https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:28:40 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-153421 Fri, 07 May 2010 22:02:22 +0000 Vix 153421@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So many great comments above, but Malcontent really captured the grass-is-greener thing for me with this comment:</p> <p>&gt;part of me feels as if that narrow-hipped, barely-breasted form would be so much easier to carry, because the sexuality of it is more subtle, able to be subdued when necessary. With my shape, the only way to subdue my sexuality is to dress like a frump.</p> <p>So true!</p> <p>At heart I see myself as androgynous, so it was never really a goal of mine to dress in a feminine and/or revealing manner. I didn't care if other women did, it just wasn't my bag. And despite my lack of hips, I apparently never gave/give off the "boyish" vibe even when swimming in lots of volume. That still irritates me!</p> <p>These days I usually dress in line with guidelines for my body type, modifying as I see fit, because I personally find it more pleasing when I do. As a Rectangle that means dressing *against* type...dressing to look less rectangular. </p> <p>I don't get the perks many R's do anyway...no Cameron Diaz here! Instead I'm bustier (high necks worn solo = BTDT), short-legged (long leg line only in heels, no ankle straps), have a muscular lower half with a tendency towards the dread saddlebags (dark colors on bottom, look best in monochromatic or tonal shades from undefined waist to toes).</p> <p>Deciding to wear form-fitting clothes that make the most of what I do have---and garnering more attention along the way from everybody, not just men---was a difficult decision. But it actually made me less self-conscious about my body. Go figure!</p> <p>[And I still see myself as androgynous...I just think of the clothes as camouflage, ha.] </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-153258 Fri, 07 May 2010 16:34:17 +0000 Anonymous 153258@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Over 60+ years I've gone from stick straight skinny to a pear with curvy hips to an apple after 40 and, now that I've lost weight and my hips are flat, to a rectangle. Most of my life I've had body image problems because of such a small bust. I envied those with cleavage. Now I'm just happy for a reasonably healthy body and try to make the best of it and try not to look like a little old man. Life is too short. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-153248 Fri, 07 May 2010 16:21:37 +0000 Louise 153248@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Just to add another slant even super skinny people struggle with clothing, my best shopping buddy is a super skinny UK size 6-8 rectangle and we both frequently come out empty handed she has many fit issues too x </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-153247 Fri, 07 May 2010 16:19:06 +0000 chewyspaghetti 153247@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>We were gone all day at the amusement park yesterday, so I am just getting back to reading this.<br /> So much stuff going on here!<br /> Maya- I felt like you did, where it isn't so much a body image issue as personality. I am pretty accepting of my body (at least the clothed version) right now- I just have an image that I want to project that isn't as in line with it.<br /> It's funny- I have been asking my husband what he thinks of my outfits the last few days, just to see what he likes more or less. The other day, I had on a sleeveless dress that emphasized my curves and he was really ambivalent to it. Yesterday, I had on that olive green drop waist tunic, and he liked that. I guess he and I like similar things after all.<br /> Thanks so much to everyone for the input on this thread. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-153107 Fri, 07 May 2010 12:52:49 +0000 Maya 153107@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I have legitimate questions though I realize there is no way to ask or answer them without bring rude, which is precisely why I don't do it. Body type is indeed an art and art is subjective. I do not think I am an apple and in retrospect wonder if I ever really was.</p> <p>I think it is very hard for anyone who fits into the ideal categories Ele mentioned, who never really struggles with issues of proportion and fit and size, to understand what life is like on the other side. It's just too personal. I have been at both sides and when I was skinnier and more proportionate, I can't say I really understood what most women go through and struggle with. I knew about the issues they had, but I couldn't get inside their minds and hearts and understand how it affected them. It is something I had to experience for myself. </p> <p>Julie (and others): I think it's a mistake to think it's a body image issue exclusively. That is not really what this discussion was about. We were discussing personality types before and it's worth a reminder that I am very introverted and I do not feel comfortable having my body ogled and gawked at. Part of that also has to do with me being a feminist and being deeply averse to using my body or having it used, intentionally or unintentionally. I know some women feel "powerful" when they feel sexy and attract attention, but it makes me feel weak and out of control, personally. I do not have the personality to carry off such a provocative body shape, and while I do find ways around it, it goes without saying that it is an uphill battle and goes against a lot of the rules. So thank goodness I found YLF, otherwise I wouldn't know how to break the rules at all. