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Do you feel ashamed of your body shape? Do you find it difficult to find clothes that suit you and your personality? Do you have a perfect body or not? And other questions that come to your mind.

Don’t worry! You are not alone, my dear. All of these questions come to our minds as well, as women. Bodies come in different shapes and sizes, which is what makes each of us special. With that in mind, knowing that there is no standard or typical body is also noteworthy, so we will show you within the article what are the most common body shapes and how to determine your body shape, in addition to the factors affecting it and other interesting and useful information to get to know your body better.

The Importance of Knowing Your Body Shape

All you have to do is check many websites and you will find a classification of the body shapes of celebrities. Some of them are hourglass-shaped, pear-shaped, and other shapes. This is not limited to celebrities only, as we all wonder about a classification of body shapes in order to look the most beautiful.

We often focus on the ideal body shape, but the truth is that bodies come in a wonderful range of shapes and sizes, from small and athletic to full and tall, and what distinguishes us is that no two bodies are the same, so it is really important to understand your body shape and what clothing styles and sizes are appropriate for it.

We may not be interested in a specific classification, but by identifying the parts of your body that require visual balance, you can determine your basic body shape through which you can highlight the desirable features of your body and reduce the appearance of other features that you do not like by using appropriate sizes and cuts.

To know your body features that require some balance, body shape theory can be a useful starting point for you to learn more about your body shape.

The 5 Basic Body Shapes

Stand in front of the mirror and think about yourself. What features do you like most about your body and would you like to highlight, and what are the features you would like to hide the most?

Looking at your body as a whole will give you another opportunity to determine what body shape you prefer and choose clothes that best highlight your body’s charms. Each shape has a prominent feature and has been classified for a reason. Here are the five basic body shapes:

  1. Rectangular Body Shape:
Rectangular Body Shape - Your Comprehensive Guide to Knowing Your Body Shape

It looks somewhat column-like, meaning the body is straight with shoulder and hip measurements almost the same and there is no defined shape to the waist creating a rectangular body shape.

Celebrities who have this body shape include: Cameron Diaz, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner.

  1. Pear/Triangle Body Shape:

It is considered one of the most common body shapes in Arab countries, as the lower part of the body (hip) is larger compared to the upper part (shoulders and chest) of the body, and the waist is smaller than the two parts, giving a shape similar to that of a pyramid.

Celebrities who have this body shape: Shakira, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez.

  1. Hourglass Body Shape:
Hourglass Body Shape - Your Comprehensive Guide to Knowing Your Body Shape

It is considered the preferred shape for most women. This body shape is characterized by a narrow and defined waist, where the width of the chest and buttocks is approximately equal.

Celebrities who have this body shape include: Sofia Vergara, Kim Kardashian, Blake Lively, Salma Hayek.

  1. Inverted Triangle Body Shape:

It is the least common body shape. The upper part of the body (shoulders and chest) is larger compared to the lower part of the body (buttocks and hips).

Celebrities who have this body shape include: Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore

  1. Oval Body Shape:
Oval Body Shape - Your Comprehensive Guide to Knowing Your Body Shape

This body shape is rounded at the top so that the chest, shoulders and waist are larger than the hip, and the waist is equal to or wider than the chest creating an oval or rounded shape.

Celebrities with this body shape include: Jennifer Hudson, Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy.

Determine Your Body Shape and Take Measurements

You often weigh your body on a scale to track your progress, whether in losing or gaining weight. But it does not convey the actual loss or increase in your body fat percentage.

But taking measurements of your body is more accurate and shows differences and changes in body transformation and composition and can guide you to which of the five body shapes you belong to, so we have two methods of measurement:

  • Measuring yourself by looking in the mirror: This is the least objective way to know your body shape.

Stand in front of the mirror and try to imagine your entire body divided into two halves at the waist, so you can get a good idea of your body shape based on the balance between the upper and lower parts.

  • Measure yourself using a measuring tape: Here you will need a cloth measuring tape and wear as little clothing as possible to avoid incorrect measurements, and make sure to stand straight with your arms to the side.

How to Take Body Measurements

How to Take Body Measurements - Your Comprehensive Guide to Knowing Your Body Shape

Here’s how to take your exact measurements using a tape measure:

  • Shoulders: Place the measuring tape on one end of your shoulders and wrap it completely around you like a shawl until it meets at the same shoulder.
  • Chest area: Stand up straight and wrap the measuring tape around your back and across the full part of your breasts, usually the middle of them. Make sure the tape forms a straight line on the chest circumference.
  • Waist: Wrap the measuring tape around the narrowest part of your waist. Again, make sure it is even everywhere and stand naturally without holding your breath.
  • Hip: Below the hip bone, find the fullest part of the hip. If you have a fuller butt, this will include the fullest part of your butt.

