Two years of hip thrusts. Counted every gram of protein. Downloaded every 'booty building' app. My quads are stronger than ever... so why do I still look flat from behind? What am I missing?
I'm Jessica, and at 42, I felt like my body had completely given up on me.
Standing in that Target dressing room, I actually gasped at my reflection.
When did my butt just... disappear? I felt deflated. Literally. Like someone had let all the air out of me and left behind this... squishy, shapeless version of who I used to be.
I'm doing everything 'right' - squats, protein, consistency - but it's like my body stopped listening after I hit 40.
The worst part? I couldn't bear to look at photos of us from behind anymore. I'd delete them immediately, that familiar shame washing over me. "I look like his baby sister, not his wife," I'd think, remembering how confident I used to feel.
"This is what I'm talking about," my husband said one evening, scrolling through Instagram models with perfect BBL curves. The words hit like a punch to the gut.
I started avoiding intimacy completely. Every time he touched me, all I could think was how I didn't measure up. I stopped wearing anything fitted. Started sleeping in oversized t-shirts. Made excuses when he wanted the lights on.
But the breaking point came at his company barbecue when I overheard him talking to his buddy Mike: "Yeah, Jessica's been going to the gym a lot lately. Can't really tell though."
Mike laughed. "Some women just aren't built that way, man. Genetics, you know?"
I wanted to disappear into the ground.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and barely recognized myself. When did I become this invisible, fading woman? I felt like a ghost of my former self!
That night, I felt like I was slowly becoming invisible - not just to him, but to everyone. Like I was fading away, becoming one of those women over 40 that society just... overlooks.
I had no idea I was about to discover the ONE thing that separates women who build amazing glutes from those who stay stuck forever. The thing that would make my husband do a complete 180..