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-153063 Fri, 07 May 2010 06:43:00 +0000 RoseandJoan 153063@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I read this post yesterday Khris but felt unable to comment. It makes me so sad that so many women of the forum have negative body image. Khris your body does appear to be morphing once more, you have beautifully strong shoulders and increasingly slimmer legs if these are the body parts you wish to highlight then kudos to you.</p> <p>I'm also in between body types, 1 part hourglass to 1 part rectangle, but I'm also quite gangly limbed which creates the illusion of further straightening my curves. I like to use the rectangle guidelines but sometimes dip into the hourglass tips. It's fun do able to choose how you want to present your body today. You are certainly more than being a bust - waist - hip ratio Khris. I see your style as playful tomboy but you also rock ladylike with an edge equally as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing your style (and body) evolve further. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152844 Thu, 06 May 2010 17:06:05 +0000 Angie 152844@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Precisely, itari. That's why I'm refreshing the guidelines in 2010. Most people need a starting point - that's all. But if they wish to follow the guidelines alone and not venture out further, that's fine too. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152838 Thu, 06 May 2010 17:01:05 +0000 Itari 152838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie - of course, but at the very beginning it's much easier when you have a clear set of guidelines. I know I'm not objective when trying to look at my body and clothes. I can recognize something that is terribly wrong, but I need a starting point. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152824 Thu, 06 May 2010 16:50:18 +0000 Angie 152824@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My dear Maya, your body type analyses are becoming overly detailed and that's not good. You have to see the wood for the trees. </p> <p>Ele, thanks for chiming back in. Good to hear you're not bashing up your body. </p> <p>Please, please, please everyone - do not get obsessed with body type labeling. It leads to unhappiness. I have mentioned this many, many times. Dressing is art and not science so strive to become a style grad student. Many of you already are! Concentrate on making the art work - do not worry about the scientific experiment failing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152812 Thu, 06 May 2010 16:35:51 +0000 Itari 152812@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ele, you're right that most women don't really change their proportions when losing weight, but it's not impossible. I've been on diet for 9 weeks and my shape has changed a little bit. Despite being a pear, I've lost more on bottom than on top. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152805 Thu, 06 May 2010 16:26:58 +0000 Ele 152805@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmm... I sort of agree with both of you, Mal/Itari. I get what you're saying about the "two types" of pears, but I disagree that weight loss is very likely to change that "second" type. I mean, of course it CAN, but a good number of pears who store fat in the hips/thighs will *always* store fat there, because that's just the way they're made. I'm fit, a runner and weight-lifter and I will probably always be heavier there. It really doesn't matter how much weight I lose- I've been very thin in the past, but was still pear-like. </p> <p>Anne, I hate that expression too! It's so mean You're right, I think we're similar in shape, though you probably have slightly wider (straighter?) shoulders than I do. But we're both more X types that 8, I think. </p> <p>Maya, I'm glad someone understands. You're right, it really is irrational. </p> <p>Angie, I really hope my post didn't come off as "body-bashing". That's not really what I meant at all- I've made peace with my shape, and agree that there's little sense in us all just complaining about our "bad bits" all the time. I guess I'm just sort of neutral now, not hating but not yet loving :)</p> <p>On a more positive note, I am happy that most of the styles I gravitate to do work on my body. The dresses that Angie featured on the blog today, for instance- right up my alley. I do feel slightly less able to really "rock" tailoring, though. