National Cellulite Day Date in the current year: September 5, 2024

Cellulite, also called orange peel syndrome because of its appearance, is caused by herniation of fat located just under the skin. To put it simply, fat gets trapped between your skin and connective fibers that attach the skin to the muscles, pushing your skin up in some places while connective fibers pull it down in others. Cellulite manifests itself as lumps and dimples that most commonly occur on the thighs, hips, and abdomen. Cellulite is common in women, affecting most of them at some point after puberty, but less than 10% of men have it, too.

Contrary to a popular misconception, cellulite is not a disease that needs to be treated. It is a natural physiological condition that results from a combination of factors that include hormones, genetic susceptibility, body type, individual physiological traits, diet and exercise habits, and more. Cellulite can affect women of all body types; being overweight makes it more noticeable, sure, but skinny and athletic women can have cellulite too because everyone has a layer of fat underneath their skin.

So if cellulite is normal, how come we think of it as a disease and expect women to get rid of cellulite or at least cover it up? Well, you can thank the beauty industry for that. Cellulite has been around for thousand of years – classical paintings can prove that – but it wasn’t until the 1920s that the term “cellulite” was coined by spas and beauty salons to promote their services.

Just like body hair removal started to be seen as a necessity for women because safety razor producers needed to boost sales, cellulite started to be treated as a cosmetic or even medical problem to sell beauty services and cosmetic products.

Not only does cellulite not really need to be treated, it is also resistant to most treatments, which can be quite expensive and sometimes even painful. For example, pricey topical creams don’t work and neither does plastic surgery. However, some non-invasive methods and lifestyle changes can make cellulite less noticeable.

Don’t take us wrong, if the appearance of cellulite bothers you, you can absolutely try to reduce its visibility. But before trying any treatments, ask yourself, “Is this something that I really want to do or is it something I think I should do based on societal expectations?” And by no means should you shame other women for having cellulite and not being embarrassed about it; the fact that its appearance bothers you is not their problem.

National Cellulite Day was created by Penny Pinar Karabey, the founder of the online boutique Luxury Next Season. She launched it to normalize cellulite and empower women to embrace their bodies just as they are. Celebrate National Cellulite Day by spreading body positivity and helping others understand that most women have cellulite regardless of their body type and it is not something to be embarrassed of.