What are the different body shapes for women?
Our physical bodies come in infinite varieties making us as unique outside as inside.
We’re all unique individuals. People have different body types, with some having more curvy bodies and others having wider shoulders and narrower hips.
While we should appreciate our uniqueness, we can use classifications to direct our actions. For example, a sculpting workout for a woman with wider shoulders may be different than one with wider hips.
According to a 2004 study, women’s bodies have traditionally been divided into categories based on their diamond, hourglass, oval, rectangle, and triangle, according to study’s findings.
Body types are just a guideline to be used as a starting point for activities. The activity could be a hairstyle, shopping for a dress, or a workout program. As guidelines go, they should not bind you, they should help you plan.
Athletic
If your body is muscular but not curvy, you may have an athletic body type.
Your hip and shoulder measurements are nearly identical.
Although your waist is thinner than your shoulders and hips, it is not too defined and appears to be more straight up and down.
Stylists frequently mention halter, strapless, and racerback styles.
Diamond
Wider than shoulder hips, a narrow bust, and a larger waistline define a diamond body shape.
With a diamond shape body, a little more weight in your upper legs would not show. Slender arms are also possible.
For this body type, flowy off-the-shoulder or boat-neck tops are usually recommended.
Hourglass
Well-defined waist with hips and bust about the same defines hourglass figure.
Your legs and upper body are probably proportionate.
Your shoulders are likely to be slightly rounded, as are your buttocks.
Form-fitting or tailored clothing is typically designed with this body shape in mind.
Top Hourglass
Your hourglass shape is similar to that of a top hourglass, but your bust is slightly larger than your hips.
Jeans with a bootcut or a slight flare, full or A-line skirts, and fitted jackets will most likely fit you well.
Bottom Hourglass
You have the same general hourglass shape as a bottom hourglass, but your hips are slightly larger than your bust.
For this type of body form-fitting knits and dresses work well.
Inverted Triangle or “Apple”
Slender hips with larger shoulders and busts define a triangle or “apple” shape body.
Stylists may recommend tops with some shape around the waist and more open necklines, as well as clothing that shows off your legs.
Oval or Round
Fuller midsection, narrower hips, and larger bust define oval body type.
Stylists frequently recommend tops that flare at the top or have vertical features to people with a round body.
“Pear” or “Triangle”
If you have this shape, your shoulders and bust are narrower than your hips.
You probably have slim arms and a well-defined waist. Your waist has most likely slid out to your hips.
Stylists frequently recommend clothing that emphasizes the waistline.
Spoon
Similar to triangle shape body, the hips are larger than the bust and the rest of the body.
You almost certainly have a cinched waist. It’s possible that your upper arms and upper thighs are carrying some weight.
If you’re told to look for dresses with classic “baby doll” cuts or other items with an empire waist, do so.
Straight Rectangle or “Banana”
Measurements that are the same from top to bottom, shoulders, bust, and hips define a straight body shape.
Off-the-shoulder tops, tube dresses, and belted waists are likely to be recommended by stylists.
Go Beyond Classifications But Measure For Baseline
It is up to you and you alone to define your physique. You may come up with names that are as valid as these. Just remember that the way we name something should be the starting point of an action plan.
Maybe you saw your body type in this list of categories right away, and maybe you didn’t. You can always collect your measurements and use those values as a guide if you need some assistance.
Your measurements, regardless of which “category” they fall into, can be useful for general clothing buying.
Here’s how to take proper measurements:
Shoulders
You’ll need some assistance with this one. Measure across your back from the border of one shoulder to the other with a friend or someone you trust.
Bust
Wrap the tape measure around yourself with one end on the fullest area of your bust. Make sure to get between your shoulder blades and under your armpits.
Waist
In this case, the waist is described as where your belly button is and not where you were your belt.
Hips
Wrap one end of the measuring tape around yourself and place it on the front of one of your hips. Make sure you go over your buttocks in their entirety.
What influences your body shape?
Bone Structure
Your bone structure influences some aspects of your body type. Some people, for example, have curvier, rounder buttocks and spine curvature. Others may have longer torsos, shorter legs, or wider hips. Even if your dimensions alter as you gain or lose weight, your bone structure and proportions are mostly determined by the time you reach maturity.
Height
The general contour of your body is also influenced by your height. Your age and more than likely your nutrition and fluid intake and activities impact the way we shrink by age beginning at the age of 30. This can have an impact on how your physique appears in general.
Genetics
Genetics is also a factor. Your genes control how fat is stored and accumulated in your body. In many circumstances, body fat isn’t distributed uniformly. Some people gain weight in their thighs, legs, or arms first, while others gain weight in their thighs, legs, or arms first.
Hormones & Stress
Hormones can also change the shape of your body. Stress, for example, might cause the hormone cortisol to be released. Stress-induced cortisol has been linked to fat deposition around your essential organs in your midsection, according to research.
Sexual organs produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which can influence how fat is stored in the body. For instance, estrogen might cause your body to retain fat in your lower abdomen.
Menopause may alter your body shape and fat distribution by transferring extra weight to your abdomen, according to a 2016 study.
In other words, your body shape may shift from “pear” to “apple” as a result of this hormonal shift.
Can You Reshape Your Body?
In most cases, the answer is yes. Bodybuilders are a good example of this. Many of them begin with one of the body shapes we mentioned. By the time they get on stage for the competition, they all look very similar.
They begin with different genes, metabolic rate, fat percentage, and so on. Through sheer determination and action, they often override these factors.
Bodybuilders also remind us that the age-related increased loss of mobility, body fat, slower metabolism, and muscle loss can be changed through correct activity, better nutrition, and exercise.
Summary
Whatever body type you have, keep in mind that your physical body is just it. Remember that phrasing of the words “my body” signify two incredible facts. The first is that you own the body and not the other way around. The second is that you are in control of how you direct your body and the way it shapes.