National Dimples Day Date in the current year: July 9, 2024

A dimple, also known as a gelasin, is a small indentation that naturally forms in the flesh on a part of human body. Dimples most commonly occur in the cheeks, but they can also occur on the chin (chin cleft) or on the lower back. Symmetrical dimples on the lower back are commonly called dimples of Venus on women and dimples of Apollo on men; a single dimple just above the buttocks is called a sacral dimple.

Dimples result from variations in the structure of a certain muscle or ligament or, in the case of chin dimples, from the incomplete fusion of the right and left halves of the jaw bone. Chin and lower back dimples are normally present all the time, whereas cheek dimples appear when a person makes a facial expression, for example, smiles.

Sometimes dimples on the cheeks are present at birth but disappear as a child grows older and loses baby fat. Due to this, dimples are often associated with youthfulness. However, sometimes the opposite happens: a person is born without dimples but they appear later in life due to muscle growth and facial development.

Dimples are an inherited trait. Studies generally suggest that they are a dominant trait, which means that if both parents have dimples, there’s a 50 to 100% chance their child will have them too. However, while older studies claimed that dimples were associated with a single gene, newer research suggest that they are primarily controlled by one gene but the inheritance of the trait may be influenced by other genes. It should also be noted that cheek dimples and chin dimples are associated with different genes.

In most cultures, dimples are seen as an attractive quality. They are associated with a bright, cheerful disposition and good luck. Book authors give their characters dimples to show their beauty, especially in women and children; for example, Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind had dimples and exploited them when she flirted with men to get her own way.

National Dimples Day was founded in 2022 by Graceful Grady from Atlanta, Georgia, who wanted to shed a light on the rarity of dimples and celebrate their beauty. After hearing about all kinds of fun and unusual holiday, he searched the Internet for National Dimple Day but couldn’t find anything, so he had to create a holiday dedicated to dimples himself.

Graceful Grady decided that dimples should be celebrated in summer, when people can show off all kinds of dimples, including dimples of Venus and dimples of Apollo. He chose July 9 because this day didn’t have any major holidays that could compete with National Dimples Day (we doubt that National Sugar Cookie Day is much of a competition).

If you have dimples, join the celebration by showing them off: take a selfie and post it on social media with the hashtags #NationalDimplesDay and #ShowMeYourDimples. If you don’t have dimples, you can celebrate by complimenting those who have.