help with body type. With pics.

Melaine

Thanks for your responses on my earlier thread. I am coming down off the panic and trying to be more logical. I would love any input and suggestions. I am 5'6" and 160 lbs.

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6 years ago

Body Type

20 replies

Latest reply was from The Cat

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Hi there! Was just reading your other thread. First thought, you look way slimmer than I expected from your first thread. Second thought, exactly what has happened to my body, although I was older than you when it did. I was about 47 when I ended up about 20 kg heavier than when I was 35 after my third baby. It felt so much when I always felt like a slim person before that.
I wear cropped pants in summer a lot with floaty tunics over. Slightly swing shapes either in tunics or in actual dresses if they are at or just above the knee are helpful. Also read stuff on figure flattery for pear/apple which should help. And happy Mother's Day!

6 years ago

Anonymous

Your anxiety here is palpable, and I don't say that to make light of it or to mock it in any way. I speak from a place of experience and empathy. I think your needs will be better addressed when you can look at yourself objectively and with less fear/judgment....i.e. after letting this sit for a day or two. Maybe you're catching me in a reflective moment, but I've decided (experiencing a to of body issues myself over my entire adult life ) that no one of us is guaranteed to maintain the same weight and body throughout our life. Things change more dramatically for some of us than others. It's just the way it is. If you want change, you have to take the reins and commit to a plan. If you are not emotionally invested in it yet, you won't get what you want and you'll notice your weight staying the same (as you mentioned). At 5'6" , you've got some height as an advantage in terms of dressing. The only bit of advice I can give (because I'm a lot older than you - haha) is to NOT overreact and buy a bunch of loose-fitting too-big clothes in styles and looks you normally would never buy . I did that for so many years, punishing myself by bringing home what I figured I deserved (which was ugly clothing) and it was so dumb. You know what Angie will suggest - good undergarments first, get your hair and makeup the way you want them so that you feel better about what you see in the mirror, and don't go to the store when you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious. You'll figure it out.

6 years ago

Anonymous

I think you look good in this outfit!
So if you're ok with casual, I would check out yoga clothing options. So add a loose tank top over this. There are lots of cute a-line sweaters too.

Also, the waist band of these leggings looks like it's hitting in a good spot to me, so if you could semi tuck a blouse into some pants (or cut offs?) that have the same rise, you could create a blousy effect.

One thing you might *try* is a dress that has a thick waistband sort of a bit below where your empire waist is.

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better and gaining weight is worth a sound mind!

6 years ago

minimalist

Veteran

Ah, Lisa is so wise. I wish my younger self could hear her words. Forget what I suggested in the other thread about looking at Eileen Fisher or similar; for your body type and size, they would just be tents.

How about taking the style question from the opposite direction, and getting more concrete about what you like? Then figuring out what of that works for your body and lifestyle? Some people use Pinterest; we haven't talked about styleboards lately, that I've noticed, so I'm not up to date on current preferred methods for collecting ideas and consolidating them.

6 years ago

Bijou

Veteran

Lisa is absolutely right and is providing the best advice. You look very pretty and healthy and not large at all. My tips are:
- invest in a great jacket, shoes and handbag - they seem to pull any outfit together;
- tailored clothing gives good structure and clean lines, volumes of fabric are likely to make you look and feel bigger than you are;
- when feeling "blah" take the time to do you hair and make up - having a good hair day makes you feel so much better;
- there is the temptation to buy only black on the basis that it makes you look slimmer. This is fine if it is a good colour on you - but if not, wear the colours that you love (and for items like shoes and handbag - go for colour).

6 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Did not see your earlier post yet, but you really do look terrific exactly as you are. I am horrible at body shape assessments, and not sure what you are looking for, but I honestly and truly think you look beautiful as you are.

ETA I just read your other thread. I knew I felt empathy. My twins are now 12 and my son is almost 15 and believe me it was not easy readjusting to my body pre-child to post-post child. I realize this will sound trite, but have you tried yoga? Nothing has balanced my attitude nor organized my core better.

6 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

You have a shapely figure. From the front, I'd say you're a rectangle/ hourglass.

6 years ago

Summer

Veteran

You have a lovely figure, Melaine. I can't see your shoulder line, but I'm guessing that they balance quite well with your hips. If so, I'd say you are likely to be a rectangle shape. If you are worried about your tummy area, just check out Angie's guidelines for Adorable Apples.

6 years ago

Anonymous

I think you look pretty great, and have a very normal body. Focus on the parts you love (legs, for example), and dress to show them off. Angie has tons of good advice on dressing the various body types (under "Advice" in her blog section).

6 years ago

Nomad

Active Member

You look lovely! But I understand that sometimes what we see in the mirror isn't what everyone else sees. Just remember that we're always our own worst critics.

There's a lot of wisdom here, but I'm going to echo Shevia and suggest yoga, or bellydance (my favorite hobby). Both are incredibly welcoming and body positive, there's no wrong body type, and it's easier to love your body when you're engaging in an activity where you're conscious of and appreciating all the awesome things it can do.

