I have always been an hourglass first pear second but now I have a strong secondary apple. I have put on 8 pounds, so right in between that "I can wear the same clothes" (only more snug) and needing a bigger size (going from a size 27 to 28 and an S to an M). Now when I buy new things they are all the bigger size as this body change seems regrettably rather permanent. Most of the weight has gone to the waist area, which I am reading is really common at the menopause phase. I also think stress is adding to the problem although I am very healthy and all of my numbers are great thanks to things like Red Yeast Rice and Vitamin D. Stress is coming from SO who is battling MDS a rare bone marrow disorder/cancer.

These two items have been very useful. A 1" waist extender for pants/jeans.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod.....#038;psc=1

Same concept for bras.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod.....#038;psc=1

I have always been a kind of hourglass and still am. I mostly gain weight evenly all over my body.

I do notice my waist is thickening a little.

My weight is relatively stable although higher than it was in the past. But I don't weigh myself so I don't know by how much. I have worn the same two sizes for a long time but I suspect sizes are larger now than they were 20 years ago:)

Nice to "see"you Cocolion but sorry to hear that times have been so tough with SO.

CocoLion; sorry to hear about what your SO is experiencing.

My bust has largely disappeared post children. A good thing too as I find it easier to wear t-shirts now...
Over the last 18 months I have gained about 7.5 pounds which is unfortunate. Most things still fit thank goodness but actually it’s underpants that are a bit tight right now :(.

I think I am Bonnie's other half. I feel like I am losing some of my rectangle-ness and becoming a bit more curvy - I'm not sure whether pear or hourglass though. My breasts are still very small but my shoulder line is strong, but my hips and thighs have filled out more and I feel like I have a tiny bit of a waistline (which is a shocker!). I bought two dresses -- for my daughter's wedding and bridal shower -- and both had defined waistlines. I was shocked they fit.

Yes. As a teen and into my 20s I was a pear - narrow, sloped shoulders, no boobs really, round bum and hefty thighs and calves. Now, at a much higher weight that’s been through one pregnancy and breastfeeding, I’ve stabilized at a weight that’s about 30-35 pounds heavier (I’ve been that weight for more than 5 years) and I’m more hourglass with an apple belly. My weight seems to go everywhere - boobs, shoulders, back, tummy and lower half.

Pear all my life. Thickening waist from childbirth actually made clothes easier to fit in some ways as the ratio between my waist and hips got smaller. Now that I'm in my 50s, any weight gain goes to my boobs and stomach rather than hips/thighs.

No. I have just gained weight, all over, and that's fine. I was very thin when I was young, and that wasn't fun.

Lots of of body type changes. Thanks, ladies. I appreciate your willingness to share these rather intimate details. It does create a sense of camaraderie and trust. Therapeutic. You are all FABULOUS.

I am something of an athletic hourglass, with my shoulders and hips being my widest points, and everything in between quite a bit narrower. I identify to a T with how Suz describes her younger self -- very similar proportions and fit issues.

I gained about 45lb during pregnancy and for a few months postpartum became a solid rectangle. It actually made it quite easy to buy pants right off the rack! My abdominal fat was the first to go and I went back to being hourglassy quite quickly (especially as it took much longer for my bust to shrink, and I got to be a "classic" hourglass for a bit). The only lasting changes seem to be that my rise is now a bit higher than ever, as if my hips stretched in length as well as width (totally possible, it seems, based on how the hip socket is constructed), and slightly longer/wider feet (mostly due to an increasingly pronounced tailor's bunion -- inherited from my grandmother).

Once again, I am wowed by the respect and candor of YLF's forum members! What a lovely thread. Hugs to all of those going through rough times.

I used to be a total hourglass, with time, weight gain and menopause, I'm a big boobed pear and definitely do not have the defined waist I used to have. I never had a poochy tummy until menopause, so that is part of what's added to my waist size -- I'm so short-waisted that there is only a small space between my ribs and my hip bones (well back when I could see them!) I also lost 3/4 of an inch in height!!!! I didn't expect that in my 50's. But, I work out regularly and work on accepting that being strong and healthy is more important than my weight or size. Despite my extra padding, I have a lot more muscle than I ever have had before.

Over time, I've come to identify more strongly as an IT even though my measurements are hourglass-y--with age and a baby, though, much less hourglass-y than I used to be. Ironically, this makes shopping for clothing much, much easier because the fit in the waist is more proportional.

