I saw that the Academichic girls are starting a new Fashion 101 series on proportion and body type. I'm excited to see their style modules, but I'm also intrigued by the fact that each girl took a frontal and profile silhouette (Photoshopped into dark-on-light shadows.)
http://www.academichic.com/200.....oportions/
It was interesting to see the differences between each girl that I had never noticed simply from seeing their photos, and I thought I'd try this exercise on myself as well.

(I did mine the old-fashioned way: took a picture and traced over it with paper. I don't have any fancy image editors. Does anyone else plan to try this?)

Much like photographing my outfits, tracing my body outlines helped me see my shape a lot more objectively than when I look in the mirror (expecially because it obliterates shadows or 3-d shapes, both flattering and unflattering.) For some reason I can see my flaws without beating myself up for them. I knew all of these things before, but they stand out much more clearly in silhouette.

1. Though I'm definitely an hourglass, I have a funny shape - I'm both short-waisted AND short-legged. The longest and widest part of my torso is all in my tummy and hips below my natural waist. Maybe this is why I have so much trouble following some of the tips for hourglasses - such as having so much difficulty with wrap dresses (I've hardly found any that worked on me) and why I can't carry off any volume on top. Is there anything I can do to elongate my waist without making my legs look shorter? And vice-versa?
(Edited to add: I've just re-read the Hourglass and Short-Waisted tips, but I'm not sure how to dress to correct both of these issues.)

2. I am noticeably crooked straight-on. You can definitely see that one of my shoulders slopes lower and one of my hips is higher than the other. This makes my breasts crooked too, and one side of my natural waist shorter than the other. Clothes can usually hide this.

3. I'm mostly comfortable with my curves. The extra weight around my midsection is visible, but less noticeable than I thought it was. I'd like to be a bit more whittled in places than I am, and I still wish I could carry off trendy styles (skinny jeans, tunics, etc.) with more ease, but overall I'm happy with what I see.