Your body type is incredibly important, especially when it comes to fashion.
WATCH BELOW: Zanna Roberts shows women of all sizes how to pick a swimsuit for their body type
An outfit that looks great on a lean model will definitely look different on someone with a pear-shaped body.
But before you can learn how to dress for your body shape, you first need to know what your body type actually is.
Read on for more information about body types, a body shape calculator, and even a body type test.
So, What Is My Body Type? How To Measure Your Body
While most people can tell what their body type is just by looking in the mirror, you can get a more accurate reading by actually measuring your body. Here’s how:
- Using a measuring tape, get the measurement of your bust. Wear a proper-fitting bra and measure around the fullest part of your chest.
- Ask a friend to help you with this one. Get the measurement of your shoulders. The tape should wrap around you at the highest point without it slipping off.
- Then, get the measurement of your waist. This is the area right above your belly button and is usually the narrowest part of your torso (although not always).
- Finally, get your hips measurement. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Find the widest point of your hip area, which should be low enough that the tape passes around the top of your butt as well.
Body Shape Calculator & Measurements Chart
We’ll discuss the different female body shapes in detail below, but you can use this chart as a quick reference for your body type.
Description | Widest part | Narrowest part | |
Hourglass | A well-defined waistwith even hips and bust | Bust Hips | Waist |
Pear | Bottom-heavy | Hips | Shoulder Bust Waist |
Inverted triangle | Top-heavy | Shoulder Bust | Waist Hips |
Rectangle | Even measurementswithout much definition | Shoulder Bust Waist Hip | – |
Apple | Heavy midsection | Bust Waist | Hips |
The Different Female Body Types
Hourglass
Women with an hourglass body have their bust and hips at roughly the same measurement, while also having a narrower, defined waist. This is one of the curvy female body shapes.
Celebrities with a classic hourglass shape include Dita Von Teese, Sofia Vergara, and Marilyn Monroe.
Pear/Triangle/Spoon
The pear-shaped body type is bottom-heavy, which means that your bust and shoulders are narrower than your hips and butt. While pear and spoon have similar silhouettes, spoon-shaped bodies have a more rectangular upper body with a heavier midsection.
Pear-shaped celebrities include Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Beyonce.
Inverted Triangle/Lollipop
The inverted triangle body type is the opposite of the pear shape – wider shoulders and bigger busts, but with narrow hips.
Celebrities with inverted triangle shapes include Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie, and Dolly Parton.
Straight/Rectangle/Banana
For straight or banana body types, your shoulders, waist, hip, and busts likely have around the same measurements. This gives off a more even, lean, rectangular-looking silhouette.
Celebrities with straight body types include Bella Hadid, Natalie Portman, and Cameron Diaz.
Apple/Round
The apple body shape is a variation of the inverted triangle where you also have a thicker, less defined waist. People with round or apple body shapes tend to gain weight in their stomach more than any other body part.
Celebrities with apple or round shapes include Mindy Kaling, Queen Latifah, and Rebel Wilson.
Physique Classifications
Compared to body shapes, physique classifications talk less about your silhouette and more about how you gain weight and muscle. There are 3 classifications:
Ectomorph
Ectomorphs are usually skinny, lean, or thin. They have a fast metabolism, which makes it hard for them to gain weight and build muscle.
Mesomorph
Mesomorphs have your classic athletic body. With a larger bone structure and average metabolism, they can build definition and gain muscle pretty easily.
Endomorph
Endomorphs are usually softer, rounder, and stockier than other physiques. They have a slow metabolism, so they often find it difficult to lose weight or get defined muscles.
What Body Type Am I?: A Body Type Quiz
To find out your body type, take this test!
- Your shoulders are:
- Wider than your hips
- Narrower than your hips
- Same as your hips
- A pair of well-fitting jeans with the right waist size fits:
- Loose around your glutes
- Tight around your glutes
- Perfect around your glutes
- Your forearms are:
- Big
- Small
- Average
- You tend to:
- Carry some extra fat
- Stay skinny
- Stay fit and muscular
- Your body is mostly:
- Pear
- Mostly rectangle
- Hourglass
- If you use your middle finger and thumb to encircle your other hand’s wrist:
- The fingers don’t touch
- The fingers overlap
- The fingers just touch
- When it comes to weight, you:
- Gain weight easily but have a hard time losing it
- Find it difficult to gain and maintain weight
- Have an easy time gaining or losing weight
If you answered:
Mostly A’s: Endomorph
Mostly B’s: Ectomorph
Mostly C’s: Mesomorph
Conclusion
Understanding your body type is the first step to understanding what clothes work best for you. It also helps to know that even celebrities come in all shapes and sizes, and that having a different body type from the women you see on TV doesn’t make you any less beautiful.
Rhys McKay
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