Body Type

How to Dress When You Have a Flat Bum

Are you middle-aged and losing your butt? After 30, our bums start losing muscle mass and tone, making them droop and wrinkle. Things get worse when we hit menopause, and falling estrogen levels lead to less fat in our butts, making them look flat as a pancake. What’s a gal to do?

The good news is that you can take your butt from flat to fabulous! Here’s how.

Jacket to enhance flat bottom

1. Steer Clear of Shapeless Jackets

Shapeless sweaters, jackets, and tops that fall straight down in the back and around your waist are not your friend; these make a pancake butt look, well, more pancake. Instead, choose jackets with a shape in the back to give the appearance of a rounder, fuller butt. This lace-up jacket is an excellent example of how to boost the look of your booty!

2. Wear Body Skimming Dresses To Accentuate Your Hips and Butt

It might seem counterintuitive to wear a body-skimming dress or skirt when you have a flat butt. However, the goal is to wear clothing emphasizing a feminine, hourglass shape. Think A-line, full skirts, and fit-and-flare dresses that nip in at the waist. Steer clear of loose-fitting dresses, which will make your bum look lost. Opt for skirts and dresses that skim – not cling – to your curves.

dress for a flat bum

3. Define Your Waist

If menopause has made you thick through the middle, you can create the illusion of a waist, which will help your butt. In other words, if you want your butt to look biggermake your waist look smaller.

To do this, choose dresses that are belted at the waist or a style that cinches at the waist ( like fit and flare). A dress that emphasizes your waist via embellishments such as beading and ruching will also make your waist look smaller and your bottom fuller.

pants for flat bum

4. Wear Light/ Bright Colors on Your Bottom

Many women prefer wearing dark colors on their bottom half (to shrink their booty) and brighter colors up top. But, if you want to remind that you do indeed have behind, it’s a good thing to wear lighter or brighter colors on your bottom half. Dark colors shrink the area they cover, while light, bright colors ( such as white) expand a space. These fitted white jeans will make the most of a flat bum.

5. Seek Out Bum Enhancing Pants and Jeans

While the style of pants that suit you best largely depends on your body type (Rectangle, Hourglass, Apple, Inverted Triangle), flat-bottomed gals will get a boost from pants and jeans that cinch at the waist, making their bums look bigger. Stretch material also helps contour your behind.

You can also get an extra boost by avoiding loose and baggy pants through the leg and opting for more slim-fitting styles that accentuate your posterior. For example, boyfriend jeans may be comfy, but their relaxed fit drag down an already droopy behind.

Boot-cut pants are better since they taper at the knee, making your bum look more prominent. Also, choose mid-high rise jeans over low-rise because they make your bottom look higher.

Other details that can help? Jeans with high back pockets that sit towards the middle of your backside will make your bottom look rounder and higher. Flap-style back pockets or pockets with any buttons, embroidery, or busy detail also help to pump up the look of your butt and create the illusion of a rounder rear.

paddded shapewear

6. Try Butt Boosting Right Shapewear

From traditional shapers that flatten your waist and tummy (making your butt look bigger by comparison) to booty-enhancing miracle workers like ‘booty bras’ designed to give your bum a lift and padded shapewear shorts, there are lots you can wear underneath to resculpt your rear.

7. Wear Heels

High heels shift your posture. They tilt your pelvis, forcing your booty back and up by 30 to 40 degrees. This makes you look curvier.  

Don’t let a droopy tush get you down. Give these tricks a try to get the look of a perky posterior. Let me know how it goes!

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19 thoughts on “How to Dress When You Have a Flat Bum

  1. I am not trying to make the butt look more prominent. Just find pants that don’t sag at the bottom of the butt and look terrible.
    Don’t they make slacks that fit women with literally no butt???

    1. Hi Wendy, It Sounds like you need a good tailor. I don’t know of any extra small pants behind, but that is a good idea! If you want your seat to look more prominent in jeans, go for big pockets at the back or a design on the back pockets. I hope that helps!

    2. I had a flat butt when I was young. Now, at 65, I have no but. I don’t care for shapewear. Texas is too hot for any extra clothing. I have found that the pants I buy at The Gap store are made differently. Every pair I tried on was flattering. There wasn’t all the extra material sagging in the back. Even the pants that aren’t made of spandex fit better. My daughter didn’t take after me, complaining that the Gap pants never fit her. The Kardashian sisters designed jeans that did more than flatter. They gave me curves. I search for them in the resale shops.

  2. I have a tiny waist and hips that everyone compliments me on, but no big butt. I look good in my skirts and my jeans that enhance, but I don’t know how to shop for dresses.

  3. Ah, yes, one more thing to think about. Ha, ha, ha. I’m back at the gym twice a week to tone up…but I love all the great tips you shared.

  4. Help!
    I have the WORST clothes shopping problems and don’t know what to do or wear!
    I have a belly after having five kids, and no matter what I’ve tried (exercise, diet, walking, jogging, running, etc.), I can’t lose it, so I have NO WAIST!
    I also have flat but and NO hips, yet I have long slim legs!
    It’s summer, and I have NO shorts or swimsuits to wear, and any I’ve tried on look terrible!
    It’s so frustrating and depressing!
    I’m also on a meager budget!
    So I can’t afford $200+ pants or a tummy tuck!

    1. Hi Margo, Although it is hard to give specific advice when I have not met you, it sounds like you could be an apple shape https://www.fabulousafter40.com/5-tips-for-dressing-your-apple-shaped-body. Have a look at this. It might give you some tips and as for clothes. It would help if you had some nice flowy tops over shorts or pants and some flowy dresses. Have you tried Target, Kohl’s, JCPenney, and Walmart? They all have the latest trends at budget prices. Don’t give up. Just try many things until you find the shapes that work for you. Darker colors on the top and lighter ones on the bottom will also help play down your tummy, so white pants with a flowy navy top, for example.
      Best wishes.

  5. That first gold jacket, I love the detail on The back. And I love receiving all of the style information you share with us!

  6. Mid-rise pants create a muffin top worse to see than a flat bum. You can buy high-rise jeans with higher pockets on the backside and with ‘lift’ technology. Compensate and camouflage without creating yet another eyesore.

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