Where do you measure yourself? - YouLookFab Forum

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Where do you measure yourself?

Maya

Veteran

I'm curious because a few people in the past have mentioned not knowing exactly where to measure, and the differences can be quite big...34" hips vs. 36" hips.

I measure my bust right under the armpits. For my waist, it's a bit harder since it's not that defined, so for clarification I bend to the side and place the measuring tape where my torso bends. I measure my hips where my bum sticks out the most.

Body Type

16 replies

Latest reply was from Sarah

Tanya

Veteran

I tend to measure wherever the measurement is smallest (for the waist) or biggest (hips/chest). For example, the normal place where hips are measured gives me 35.5", but an inch or so lower ( basically over the tops of my thighs, where my saddle bags are widest) gives me 37", and I count that as my hip measurement.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I measure my bust under my armpits like Maya which is 36", my waist at the smallest part, which is also the place where my torso bends when I bend sideways 31", my "high hip" at the hipbone, which is 36", and my "low hip" at the widest part of my hips when I'm looking straight on, which is 39". I also measure my shoulders by wrapping the tape measure all the way around my shoulders, and that's about 40".

Nicole

Veteran

I measure my bust at the fullest part of the bust. I also measure under my bust (as if I'm measuring for a bra)--just to keep track of any changes. I measure my waist where it bends or creases when I reach down to the side. And I measure my hips at my hip bone--but I'm never sure if I'm measuring that correctly. I also keep written measurements of each of my thighs, my calves and upper arms.

shiny

Veteran

If you're talking about where to measure when reading size charts, I believe the bust measurement is meant to be your band size, waist is meant to be smallest part, and the hip measurement is meant to be the widest part of your hip, wherever that may be, and it would include part of your bottom.

This is why jeans sizing never makes any sense. I take a 25 jean even if it is low rise and obviously the waistband would be larger than 25 inches. And of course size charts don't take into account vertical proportions, except in the most rudimentary of ways.

If this is of interst to you, you can google around, there's a lot of interesting blogs talking about the "science" of size charts for women, and how they were developed, and why it's such a challenge to come up with standardized sizing. There is one blog that goes into amazing depth; the author analyzed old patterns from back in the 1800s to present, I can find the link again if you are interested.

If you're talking about where to measure for tracking fitness and health, then it helps to measure multiple places including:

1) under armpits
2) bra band
3) over the bust (i.e, cup size)
4) at smallest part of waist (where you bend)
5) at the belly button, while sucking in and pulling the tape measure as tightly as possible: this is a measurement of internal fat, the dangerous stuff
6) at high hip - top of your hip bone
7) at widest part of hip
8) at widest part of thigh
9) calves
10) biceps
11) Neck

#5 and #6 are what are used to calculate one's waist-to-hip ratio, an indicator of whether you are an apple or a pear. A lot of people think you use #4 and #6, and that's incorrect.

#9 and #10 can really impact your calculation of body fat percentage, if you use those online calculators. You don't necessarily want this number to get smaller, because the calves are the strongest muscle in the body. If they shrink too much, you may be losing muscle, not fat.... Of course this is a general statement, because most people can tell if these areas are larger due to fat vs muscle! Just saying, if your calves are large because they are muscular, don't hate them. This is a GOOD thing.

And #11 is used by the Army/Navy body fat calculators. My neck measurements never changed, but I certainly grow more than one chin when I gain weight.

Finally, wrist measurement can be used to determine frame size. This is because you don't usually have any fat around your wrist, so you are measuring your bone structure instead.

More detail than you probably wanted to know... yes, I've spent too much time thinking about this myself.

Julia

Wow shiny, this is a lot of good information. I always used #4 and #6 to calc my waist-to-hip ratio, I shall re-measure. Thanks for posting them!

Maya

Veteran

You never skimp on information Shiny! I actually never really measure my bust, I just go by my band size. Since I'm right in the middle of a 32 an 34, I just say 33.

Why would you measure around the belly button while sucking in and pulling the tape as tight as possible though? That seems inaccurate to me.

shiny

Veteran

The belly button measurement idea is courtesy of Dr Oz, who wrote You on a Diet and a few other books. It's a way to measure internal (visceral) fat in your belly. (vs subcutaneous fat just under the skin). He advises to pull the tape measure tight and suck in as hard as you can.