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152796 Thu, 06 May 2010 16:13:17 +0000 Maya 152796@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree Mal. That's why I disagreed with Angie's assessment of herself being "boyish." It is about proportion. </p> <p>But I don't think I was less of an hourglass than some of the newbies I mentioned. I have never had a very large tummy. Sure I have some squishiness going on, but so do a lot of people who get nailed as hourglasses and even pears. Mine is rarely visible in clothes. Anything I wear would have to be really ill-fitting to emphasize my tum (like a dress I showed Angie a few weeks ago). It wasn't any more visible or pronounced on my body is what I am saying. Being labeled that way really made me preoccupied with it, and sort of gave me a bit of body dysmorphia for a while. I looked at certain pictures of women who had more visible stomachs than I did, and I thought well if I'm an apple and they are not, my stomach must be HUUUUUGE. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152795 Thu, 06 May 2010 16:11:34 +0000 malcontent 152795@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That's it, Itari. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152788 Thu, 06 May 2010 16:06:18 +0000 Itari 152788@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Malcontent, I didn't imply that pears are overweight. They can be slender, but their hips and thighs are visually bigger. I don't agree that body shape doesn't change. Weight loss and excercise can change the silhouette, especially when gaining muscle mass. </p> <p>BTW, is this the study you wrote about?<br /> <a href="http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/bodyshape.gif" rel="nofollow">http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/bodyshape.gif</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152782 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:53:20 +0000 malcontent 152782@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The way I look at body type is all about proportion. As I understand it, even the very slender Audrey Hepburn was an hourglass because her hips/bust, though still very small, were significantly larger than her waist. So, a lady who measures 32-28-35, for example, would be more apple-shaped than a woman who measured 42-30-42, who would be more hourglass, even if her waist is larger. Shoulders add another dimension to all this, of course. Hourglass doesn't mean tiny waist so much as it means proportionally small waist. If the waist is small and the hips are also small, the silhouette seems less hourglass. But unless the body type hews closely to one of the archetypes, there will be some subjectivity to interpretation. </p> <p>I personally don't associate pear-shapes with being overweight, since I've known many slender pears. I think it's unlikely for a strongly-defined pear shape to shift to an hourglass because the skeletal structure of the shoulders and ribcage will remain narrow in proportion to the structure of the hips. Even if the hips and thighs are slimmed down, weight would likely be lost in the upper body as well, keeping the silhouette similar. It's very hard to spot reduce. The easiest place for most women to lose inches is the waistline, because visceral fat is more metabolically active. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152772 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:25:14 +0000 Maya 152772@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Christine, FWIW, I was wrong about my size anyway. I have been resized as a 28G at Intimacy. 32 was way too big. In fact one of the bras I had altered to a 28 is STILL too big. I'm going to need another inch taken off. Crazy, I know, but my back/ribage is really not much bigger than my waist.</p> <p>I have also lost a bit of weight but my bust hasn't budged, so I look even more disproportionate :\ Hopefully it will shrink with time. But I think we still have the same overall shape.</p> <p>I don't HATE my body or anything like that. There are plenty of things I like, and I know I could have it a lot worse than I do.</p> <p>all have things we don't like about ourselves and mine happens to be my bust.</p> <p>Ele, I sympathize. When I was told I was an apple (secondary body type), I used to see new member post pictures here, who had significantly larger midsections than I did being called straight-on pears or hourglasses, and I would always wonder why I was an apple and they were not. Totally irrational and inconsequential yet it bugged me. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152771 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:24:57 +0000 Itari 152771@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sarah, I think it's common to change body shape from pear to hourglass. As your muscle mass increases, the fat percentage decreases and that's the reason (probably, I'm no expert). Anyway, I think that you look more like a hourglass and less like a pear.</p> <p>Hmm, I think that there are two different ways to develop a pear-shaped body. The first is having hip girdle wider than shoulder girdle (and that is something we cannot change), while the second is storing fat around hips and thighs, which is an effect of estrogens. This means that 1st type pears are pears no matter how thin they are, but 2nd type pears can become hourglasses or rectangles when they lose weight. Does it make sense?