A 24 inch waist is almost 15 inches smaller than the average waist size for women.
So does this mean that a 24 inch waist is too small?
This depends. Having a 24″ waist is only a bad thing when it’s indicative of health problems, such as you being underweight.
Of course, the vast majority of women don’t have a 24 in waist. Still, this guide explains how you can sculpt a slimmer waist and reveals the ideal hip size for a 24 inch waist circumference.
Related
- 20 inch waist
- 21 inch waist
- 22 inch waist
- 23 inch waist
- 25 inch waist
- 26 inch waist
- 27 inch waist
- 28 inch waist
- 29 inch waist
What does a 24 inch waist look like?
What does a 24-inch waist look like on a woman? A 24 inch waist looks very slim and small on a woman irrespective of her height and build. A 24 in waist, after all, is a common waist size for models, [1] so your stomach will have an extremely petite appearance if it measures 24 inches in circumference.
Obviously, shorter women will have an easier time getting a 24″ waist than taller women because they have smaller builds.
If you look at fashion models and female endurance athletes, then you’ll get a realistic representation of what a twenty four inch waist actually looks like.
Some online sources claim that certain celebrities have a 24 inch waist. However, most celebs actually haven’t verified their measurements, so the data isn’t always accurate.
Is a 24 inch waist small?
Yes, a 24 inch waist is very small and slim for a woman. Such a waist size is about as small as many women can get their stomachs without being severely underweight. Although it’s tiny in most people’s eyes, a 24 inch waist is actually fairly common for models and female athletes because these women have very low body fat levels.
According to the data, 24 inches is a normal waist size for 7 and 8-year-olds.
Yes, that’s right; even teenage girls don’t typically have a 24 inch stomach.
So if you think that most women in the street have a 24 inch waistline, then you’re very much mistaken.
Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a 24 in waist in and of itself. However, such a waist size can sometimes be an indicator that you’re underweight, for example, which in turn could mean that your diet is lacking nutrition.
How small is a 24.5 inch waist?
Even though a 24.5 inch waist is bigger than a 24″ waist, it’s still a very small circumference measurement.
You may have a 24.5 inch waist if you’re a very active woman who has a small build.
Indeed, when the stomach becomes lean and toned through a combination of diet and exercise, it can decrease in circumference by a couple of inches, which could mean that you end up with a 24 or 24.5″ waist.
On the other hand, there are certainly some taller women who have model-like proportions and thus a 24 inch waist size.
After all, if a short woman and a tall woman both weigh the same, then the tall lady will have a smaller waist because the same amount of body mass is stretched over a longer surface area.
What’s an ideal hip size for a 24 inch waist?
Your waist-to-hip ratio is useful for predicting how healthy you are. According to the World Health Organization, women should aim for a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of less than 0.85 if they want to avoid increasing their risk of metabolic complications. [2]
24 inch waist 34 inch hips
If you have a 24 inch waist and 34 inch hips, then your WHR is 0.71, which puts you at a low risk for things like heart disease and diabetes.
Most Victoria’s Secret models, for example, have roughly 34 inch hips. So you definitely have close to the “ideal model proportions” if you have a 24 inch waistline and 34 inch hips.
If you want to know how to attain these proportions (or at least increase your chances of doing so), you can skip to the next section, where we discuss training and diet tips to slim your waist and build your glutes.
24 inch waist 36 inch hips
If you have a 24 inch waist and 36 inch hips, then you have a 0.67 WHR, which is lower than that of many fashion models.
While it’s true that a minority of models do have waist sizes below 24 inches, these women are few and far between.
Additionally, the slimmer your waist is, the smaller your hips will be. This is simply because a slim waist is indicative of a low body fat level, which also reduces the size of the hips, specifically the glutes.
24 inch waist 37 inch hips
Having a 24 inch waist and 37 inch hips gives you a WHR of 0.65, which puts you at a low risk of conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. [3]
Whether or not this waist-to-hip ratio is achievable mainly comes down to your genetics.