Posture can also make a huge difference in how we look and feel... think about lifting your chest and rolling your shoulders back and down; that's always a physical and psychological boost for me. I also like to imagine a string pulling the crown of my head up, and another string pulling my tailbone straight down.

6 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Some great advice here already. Your shape looks very good. Having a small bust just makes sleeping on your stomach more comfy! Last summer I finally came to terms with my weight and went to Kohls and bought several pairs of crops and shorts (Lee brand, and very reasonably priced) in colors I liked. I had a few decent/interesting tops, and got a few more. Bingo! My best summer (dressing-wise) ever. And don't underestimate the value of good sandals to make an outfit better.

6 years ago

Christina F.

Veteran

I really related to your first post but didn't have time to reply. I too gained a lot of weight due to meds (asthma) and am only just starting to take it off after a couple of years. I also deal with feeling like I look pregnant due to some tummy issues that make me bloat - moving more also helps with this, so I'm doing better there too. I hate that belly issue more than the weight gain, aside from the health implications of being overweight. (My shape is basically the same pear at any weight, so I'm used to a voluptuous bottom half.)

I don't know that I ever fully solved dressing my new body, but I did invest in a lot of fun accessories and shoes. Someone mentioned tailored looks, so many some blazers over graphic tees, if you don't want to be too formal? In terms of my belly, I just tried to make sure I had pants that weren't too tight - which makes things look and feel worse.

6 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Melaine, you have a lovely figure, and I echo the wise and supportive comments on this thread.

Start with a bra-fitting and get good undies. They have to fit correctly and feel fabulous.
Assess your hairstyle, and change things up if you're not happy with it.
Assess your lifestyle and begin prioritizing that shopping list. We ALWAYS dress the body we have now.

We are here to guide and support you along the way.

6 years ago

anne

Veteran

I am a bit late to this thread (I got sidetracked reading your interesting blog!) but wanted to mention that I empathize with you. I have a body that tends to put on weight in the same way - i.e., never much increasing my A cup bust, and I have often felt I'd be more proportionate if that was different. I'd certainly like to read more info on YLF about that particular proportion issue. (I have a great deal of insight into the large busted, thanks to this forum, and I'm grateful for that increase in understanding, and of course we smaller breasted women don't have the comfort/ pain problems of bigger breasted . Nevertheless I think it is a legitimate dressing issue, and I'm enjoying reading the advice in this thread so far)

One of my good friends had the same reaction to anxiety medication and I think she felt the helpfulness of the medicine outweighed the weight gain.

That said, like the others, I think you look great. I understand though, that a sudden change in weight can unsettle you and make you think about dressing differently.

6 years ago

Adela

Active Member

I agree with the others, you look lovely, though I understand that you are experiencing a change, something is different, and you don't feel so good about the change. I'm in my fourties, 6 years ago I had my second child, she was big, I had a cezarian too and after that, my belly was never again what it was before, no matter what. Plus, during the last few years, my body started to change in some other different ways that I'm not happy about. I had a feeling that nothing fits me any more, styles that looked so good on me before didn't look right, and what I could find in the stores that I used to like... I had two young children and no time to shop. Then I decided this has to change. Once a week, or once every two weeks, I hired a babysitter to take the children for a couple of hour so I could go and browse the stores.
I left no stone unturned, as Angie says. I tried new things and slowly, I found a new style which I'm happy about.
I got rid of all my pre-pregnancy clothes and stopped comparing my body to what it was before, that helped also. I made peace with my new body. The best advice I can give you from my experience is the same as Lisa's: don't buy too baggy and too big clothes to hide what you don't like, it will only make you feel worse. Good luck and don't forget, this may be a chance to discover something new and unexpected. And try to have fun doing it.

P.S. I really like your blog.

6 years ago

Melaine

(website)

Active Member

Thank you for ALL of the comments and encouragement. Also, thank you for those who checked out my blog! (Your kind words about my writing mean SO much....writing is my first love)

You guys really gave some wonderful advice that I am continuing to think about. I have been giving my posture a lot more attention this week and I know that has already made a bit of a difference. As soon as summer hours at the Y kid's care starts, I will be able to go to the gym freely, which I'm very excited about. I homeschool my kids so childcare is a bit tricky.

I have gotten rid of MORE clothing and bought a few things that will work better for now.

Also, I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and my iron was very low. Besides switching SSRIs, we added an iron supplement. I am feeling so much better now on my third week of those. Seriously, I had no idea how badly I was feeling from the low iron. I was so drained. I am feeling much better and am ready to tackle more healthy changes!! Thank you sweet ladies for the help!!!

6 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

That's GREAT news, Melaine. Onward with extra energy.

6 years ago

Parker Beaufort

Active Member

I think it's ok? In some people's view,is your face is small, then you will look thinner..because they often judge a person in their first impression on their face...

6 years ago

Nicky

Active Member

you look like a hourglass maybe with a bit of rectangle to me.

6 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

I would say: Primary body type: Rectangle. Secondary body type: Hourglass.

Sorry to hear how bad you have felt. You have my sincere sympathy. I know from experience how incredibly drained and exhausted you feel when your iron is very low. Glad to hear that the iron supplements have helped already and that you are feeling better. Warm thoughts and best wishes.

6 years ago

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