How to determine your body shape

This is going to be first in the series of posts on “How to dress according to your body shape.”

Before we directly jump on to determine the female body shapes, you need to understand that there are a number of reasons which states that it is difficult to categorize the shape of a female body –

Firstly, every individual has a different body type which makes it difficult to standardize something which is unique.

Secondly, human bodies are not static objects, it keeps changing over time.

(Disclaimer: this post is not an exact categorization of your body but more about balancing the aesthetics)

Don’t we all like to look at a balanced object?

Human bodies come in all sizes and shapes and that is what makes us all unique. Isn’t it?

Whether you have a ‘rectangle-shaped body’ or a ‘pear-shaped’ it is not important but the main point is that the more balanced the silhouette would appear, the more visually pleasing the outfit would look on you. And fashion could be a great way to highlight the features that you love as well as play down features which you don’t find perfect by opting for the right cuts and fits.

For starting off, the theory of body shapes can be useful to determine the features of your body which need the work of balancing as long as you take it as a rough guide.

Firstly, you need to measure yourself. And while measuring you need to keep the four areas of your body in mind, i.e., shoulders, bust, waist, and hips.

Secondly, there are chances that you may have a primary or secondary body shape and to find that three methods can be used –
1. Determine the shape of your body with the help of the measurements of your hips, waist, and shoulder.
2. Determine the shape of a body with the help of the measurements of your hips, waist, and shoulder.
3. Determine the shape of your body by looking into the mirror and finding out which part of your body does not balance with the rest of the body.

The five basic body shapes –

To determine the shape of your body you need to look at some of the basic shapes. There are various ways in which you can define your shape, but the simplest way is to determine whether you are an –

Hourglass-shaped body

General characteristics of an hourglass-shaped body are that the measurements of bust and hips are nearly equal with a narrower measurement of the waist.

Pear or spoon-shaped body

This body shape is generally characterized by large hips which are wider than the shoulders and bust.

Rectangle-shaped body

This body shape is generally characterized by equal measurements of bust, waist, and hips.

Inverted triangle shaped body

The general characteristics of an inverted triangle shaped body are broad shoulders and the bust which narrows down to the hips.

Apple-shaped body

The typical characteristics of the Apple-shaped bodies are large bust, fuller midsection, and narrow hips.

Many times you would feel that you ain’t fitting well into just one of the categories. Or maybe fit into one but also lean towards another. Yes, this can happen!!

As already mentioned these body shapes are just a rough guide. It is important for you to identify which of the parts make you fit into which category and then work towards playing them down or up accordingly.

I hope this helps you to identify your body shape easily. In my next post, I will be discussing each and every body shape in detail and how you can highlight as well as to downplay your characteristics to get a more balanced appearance.