Step 1. PREPARE

Use a soft (cloth, plastic, or paper) tape measure again to assess your hip size. Pull up or remove your shirt and lower the waistline of your skirt, shorts or pants, if needed, so that your middle is exposed. Stand in front of a mirror, if possible, to make sure you’re positioning the tape measure correctly.

Step 2. FIND THE RIGHT SPOT

Press your fingers into your torso near the right side of your waist. Push your fingers into your skin to find the bony pelvis. Keep pushing and moving your fingers to the left along the top pf the pelvic bone until you reach the middle of the upper edge of the pelvic bone. This would be approximately in the midline of the front of your body.

Step 3. WRAP THE TAPE MEASURE

Position the tape measure horizontally at this spot. Then circle it around your hips and torso. Make sure that the tape lies horizontal on all sides of your torso. Place the end of the tape measure which reads “0” at the spot on the tape where the loop circles your hips completely.

Step 4. MEASURE

Stand up straight and exhale gently as you pull the tape so that it stays taut against your body, but make sure it is not squeezing into your skin. Look at the number at the point where the “0” end of the tape intersects around your hips. This is your hip measurement.

UNDERSTANDING RESULTS

Hip sizes naturally vary widely. By itself, hip size gives no indication of health risk. Rather, it is the "Waist to Hip ratio" (WHR) which is more important in understanding possible health risk. The Waist to Hip ratio (WHR) indicates weight distribution, an important health consideration.