Yes. The weight is almost the same now for years on end, but depending how sedentary I am, and have a good diet or not, the body more or less changes. I suffer from bouts of depression, that doesn't help. I conquer that with running and walking. I'm pear shaped, with proportionally short and very muscled legs. I used to have a small waist, but I notice that with age, and with the above, I am more a rectangle. One of my goals now is to learn how to "fake" a waist.
Totally not the right spot to say this but a big thank you for everybody sharing and helping.

I don't think my body type has changed, but where I put on weight has changed a bit with age. I've always been an hourglass who tends to go a bit pear-shaped with weight gain. (And even when I'm perfectly slim my thighs are wider than my hips--where does this fit into body types? I'd like to see some discussion of this!) For most of my life excess pounds went straight to my thighs. They still head there but post-menopause they started going to my waist as well. I discovered I liked the feeling of rolls at my waist even less than I liked the hefty thighs, so this has helped me keep the pounds off.

I dealt with the pancake butt (after a nearly 50-pound weight loss three years ago) by lots of working out--strong glutes keep both me and my physical therapist very happy. And so far stronger shoulders, delts, triceps, etc. haven't eliminated any tops or tailored jackets from my wardrobe. I don't know what I would do if that started to happen, since I love my collection of jackets and I love getting stronger.

My mom recently asked if I had done augmentation (her words were actually "boob job"). I had to tell her that I had gained that much weight. I just gained it proportionally, that all of me got bigger fairly equally. I went from a slim, wiry rectangle to a much fluffier rectangle. Now I'm struggling to lose even a few pounds :-/

I wasn't going to touch this one with a ten-foot pole, as this kind of discussion often triggers my slide into self-flagellation and misery. My answer: yes, most definitely, and through massive weight gain. My university weight was just under 115 -and I only remember that because I didn't weigh enough to donate blood. I was around 135 when I got married at 28, and stayed around that weight for many , many years (except during pregnancy, of course). At one point about 7 years ago, my weight dropped back down to 118, and my doctor was convinced I had cancer (as was my tailor, who actually came right out and asked why I was having to alter all of my clothes) . Extreme stress did that . Since that time, it's been a steady climb up, to now, where I am at my highest non-pregnancy weight ever. Not a badge of honour I wear with pride, and sometimes yes, my unhappiness with it really affects my life. I am not sure I know why the change has been so steady and dramatic, and nor have I been successful in changing this direction. However, life is complicated and there are lots of other things to focus on. Dressing for this change has been one of the most difficult things though - and my wardrobe has never quite been the same. One foot in front of the other though

Very interesting! I have always been pretty much a rectangle with boobs and that hasn't changed, except the boobs have gotten bigger. I assumed we all stayed the same basic shape, so I am surprised to hear otherwise. My lowest weight was when I got married (and I didn't even appreciate it at the time!) and since then it has crept up gradually but I'm usually within 10 pounds of where I was after having kids. Now with menopause my waist is thickening even more so I suppose I could end up an apple.

I am very similar to Suz.
(Suz, by the way, about that skirt: don't forget that cuts are slightly different nowadays and that might play a role too in your recent dissatisfaction with it).

All my life, I have struggled with fit. In my younger days, mostly, clothes wanted to escape me, blouses gaping open, cami escaping, bras impatient to peep, pants slumping no matter what. That's because fashion was on the max side, while I was not, and my tiny wallet hadn't discovered a good tailor yet.

I was throughout my 30's and for a good part of my 40's a slim inverted IT with -strangely enough - pear tendencies. Athletic wear fit me well and, for once, remained on me with enough sturdiness and reliability. I was a young travelling mom on the go, so I was content with this generic look.

In my mid 40's, my body was still very much IT but slowly morphing and it got to a point where I thought I was going to become an apple, because it seemed I had less and less hips, while retaining a shapeless mid-region and increasingly muscular shoulders.

Now, soon to be 50, I am moving towards what I hope is a more hourglass figure. An oddity: by gaining a little bit of weight and muscle around my hips, I suddenly have more of a waistline! Which is a good thing in terms of dressing. I realize that some things that didn't suit me before now look better because there is mass there to hold it up if you will. For example, my fit in most jeans is easier (especially cigarette cut), it makes more sense right away when I put them on. I guess it's because there are some hips to fill them out.

At my fighting weight, I've always been an IT. I gained 80 lbs with my second son and took on an apple shape for a year but went back to an IT after I lost it. Still have 10 lbs of baby weight to lose but I'm not holding my breath because my "baby" is 17.

I am still a pear, but now that I have accepted and embraced my shape (after years of fighting it), it would be quite funny if I changed shape!

Big hugs to Cocolion
xxxx
Hope your SO is on the road to recovery.

I never dared to ask the forum, but most of the time I felt my body was primarily hourglass. In my twenties I had a phase of weight-lifting that caused my butt to shrink (probably loss of fat) and my thighs to grow (muscle gain), such that pants were loose on my rear and rode up on my thighs. I gain muscle very easily on my legs. I always say I come from a mountain people Since having kids, I definitely gained apple tendencies. I can accept my new body in terms of looks, but I am extremely frustrated fitting pants. My wider waist is out of proportion to my hips according to size charts. Now that my toddler is weaned, my body is changing again, boobs shrinking, butt rounder, waistline possibly reemerging. I don't know where the journey will end. For the future, based on observing my mother I suspect that when I go through menopause my butt will flatten and my waistline will grow.

ETA: I appreciate everyone else here who shared their perspective. It is helpful to read.

Yes. I've always been a very elongated pear, who carries all the weight (visually) at the low hip, but looks more hourglass-ish because my shoulder line is square, sharp, and comes out as far as the low hip. Before children, I had a very flat stomach and pronounced waist, after children, those tummy muscles will never be the same :). So whereas once, I only had to worry about balancing out the hips, and the small boned torso with the relatively more robust legs and hips, now I also have to figure out ways to not draw attention to the tummy as well. Oh, and then I had breast cancer- so of course that has also left its mark, although interestingly that has not been as psychologically challenging as the change in tummy. Funny how we focus on some things and not others, isn't it?
However, overall I'm happy that I am now much stronger and fitter than I was when I was younger. I find that focusing on the healthy stuff my body is able to do, and which I enjoy, is a good way to defuse any critical thoughts about tummies etc etc.