Julia

What about #6? Do you need to suck in to measure the high hip too? Because it happens to be where my tummy is.

anne

Veteran

I have never measured under my arms - that is not very close to my breasts! I did it to try this morning and it was 32.5". My bust was somewhere between 35 and 36 over the fullest part of the cup, which is where I usually measure (a bit more than last time I measured for YLF - lots of change with breastfeeding I suppose)

V interesting re those figures Shiny - might try them out tomorrow morning
is No 8 around an individual leg at the thigh level?

Nicole

Veteran

I disagree with the bust measurement for sizing purposes. You should be measuring the fullest part of your bust, not your under bust measurement. Otherwise, a 36C and a 36DDD would wear the same size, and that just does not make sense.

Also, since the band size on your bra is not the actual measurement of your underbust (you have to add 4-5" to that measurement to get your band measurement), measuring under your bust really isn't accurate.

shiny

Veteran

Nicole, it depends on how you look at it!

If you are a 36DDD and you order a size XL to fit your bust, it's not going to fit in the shoulders and the vertical proportions, which probably require a M.

In fact, this is the *perfect* example of the challenges of creating a universal sizing system for females!!!

Hmm... I am not clear on your second statement. My underbust measurement is 33 inches, and I wear a 34 bra band. If I added 4-5 inches, I'd be a 38? That doesn't seem right, unless I read you wrong.

Patience

Veteran

I think Nicole is right about adding something to your band measurement to get your band size; I'm just wondering if it is not consistently 4-5" for all women. She wrote about this in her original informative bra post and I think a lot of people were confused. I too hope you will clarify, Nicole. Maybe, bustier women need more added?

Maya

Veteran

Well, I'm about 36.5" around the fullest part of my bust, but using that measurement would cause my tops to be absolutely humongous. According to the size chart on ATL, that would make me a size 8...quite a leap from the size 2/4 that I usually take! So I definitely have to disagree on measuring there. It really depends just how busty you are. In my case, even though I am a 32DD, I can almost always wear the same size as a 32B, and sizing up would just be too big everywhere. I have never been a size 8 in my entire life...well maybe a kid's size 8.

It also depends what type of garment it is. Is it knit or woven? Does it have buttons? If it's woven, does it have darts or seams to give it shape?

Nicole

Veteran

I guess it does depend on your bust size--when measuring for a bra. Most sites that sell bras tell you to add 4" for an even under bust measurement and 5" for an odd under bust measurement to get your proper band size. When I went to Nordstrom, I know that the woman added 5" to her measurement--I asked. After bringing me a bazillion 38's...I asked her to bring me a 36--and it fit much better. Anyway, I checked Nordstroms site and the inches you add to your under bust measurement get smaller the further up the chart you go.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/60.....10~6010847

As for measuring for shirts, if you don't measure the fullest part of yourself, how do you know it will fit there? Sure maybe it will fit better in the shoulders--but what good does that do if it doesn't fit over your bust? Obviously, there must be something that has to do with your size, because why else would the smaller women go by under bust measurements, when larger women go by fullest bust measurement? Also, here's a link to Nordstrom's measuring guide. (For Bust, it does say to measure the fullest part of your bust)

http://about.nordstrom.com/hel.....rigin=help

I guess this is just more proof that sizing is not a science and only you know what measurement technique works for you.

Maya

Veteran

Nicole, I think I have concluded that it's all about proportion. You're an inverted triangle so your shoulders probably fill out the space that might be empty on someone with narrow shoulders, and your top half is basically in proportion and balanced. It's different for someone like me, where my chest is way out of proportion to the rest of my top half.

One of my best friends and I are about the same size on top even though she is a 34A. I just stick out from my shirts more. Maybe it's different as the band size goes up. A 38DD is certainly not going to be the same as a 32DD.

As for size charts, I never bother with them. According to Nordstrom's contemporary size chart, I would be between a 6 and 8. I have never been a 6 or 8 in my entire adult life.

Sarah

I've given up on sizing charts. They usual put me two sizes smaller in the bust than in the waist, and that's going with my smaller natural waist (26”) not at the belly button (28”) and also with the fullest part of my bust (32) not my band size (30). I think my best bet is just to try things on. No online shopping for me.