Some women are gifted with small waists, while others naturally have wide hips.
However, few women have a really slim waist and wide hips. So unless you perform an exercise routine (see below) that’s geared to growing your glutes and slimming your waist, it’s unlikely that you’ll get a 24 inch waist while having 37 inch hips.
24 inch waist 40 inch hips
If you have a 24 inch waist and 40 inch hips, then you have a 0.6 WHR ratio and an hourglass figure that many women would love to attain (indeed, even fashion models have a higher WHR, typically around 0.7).
While many women can build their hips to 40 inches by increasing their bodyweight and performing resistance training, it’s very difficult to maintain a 24 inch waist while increasing your hip measurement.
As such, you shouldn’t feel that it’s in any way normal to have 40 inch hips while only having a tiny 24 inch waist.
How to get a 24 inch waist naturally
Getting a 24″ waist mainly comes down to optimizing three things; your cardiovascular exercise, your resistance training routine, and your diet.
Perform more cardiovascular activity
Athletes do plenty of cardio; they also have much slimmer waists than the average person.
That should tell you something.
Cardiovascular exercise—whether it be running, swimming, or cycling—will boost your metabolism and increase your calorie expenditure, both of which will help to slim your waist. [4]
Certain types of cardio (such as jump rope) will also place more emphasis on your abs, which will strengthen your midsection and make it look more toned.
Strength train smartly
Many women enjoy training their abs in the gym. But could all of those weighted ab exercises actually be increasing your waist size?
The abdominals and the obliques are, after all, just like any other muscle; they grow bigger when you train them.
As such, if you want to slim your waist, you should stick to bodyweight ab exercises and perhaps lay off the oblique work completely because building your obliques (they run down the sides of your waist) can really thicken your waistline when taken to the extreme.
Performing glute-building exercises like squats and hips thrusts will boost your hip measurement and increase your chance of sculpting an hourglass figure.
Improve your diet quality
If you want to get a 24 inch waist, then it can be tempting to greatly restrict your calories in order to shed inches off your stomach.
However, if you already have a healthy body weight, then there’s little value in losing more weight.
Indeed, you might be better off gaining weight because—in conjunction with lower body strength training—increasing your body mass will build your glutes, which in turn may make your waist look smaller (by giving you a more desirable waist-to-hip ratio).
Eating plenty of protein will help you to build lean muscle (which will make your body look more toned) and keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Protein also has a higher thermic effect of food than carbs and fat, which means that your body has to work harder to metabolize it, which in turn forces it to expend more energy in the form of fat-burning calories. [5]
Conclusion: Can anyone get a 24 inch waist?
Some women just don’t have the genetics to get a 24 inch waist no matter what they do.
On the other hand, it seems like some ladies can sculpt a model-like midsection without even lifting a finger.
Either way, it’s always possible to improve what you currently have by following a sustainable exercise regime and consuming a healthy diet.
Of course, there’s certainly no need for you to have a 24″ waist because you can still be healthy and look great while having a waistline that’s up to 7 inches bigger.
References
- Maymone, M. B., Laughter, M., Anderson, J. B., Secemsky, E. A., & Vashi, N. A. (2019). Unattainable Standards of Beauty: Temporal Trends of Victoria’s Secret Models from 1995 to 2018. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 40(2), NP72–NP76. https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjz271
- World Health Organization. (2011, May). Waist circumference and waist–hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation, Geneva, 8–11 December 2008. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241501491
- Elsayed, E. F., Tighiouart, H., Weiner, D. E., Griffith, J., Salem, D., Levey, A. S., & Sarnak, M. J. (2008). Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Body Mass Index as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Events in CKD. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 52(1), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2008.04.002
- Watson, S. (2014, August 11). How to Boost Your Metabolism With Exercise. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/how-to-boost-your-metabolism
- Westerterp, K. R. (2004). Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutrition & Metabolism, 1(5). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC524030/