Humans come in different sizes, shapes and colours. It is important for each individual to learn and know their body shapes so it is easier to determine what to wear and how to exercise.
The body parts to focus on during exercising can be dependent on a person's body structure, and it is sometimes alarming when people try to loose weight by following diet plans and exercising without getting the body they hope to have. This is basically based on how the body is proportioned and how to get fat off the right places.
Leaving weight loss for another time, I am going to be discussing how to dress our body shapes and hope we all learn from this write up.
First, you need to identify your body type. Identifying your body type simply means measuring your curves; that is, measure your bust, waist and hips to determine which shape your body belongs to according to the size of each parts in inches.
You need to understand that all body shapes have pros and cons and knowing your body type is about dressing to look your best. A particular body shape might be preferred around you, but this doesn't mean that your body shape is bad.
The Straight/Rectangle Body Shape
This body shape is common amongst 46% of women and is sometimes referred to as a ''boyish'' body type. The rectangle body type has the waist almost the same as the hips in measurement with straight flat shoulders. The waist is typically 1 to 8 inches smaller than the bust.
Image: shutterstock
Pros
Pinch in waist with dresses and belts to create a curvy illusion.
Go for ruffles and frills to add femininity to figure.
Wear skinny jeans, pants, mini skirts and bright tights to accentuate your legs.
Wear shape-wear underneath body-con dresses.
Wear dresses and tops with embellishment at the top to define bust area.
Cons
Avoid men's wear, tracks and sportswear.
Avoid wearing boxy clothes.
Avoid straight dresses that adds to curves to waistline.
The Apple Body Shape also known as ''top heavy'' body shape tends to have more volume around the chest area to the stomach. In this case, your measurement shows that your bust is bigger than your waist and hips with broader wider shoulders. The Apple body shape usually has fat gathered at the waist line and top area of the body leaving the lower part narrow and slender with small unnoticeable hips.
Image: stitchfix
Pros
Wear clothes that define other parts of the body asides the middle area.
Wear dresses and tops with v-neck but no embellishments at the top.
Wear flared pants that hides slim legs and thighs.
Cons
Avoid pinching dresses and belts.
Avoid clothes that have more volume from the top to the middle.
Avoid jersey materials, rather go for fabrics like silk, linen, tweed and cotton.
Avoid frills and sleeveless dresses as this tends to show the fullness of the arms and shoulders, rather go for long sleeves and clothes that cover up the arm.
The Hourglass Body Type
This body type is very rare and there are just 8% of women with this body shape. The hip and bust measurements is equivalent to each other with a narrow waist. Fat is stored evenly on every part of the body and the waist is well defined and curvy. This body type is very curvy and is advised to embrace the curves while dressing.
Image: shutterstock
Pros
Wear snug clothes that shows all the curves in the right places.
Accessorise the waistline.
Wear supportive bras for breasts to look perky as this body shape tends to have lots of bust.
Embrace v-neck tops and dresses but do not show too much cleavage
Wear pinching dresses and draw attention to the waist.
Wear tailored clothes mostly to get fitted perfect sized clothes.
Cons
Avoid drapy shapeless clothes as this focuses on the breasts and makes hourglass look pregnant.
The Pear Body Shape which is often described as the ''bottom heavy'' shape is the opposite of the Apple body type. Unlike the Apple, the Pear body type has fuller voluminous lower body and happens to be very curvy as well. The waist is usually wider than the bust in measurement and the hip is fuller, broader and heavier with full legs and narrow sloping shoulder.
Image: shutterstock
Pros
Wear anything that adds to the shoulder and bust.
Wear tops with puffy sleeves and frills or embellishments.
Wear straight or slightly flared pants.
Wear brassiere's that are a bit bigger and adds to the bust.
Cons
Avoid skinny pants that narrow the legs
Avoid flared pants that make the legs look thick. rather, go for straight pants.
Avoid sleeveless tops or dresses that make upper body look slimmer than the lower part.
Having highlighted the 4 major female body types, I am sure there are some women holding their measuring tapes and wondering why their bodies do not seem to match any of the body types mentioned.
In as much as there are many other different body shapes out there, they all still fall under each category of the 4 major ones listed. I advice you make use of these four to determine your body type and learn how to dress it up until you find a balance.
I hope this helps !
NB- I will be making suggestions on what to wear on the 2nd part of ''Body Shapes:Pros and Cons'' next week (28-02-19)
Written by: Moshood Adejoke