Good Luck!
Greta Hardin