</p> <p>Malcontent - I've seen the study, but I believe it's different from YLF shapes. The study, if I'm not mistaken, takes only bust, waist and hips circumference into account, while YLF is more about shoulders vs. hips. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152769 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:20:12 +0000 crwilson 152769@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't love my body type, but I think that I am past hating it now. I have a large bust...now that I'm nursing, a really large bust that is not proportional with the rest of my frame. (Maya used to be my body twin...but I've gotten bigger, especially in my bust.) I used to think about a reduction because I don't like the attention that I get even when I'm wearing modest clothes, but I don't know anymore. First, I might shrink when I'm done nursing, but even if I don't, I'm starting to become better at dressing my body for what it is now. </p> <p>Here's the weird thing about me, and I hope this doesn't sound vain or too strange. I actually love my body as it is - I like the way I look without clothes. It's just clothing that makes me feel self-conscious because it's so hard to find things that fit properly and are flattering. </p> <p>I do share queenie's problem finding summer dresses because anything that adds volume is bad news, and most casual dresses do add volume in some way (via pleats or gathering). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152768 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:17:53 +0000 malcontent 152768@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ele, please remember that there is nothing scientific about this sort of body type analysis. One study that actually measured women's bodies purported that only 8% of women are an hourglass. Even that study might have had variables that led to inaccuracies. I don't always agree with the body type analysis done here, but that's probably because some people fit their types only slightly while others are strongly stereotypical of a type. I suspect I also have a stricter definition of the various types in mind. </p> <p> I have a sister who always gets frustrated with body typing systems because her body doesn't fit any type. Her shoulders are broader than her hips and she has a large bust, but her waist is extremely tiny and defined and her hips, while narrowish, still have curves and are ten inches larger around than her waist. She's neither hourglass nor inverted triangle and starts to feel freakish even though her body type is enviable. </p> <p>The measuring tape makes me certain I'm an hourglass, but that doesn't mean I haven't envied pears their dainty upper bodies. Some of the styles I would love to wear, like demure but feminine button-down blouses are impossible to fit on my hourglass frame and would lose their effect when worn on a curvy torso anyway. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152766 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:09:38 +0000 Maya 152766@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh Angie, I know exactly what you're talking about. And ironically enough it was on a thread where I was weighing the pros and cons of surgery. I mentioned I was accepting of EVERYTHING ELSE but my massive bosom. I am at peace with my bum, and even though I don't love the occasional tummy bits, I can live with them. But I am never, ever going to "embrace" my bust as long as it is over a D cup.</p> <p>In reality, my boobs are the only thing that make me especially curvy. Other than that, I do not have a very defined waist or curvy hips, so going down in size would probably change my overall shape quite a bit. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape/page/2#post-152764 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:08:35 +0000 Sarah 152764@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Itari, you are too kind.<br /> I do think that with my increased muscle mass, my body shape is changing, even if it's just the silhouette. My thighs are still thicker, but I have broader shoulders and pecs now.<br /> And Angie, one of the things I really appreciate about you is how accepting you are of all body types - and really, all individual bodies. This blog and forum has a place for everyone. I can definitely say without hesitation that YLF has helped me love my body.<br /> And what a feat that was. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152762 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:01:16 +0000 Angie 152762@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Maya, it surprises me that you are surprised. I can't find your exact words now, but at one point you wrote on this forum something along the lines of: "I have become much more accepting of my body". You are now embracing your gorgeous curves instead of wishing them away. </p> <p>As for everyone else, we will *always* have parts of our bodies that we are unhappy with. Believe it or not, but people who you perceive as having perfect bodies have parts that they wish were different too. </p> <p>Rute, Tansie and Louise, thanks for your positive comments about your own bodies and the bodies of others. It's such a healthy way of thinking about yourselves and it shows in your style. </p> <p>And while I want to be empathetic and supportive of anyone who does not feel comfortable with their body, I really want to prevent this thread from becoming a body bashing one. Please ladies, there is little sense in that exercise.