Tips for Accuracy in Measurements

You can use these tips to ensure accuracy when obtaining body measurements:

  1. Use a cloth tape measure instead of a fixed metal tape, as it may skew the measurement readings.
  2. Also avoid using measuring tapes that stretch too far, which may cause false readings.
  3. You can place the tape measure around the part of the body you want to measure.
  4. Keep the tape measure level around your body, parallel to the floor.
  5. Make sure to take measurements directly on the skin and not over clothing, as this may lead to an incorrect reading.
  6. Make sure not to tighten the tape and make sure that your finger does not pass through it while taking measurements.
  7. Finally, write down your readings to ensure you do not forget them and follow your progress using the body measurement chart.

Although the difference in your body may not be noticeable, a measuring tape can help you reveal the truth, and by tracking your body measurements you have the motivation to achieve your weight loss goals or maintain your overall body composition.

Appropriate and Inappropriate Fashion for Your Body Shape

Knowing how to wear clothes that suit your specific body shape is the key to looking great, and it helps you look your best because it boosts your self-confidence by choosing the right pieces for your body parts and minimizing the parts you don’t necessarily want to draw attention to.

It’s all about highlighting certain parts, de-emphasizing others and tricking the eye into thinking your body shape is toned and balanced.

Clothes for the Rectangle Shape

  • You should choose pieces of clothing that are not similar in size to give shape to your body, because the goal is to define the waist to create a balance between the upper and lower parts of the body.
  • You can wear sweaters with wide shoulders or puffed sleeves.
  • It is preferable to wear sweaters with round and wide collars, V-shaped or heart-shaped collars, and avoid square and straight collars.
  • Embellishments around the bust area, lace and ruffles can help draw attention to the upper body and add volume to the area.
  • Choose skirts and dresses that are tight at the waist, preferably in dark colors at the waist, because they will highlight it more beautifully, or you can wear a dark-colored belt at the waist.
  • Wrap dresses are a beautiful option to give more volume to the hips.
  • Try to stay away from wide dresses without any details, and if you choose them, make sure that there are some details in the upper half of the dress, as we mentioned previously.
  • Look for pants that are straight and wide at the legs, and can be high-waisted, to harmonize your body shape and highlight its beauty.

Clothes for the Pear/Triangle Shape

  • You should focus on the upper body and minimize the lower part.
  • You can wear bright colors and clothes with embellishments on the shoulders or stripes drawn across, as they will give the illusion of a greater width to your shoulders.
  • Sweaters with loose or puffy sleeves depending on their shape add interest to the upper or lower part of the body depending on the length of the sleeve, but avoid tight sleeves.
  • Sweaters with square or open collars at the shoulders and open collars at the chest are preferred.
  • Shirts should end at hip level, and avoid sweaters that end at the waist because they will give a more rectangular shape.
  • You can add accessories such as scarves, a necklace, or large earrings to draw attention to the top.
  • Choose pants with straight and wide legs to hide the buttocks.
  • You can wear tight pants if they are coordinated with loose clothing at the top to balance your body shape.
  • Choose dresses and skirts that are tight and defined at the waist and wide as you go down.

Clothes for the Inverted Triangle Shape

  • You need clothes to highlight the thighs and waist area, because the goal is to draw attention to the lower part of the body (buttocks) to create balance between the upper and lower parts.
  • Keep the upper part simple by relying on clothes in neutral and dark colors, and try to avoid decorations to hide the width of the shoulders.
  • Choose V- or U-shaped collars, and avoid square, wide, and off-the-shoulder collars.
  • You can add long and simple necklaces.
  • Avoid tight pants and replace them with wide, straight-legged or slightly loose pants to give harmony to your body shape.
  • Choose A-line dresses that add more volume to your hips and legs.
  • Colorful skirts with a wide design at the bottom define the waist area.

Clothes for the Hourglass Shape

  • It is preferable to choose clothes that fit the body to highlight the details of your body shape.
  • Choose tight shirts instead of wide ones that hide your waist size.
  • You should wear tight blouses and pieces that show the roundness of the waist.
  • You can wear sweaters with V-necks, round or square collars, or off-the-shoulder.
  • High or medium-rise pants that fit perfectly around the body are suitable for you because they will highlight the beauty of your body shape.
  • You can define your waist using belts or tuck shirts into the bottom of your clothes, and stay away from over-sized clothes.
  • Pencil skirts may be best and A-line skirts that start from the waist all the way to the hip.
  • Dresses that are tight or wrapped at the waist will look great on you.
  • Try to stay away from wide dresses, but if you choose the most beautiful ones, put a belt on the waist to highlight your body shape.

