Hip Pad for Decreasing a Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Abstract

A hip pad is provided for decreasing a waist-to-hip ratio of a user and includes a generally elongated body having a hip portion and a thigh portion that are integrally formed with the generally elongated body. The hip pad also includes an interior surface of the hip portion that is contoured to an anatomical curvature of a hip region of the user. An interior surface of the thigh portion is contoured to the anatomical curvature of a thigh region of the user. A curved exterior surface of the hip portion is configured to decrease the waist-to-hip ratio of the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wearable enhancement system for decreasing a waist-to-hip ratio of a user from an initial ratio to a ratio that is at or less than about 0.7 to provide a natural-looking hip profile on the user, the system comprising:
 a replaceable clothing article to be worn by the user underneath an outer garment; and   a pair of opposing artificial figure enhancing hip pad portions coupled to the clothing article, each hip pad:
 comprising an elongated body formed of a generally round upper portion comprising a gluteal portion and a pelvic portion with hip area, and a lower thigh portion, where the gluteal portion, pelvic portion with hip area, and thigh portion are integrally formed with one another,
 the body having a tapered thickness from a maximum thickness of about 0.5 inches to about 4 inches at a central region of the hip area and tapering to its perimeter in all directions, 
 wherein: i) the gluteal portion is configured to be contoured to, and cover a portion of, a gluteal region of the user and, ii) the pelvic portion with hip area is configured to partially cover and contour to an anatomical curvature of a hip region of the user and to increase a circumference of hips of the user to form a maximum hip circumference that defines the waist-to-hip ratio that is at or less than about 0.7, and iii) the thigh portion extends downwardly from the gluteal portion and/or the pelvic portion; and 
 
 being uniformly formed of light weight, malleable foam configured to accommodate a natural curvature of the gluteal and hip regions of the user, so that the light weight, malleable foam, in combination with a realistic-looking hip profile created by the tapering of the body, forms a hip-to-waist profile free of unnatural bumps of the hip pad as the hip pad tapers to the natural curvature of the user. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein a thickness of the hip area is greater than a thickness of the thigh portion. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein a length of the hip pad is greater than a width of the hip pad. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the length of the high pad is between about 12 inches and about 24 inches. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the width of the hip pad is between about 6 inches and about 18 inches. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the clothing article comprises pants, shorts, leggings, hosiery, stockings, or skorts. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6  wherein the clothing article comprises shorts from which the hip pads are removable. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the hip pad portions are removably coupled to the clothing article. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the hip pad wherein the hip pads are formed or a molded foam. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the hip pad is shaped substantially like a tear drop. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the thigh portion is disposed at a pointed tip end of the tear drop. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the gluteal and pelvic portions are disposed at a round end of the tear drop. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the hip pads are integrally formed within the clothing article. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the hip pads comprise different maximum thicknesses. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each hip pad comprises two pieces of light weight, malleable foam.