</p> <p>But we can TOTALLY talk about how we can cleverly bend body type guidelines to suit your personal style! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152749 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:34:51 +0000 anne 152749@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ele - great post!</p> <p>I don't think that it is any accident that there there is a phrase "to go pear-shaped" This one came to Australia from Britain, I think. </p> <p>You and I may be similiarly shaped perhaps? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152748 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:34:38 +0000 Itari 152748@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Imogen's body types are even more confusing to me. Her A shape has shoulders at least an inch smaller than hips/thighs (mine are actually a bit bigger). I'm a bit confused about the difference between 8 and X, as they're hourglassy and I was typed in ylf forum as a pear.</p> <p>and Sarah - I think you're not a typical pear. I'd say you have some hourglass tendencies, your overall look is curvy and balanced. And you look younger than me! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152746 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:30:50 +0000 Ele 152746@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie, I think I'm with Maya on this one. I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting you (though I'm counting down the days, believe me!), but you don't look remotely "boyish" to me. Also, I think one of the reasons you find it easy to feel alluring (besides your confidence, which of course is fab) is that certain parts of society DO tell us that your frame is the one to aspire to, the most attractive.</p> <p>I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right. Basically, I think there are two body types which are thought of as attractive and ideal, by different sections of society. Our basic human instincts (and let's face it, a lot of the men in our lives) tell us that the curvy hourglass is the way to go. Hollywood and the whole entertainment industry, on the other hand, worship the thin-framed rectangles and inverted triangles among us. So that's great- there are three shapes right there that have external validation (if they need it). But when was the last time anyone held up a picture of an apple or pear and said "Now THIS is hot!"?</p> <p>Of course, I'm not saying I feel like that, and there are women of all shapes and sizes here who are hugely inspirational to me- both for their style their positive self-image. But there are a lot of messages out there telling us which is the "best" body to have. </p> <p>I don't really know where I stand on this, personally. I don't hate my body but I don't love it. I battle with being a pear, both because it's not really portrayed as being that great of a shape (at least as I see it), and because I don't really "feel" like a pear. My hips and thighs aren't going anywhere (they've been with me even at my lowest weight) but they are balanced by my shoulders, and I admit to being occasionally bothered when other posters get labeled as hourglasses with what I see as similar proportions. I know it's irrational but I feel like saying "But I look like that, too! Why do I get stuck with pear and she gets to be an hourglass!?" So silly, I know!</p> <p>I'd love to be one of those women who love a certain part of their body and dress to enhance that, rather than downplaying what they don't like, but I don't really see myself like that. I mean, I like my hair- but that hardly counts, does it? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152739 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:24:20 +0000 Sarah 152739@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You are not alone, Khris!<br /> I'm a pear/hourglass and for years I fought with being curvy because I wanted a very straight body type, aka a JCrew model.<br /> I'm finally coming to terms with my curvy shape and learning how to dress it in a way I love - not just in a way that fits the rules.<br /> I still do not love a-line shape skirts and dresses on me, and sometimes I feel annoyed that I have to take my thighs/hips into so much consideration, but I'm getting better. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152736 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:10:55 +0000 anne 152736@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is SUCH an interesting thread.</p> <p>I have certainly liked styles that don't suit my body - I remember being teased about liking sweetheart necklines at high school (ie when I clearly didn't have enough bust to make them work), but is Khris's whether we like things better on our body that are not the looks recommended for our body shape?