Mine has changed several times during my adult life. I was a very slim (actually skinny) IT in my 20's and 30's. I went through menopause in my late 30's and became more of a rectangle. I magically lost whatever waist I once had. Then in my 50's came medication changes and I blossomed into an apple. A few years ago my meds changed again and I lost about 20 lbs and feel I am back to more of a rectangle with the apple belly.

I might add that my coats and jackets have always remained a 10/12 throughout all of these changes. I think this is weird.

I've pretty much been an hourglass with a smaller bust my whole adult life (I'm in my forties). The one time it changed was when I lost a lot of weight due to significant digestive problems. At that point I was more rectangular. But when I gained my weight back, I went back to my hourglass shape.

You ladies are all so incredible! I love learning more about your style and each of you. Angie and YLF have created a space where diversity, honesty, creativity and respect are hallmarks. It is inspiring to read your stories.
My body has changed dramatically. In my youth I was soooo skinny. I had broad shoulders, but that was it. Some of my peers called me Chicken Legs (but they said it like it was a good thing).
When I went to college I gained a few pounds but was still very thin. I was a pretty solid rectangle, although the broad shoulders were still noticeable. I weighed 98 pounds when I married my husband.
A few years later I became pregnant with our daughter. I gained 50 pounds and most of it was my belly. Our daughter weighed over 10 pounds. After her birth, I lost most of the baby weight within a few months. My hips and rib cage had broadened and I had boobs! My waist was back down to 24 inches. For the first time in my life I was an hourglass. I loved it! Instead of looking like a tomboy, I felt so feminine. I never saw 98 pounds again. The closest I ever got was 112. Then, along came our son and somehow my weight hovered around 118 pounds for many years. I was still an hourglass, but my waist was not so narrow.
Then, in my early 40s I had hormonal challenges, weight fluctuations, peri menopause and my hourglass began to disappear. I began to recognize the rectangle again. My weight kept up a little at a time, most of it adding to my tummy. Hello apple rectangle.
I have been married to my husband for 34 years and weigh 30 pounds more than when we met. Almost a pound a year! I am healthy and much happier with my body than when I was Chicken Legs. Oh sure, sometimes I wish my stomach were flatter. That is my trouble spot. I had 2 c-sections, a hysterectomy and an open appendectomy. No matter how much I exercise, there is just not a lot of muscle tone left in that area.
I have an amazing family and a wonderful life. I am not going to let my belly get in my way. I am pretty good at dressing around it. I could probably write a book called The Art of Camoflage.

No body change for me. I think I was born a rectangle. I’ve also been about the same weight most of my adult life.

For many years, I was a skinny inverted triangle. (And I was reminded of my broad shoulders yesterday, trying on coats and finding they swamped my torso but I couldn’t lift my arms above my waist.)

After I had a kid, my rib cage permanently broadened (it was already quite broad tbh) and I acquired a bit of a soft lower belly, so became more of a rectangle.

The last few years I’ve noticed a tendency to put on weight, especially in my midsection, giving me apple-ish tendencies.

I admire the equanimity of so many posters on this thread but I am not going to lie, I find the weight gain a bit difficult to accept. I sort of feel like my forties so far have been a long process of mourning successive iterations of my three-pounds-ago body.

Oh yes, definitely! For almost 40 years, I was a very slim pear/hourglass shape with narrow shoulders, long, neck, long thin arms, very small rib cage and waist. After having a baby at 37, I (as others have described here) found my rib cage widened and waist thicker, though I was still recognizably pear-shaped. Then came menopause, and with it a padded, straighter waist, broader shoulders, heavier arms (something I wouldn't have believed possible) and hips that are now square, rather than curvy. From what I've seen, this is a pretty common evolution among women my age. I don't love it; this H-shape requires so much strategy and luck (with trending clothing silhouettes) to avoid a mannish look that is alien to my gamine self (still in there somewhere!) But that's how it is now. From the knees down, I'm exactly as I was...

My basic body type has never really changed, even though my weight has fluctuated over the years. I have been hourglassy verging on pear-ish ever since my teens. I typically gain weight first in boobs and hips/thighs, but that’s shifting a bit post-menopause, so my waist is not what it once was.

I find it interesting how varied the human body can be.