Clothes for the Oval Shape

  • You should direct attention to the rest of your body by reducing the abdominal area and defining the waist circumference.
  • Choose belts on the waist and wrap pieces on the waist area with soft fabrics.
  • Stay away from tight pants and low-waisted pants, and replace them with high-waisted ones to hide a slightly protruding belly.
  • Stay away from very short tops.
  • Choose dresses that are tight at the top of the body and then gradually wider or flowy as they go down (long, loose, or wrapped at the waist).
  • Shirts that have a tie at the waist help define your body shape.
  • To lengthen the body and draw attention to the chest area, choose V-shaped collars.
  • Wear long dresses or shirts that are wide below the bust line and flare at the waist.

Factors that Affect Your Body Shape

There are a number of reasons why it is difficult to classify bodies, because each person’s body is different from the other, and our bodies change over time, whether by gaining or losing weight, in addition to the factors that affect, in one way or another, the shape of your body, including:

  1. Age, gender and genetics

Your genes determine how you accumulate and store body fat, and in many cases body fat is not evenly distributed and some may find that they usually store fat in their midsection, while others may gain weight in the thighs, legs or arms first.

  1. Diet and level of physical activity

Changes in activity level and diet may affect your body shape. For example, if you want to gain some weight, you will have to put in some extra effort by following a proper diet and exercising.

  1. Bone structure

Through it, some parts of your body are identified. For example, some women have rounder hips and others may have wider hips, shorter legs, or longer torsos.

Being tall or short also affects your overall body shape. By the time you reach adulthood, your bone structure and proportions are largely stable, even if your measurements change as you gain or lose weight.

  1. Hormones

It can also affect your body shape. For example, stress can trigger your body to release the hormone cortisol, which may be linked to fat accumulation around your midsection.

Estrogen and progesterone produced by the sexual organs can also affect how the body stores fat. For example, estrogen can cause your body to store fat in the lower belly.

What is Body Image?

What is Body Image? - Your Comprehensive Guide to Knowing Your Body Shape

Although body image is generally understood to relate to weight and shape, the term actually includes all aspects of a person’s perceived physical appearance, including age, facial features, and gender.

Some define it as the way a person thinks, feels, and imagines his body, and how a person imagines that others look at his body. Thus, we find that most people have varying degrees of either appreciation or criticism toward their bodies.

Positive body image is linked to body satisfaction and acceptance as it is, where a person has self-compassion, appreciation, and awareness of the amazing functions of his body and does not let his feelings about his appearance limit the way he lives his life.

While negative body image is associated with dissatisfaction and the desire to have a different body shape, a person with a negative body image tends to be highly critical of himself and has less appreciation for the beneficial abilities and functions that the body performs.

However, terms such as “positive” and “negative” tend to be insufficient to fully describe a person’s view of their body. For example, when talking about body image, a person may talk about parts of his body that he likes and parts that he does not like, as others may describe their positive feelings about their bodies in general, but they still want to change some physical aspects.

Therefore, we see that body image is constantly changing throughout a person’s life, as his view of his body changes at different stages of his life. For example, when you grow older or gain or lose weight.

Tips to Improve Your Body Image

Sometimes women are not comfortable with their body shape, as a woman with a very curvy body may want to have a thinner body, while another with a thin body may want to have more curves.

It is very common to feel pressured about the concept of the “perfect body” shape or type, but in the end there is no ideal body shape. Health is the most important factor.

So the National Eating Disorders Association identifies some thinking patterns you can consider to have a more positive body image:

  1. Always appreciate what the body can do.
  2. Remember that beauty is not only in the outer appearance.
  3. Be around positive people.
  4. Stop the negative self-talk.
  5. Wear comfortable, confident clothing.

It is important for people to consider that all bodies are beautiful and unique but they are only part of what defines a person, and how individuals relate to others and behave are also important aspects.

At the end of this article, it is okay to have mixed feelings. You may have thought that your body was a certain shape, and now you feel shocked when you discover that you have a different body shape. Regardless of your body shape, every body is unique and beautiful in its own way, and one aspect of what makes it unique is its looks and how it carries weight and muscle, so don’t let society’s unrealistic beauty standards get you down.

Love your body shape and dress to impress yourself, not others. Confidence is the foundation and the first thing to take care of, and it is important to accept yourself and your body shape as it is.

We hope that our article has helped you know and love your body more. Share with us in the comments and tell us what your body shape is based on your reading our article, and do not hesitate to share it with your friends.

Frequently Asked Questions about Your Body Shape

What if you want to change your body shape?

Regular exercise can help build lean muscle mass and give definition to your body shape, helping you accentuate certain features or change your overall shape. However, it is important to remember that much of what determines your body shape is determined by bone structure, genetics, and structure. General body.

Does a woman’s body shape change with age?

Yes. As you age, the concentration of hormones in your body changes, which leads to a change in your body shape. At the beginning of menopause, a decrease in estrogen levels causes the breasts to shrink, as well as the redistribution of fat to the waist or abdomen. Pregnancy causes estrogen levels to rise, causing the breasts to become enlarged, although they return to their normal size after pregnancy.

Sources:

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