</p> <p>I don't really know. Like Shiny, I don't identify strongly as one or other body type. I have curvy thighs and bottom so am somewhat pear like - but have strong shoulders. My hips and shoulders are about the same width - thus "hourglass" (I just squeak into Imogen at Inside Out Style's X shape definition <a href="http://www.insideoutstyleblog.com/2008/09/body-shapes-explained-x-shape-hourglass.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.insideoutstyleblog......glass.html</a>) but being so far away from each other it is hard to see this. And I am not very busty and have a rectangular upper half.</p> <p>So perhaps, like Shiny, this ambiguity give more license to try different styles, and less likeliness of feeling the frustration Khris feels.</p> <p>BTW I second Maya on Angie's curviness. Not that I have met her, but she has told us her measurements! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152725 Thu, 06 May 2010 13:13:51 +0000 Itari 152725@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Rute, I know. At my lowest weight, when I was 17, I had 59 cm waist and 94 cm hips - and I thought that I were, well, fat. I'd love to have hips smaller than 90 cm.</p> <p>Maya - exactly my thoughts. Good thing that plastic surgery exists.</p> <p>And while I'm not a hourglass, I've got wide hips and big bust. The guidelines for pears and for well-endowed contradict each other ;( I've got no clue what to wear on top... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152714 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:28:33 +0000 Maya 152714@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm surprised to hear you say that Angie. I plan to have my curves surgically removed (or at least reduced). I'm not very accepting of them. I just acknowlege that they exist and I have no choice but to put up with them until I have the means to diminish them. </p> <p>Also, you have described your body type as boyish before, but now that I know you and have seen you in person, I feel like I am allowed to challenge that! While you are not big busted by any means, you are not flat or small, especially for your frame size. And your waist is quite a bit more defined than most of the hourglasses on the forum. You also are not straight or flat on the bottom. You need your waistbands taken in, while I, an alleged hourglass, do not. </p> <p>When I think of boyish, I think of an undefined waist, broader shoulders, and squarer hips than you have. Your size is also distinctly feminine. So that is my $0.02. I don't think slim automatically implies straight. You don't need a pinup silhouette or tons of strategically placed fat deposits to be considered curvy. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fighting-your-shape#post-152711 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:20:06 +0000 shiny 152711@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting thread and so hard to respond without getting into psychology. </p> <p>Growing up, I had a mom who was a pretty pear and a big sister who was a VERY curvy hourglass with a "perfect" (so I heard, over and over and over again) 36-23-36 figure. I did not develop a chest until my 20s - I was more of a rectangle shape, except more of a soft rectangle, if that makes sense. I wore my sister's hand-me-downs and that did serious damage to my head, as I just didn't fill them out like she did, and the waist was constricting. I identified with my mom, since I didn't have much of a chest, yet I just didn't have the tiny waist and beautiful hips like she did. </p> <p>I spent years and years wishing I had either a pear or an hourglass shape, and thinking these were the "ideals."</p> <p>I consider myself a YLF graduate as well, and over my YLF journey I have learned to embrace my figure and celebrate it through fashion. That includes my chest and yes, even my waist!! I may have a 0.8 waist/hip ratio, but I still have a waist. </p> <p>With that said!!!</p> <p>At some point in the journey I realized that my body type is, in reality, fairly well proportioned. For me, this was quite the revelation. I have a hunch, Khris, when you arrive at your final weight, you may be the same. </p> <p>I am a bit of this and a bit of that: a bit hourglassy but not quite (since my waist isn't teeny tiny, but my shoulders and hips ARE equal, even if it doesn't "eyeball" that way). A bit inverted triangle (I do gain weight first in the upper body, and my shoulders are quite strong while my hips are narrow). A bit apple (squishy belly). </p> <p>What that means is that it is not too hard to create whatever silhouette I feel like creating for that day!! </p> <p>Add a boyfriend jacket over skinnies.... I am an inverted triangle.</p> <p>Wear form-fitting top and a cardi buttoned at the waist, and I'm an hourglass. </p> <p>Wear a form-fitting top with an A-line skirt, I am a pear.</p> <p>Lose my waist in a long flowy, sleeveless top over skinnies, and I'm a (busty) rectangle. </p> <p>Does one formula flatter better than the others? Probably. But who cares. I like the ability to adapt to my mood and reinvent my figure whenever I want. </p>