Angie, interesting comment! (You wrote: "K.M., I don't see a pear shape. Interesting that your breast size went down too. Breast tissue has a mind of its own, doesn't it.") I am happy if I am still an hourglass since this has been the shape I'm familiar with most of my life! And yes, breast tissue totally has a life of its own! Mine has shrunk so much. It took me a while to adapt to my new small A cups but now I like them. They feel so light and free!

Yes, a lot! For my adult life I would say I was a rectangle. I never had small breasts, but my hips were always narrow and I was bigger on top. With weight gain, age, or whatever, combined with ever more yoga, I have curved out all over now have largish breasts, larger hips, and an apple, but relatively flat, middle. I have actually put on dresses that fit on top and can't get over my bottom, which still manages to surprise me because I always had the opposite problem. In some ways I am closer to an hourglass than I ever was when I was younger, which just means that the top and bottom have outgrown the middle. I am laughing at myself as I write this, fortunately.

I have alway been a pear shape. My shoulders are slightly narrow relative to my hips and are more square then sloped. What has changed is my waist. Prior to menopause I had a very tiny waist relative to my hips. Now I still have a defined waist but not nearly as much as before. I can actually buy RTW pants in curvy fits Luckily, I remained fairly trim in the abdomen and stomach until my recent gain.

My pattern of weight gain has definitively changed. I used to gain mostly in my hips and thighs. Now I have a muffin top and fuller abdomen that I am struggling with how to fit.

I am also more rounded in my back. Yoga and stretching have helped but haven't prevented this.

Yes, I was an hourglass with a small waist in my teens, twenties, and early to mid thirties, then with a 6-8 pound weight gain my body changed to a pear, as all that weight went straight to my hips, butt, and thighs. Seven years and 30 pounds later, and my body is pear shaped with apple tendencies, as my small waist is gone and my tummy is not flat any more.

I thought I was a rectangle due to not much differentiation between bust, waist, hips, however when I joined YLF, it was suggested that I was more hourglass (by virtue of a strong shoulder line) with rectangle tendencies, and possibly a little Apple for good measure!

Weight has stayed within 10lbs of my college weight (140lbs) and my shape the same. When I started posting on YLF 5 years ago I was 148-152 lbs. These days I am 136-140 lbs. Bust 36-37in and hips 38-39in. My waist has thickened permanently however, from 28 to 31 inches. When I switched from running to triathlon (swim, bike, run) in my 40's, and started strength training with weights my shoulder line became stronger (preserving the hourglass) and some added muscle made for curvier limbs and a more balanced physique.

I am currently at the lower end of my weight range, however still thick waisted. Weight gain goes to my low belly and mid back, which I think is Apple distribution.

Age and gravity, baby !

I have done the typical menopausal thickening. I was a slim pear originally and was like that still from 29 ( first child) to 35 ( third child). Although my bust did get a bit bigger which I liked as originally an A cup. Then weight slowly went on from 35-47, then jumped up hugely at menopause age 47, combined with stress, an illness and depression at that time, now almost 10 years ago. Now I'm a pear/apple. With a C cup!

Yep. I started with medium boobs, narrow shoulders and wider hips/thighs.
Progressed to larger breasts, bigger arms and the rest the same. Then after a thyroid condition, other hormonal issues and a lot of prednisone for illness, ended up with rounding on my shoulders, a smidge of extra on my back, and definitely a more pronounced abdomen and some upper tummy weight. Overall, still hourglassy but definitely the prednisone gave me some apple-y bits starting.
I am pretty evenly distributed.
Mostly I just keep on keeping on and enjoy what I can wear when I wear it and feel good about the fact that I’m still kicking!

My body shape changes between slim hourglass/rectangle (my waist is defined but not by much) and inverted triangle depending on my current weight. When at a heavier weight - as I am at present - my lower half fills out to balance my shoulders. Losing a few pounds will make my shoulder line much more prominent.

I don't think my shape changed much - every time I gain or loose weight it gets distributed evenly. I also haven't noticed any lasting changes after two pregnancies except my feet growing half a size after each. I am embarrassed to admit that I don't exercise so not sure what effect it would have on my shape. I will be 50 next year, so approaching menopause, and have yet to see what effect that will have.

I'm a bit of a hybid anyway, and various weights have seen me more or less pear or rectangle.