The End of the Hourglass Figure
By Jim F.
If you thought that body shapes had changed over the last 50 years - you'd be correct. A new study has researched the body shapes of 6000 women and concluded that the fashion industry is woefully out of sync with reality.
The research found that although only 8 per cent of women now had the sort of hourglass figure flaunted by curvaceous 1950s film stars such as Sophia Loren, designers and manufacturers continued to make clothes to fit a slim-line version of that figure.
The changing figure size is a source of consternation for many fashion designers. Should they design clothes that fit the people - or rail on about how women are too big?
Sophia Loren (1955)
The quintessential hourglass
Welsh fashion commentator Jayne Blight said many women found difficulty in finding the right size clothes to wear. But she called on people to be more careful with their diet and to watch their figures.She said, "In my opinion people should be more health and weight conscious.
"We have such high obesity rates in this country we are catching up with the US. I know that the retailers should make bigger sizes but also people should be more health conscious and try and stay within the structures that have been made over the years.(via icWales)
489 Comments(Now closed for this article)
Created / Updated: June 8, 2008
I do not have an hourglass figure and I'm not overweight. I am definitely a "rectangle" with little hips, a little bust, and a little waist. The fashion industry definitely needs to get with it and start making clothes with different proportions...I know the Gap now has 3 different cuts to its jeans...straighter, normal, or curvier. It really improves the way the jeans fit and look.
ReplyAnd on the other hand, I'm one of the 8% who have the hourglass figure and STILL have a hard time finding clothes that fit, because the waist of pants and skirts and bottom half of tops are too big.
If only we all could afford personally tailored clothes, then we'd be happy.
ReplyI agree with tulip. To get pants/skirts to fit the hips, they are HUGE in the waist!! I always wonder if they think women are square! However, my hips are way bigger than my bust.
All of these labels seem to take over our identity if we let them. We're obsessed with obtaining the dictated ideal from society.
ReplyI am encouraged that more and more women are going for a healthy look rather than some Hollywood anorexic ideal. I do not think the ideal body type should be some strange combination of genetics and starvation. Hopefully a 'fit' look will become the ideal and goal.
Dr. Smith
http://www.antiagingatlanta.com
ReplyIt is ridiculous that the industry just chooses to ignore research and place blame. It has nothing to do with size, the fashion industry has consistently ignored reality and played on the whims of designers.
ReplyIt seems that this will always be a problem, I always have a hard time finding clothes to fit. I got a big bum and small waist. One thing I find to be funny is that Jennifer Lopez came out with a line of clothing to cater to the more curvier ladies like herself, but yet the sizes only go up to 13?? Don't know too many girls with hourglass figures that can wear 13's. Also it doesn't set good examples for our younger crowd, they think it is ok to look like wafer thin models. The designers need to wake up and realize just what kind of example they are setting for our young girls growing up today. And just how fat they can make someone feel for being healthy.Shame on them.
ReplyNo Disrepect, but there are plenty of women who wear a size thirteen and under that have a hourglass figure. I happen to be one of them.
Reply13 is a junior's size. If a person has an hourglass figure, I'd imagine they'd have more luck with women's size instead of junior's, which are cut for teenagers.
ReplyI agree. I am a hourglass figure and I wear a size 4 or 6. I am 5'5 and weigh 130. My waist is extremely small and I love JLo's clothes because they fit well. No offense but a size 13 would find clothes at like Lane Bryant perhaps, I don't know if that is considered hourglass. I think slightly overweight perhaps.
ReplySizes are also non-transferable between junior's and woman's. I wear a 6, sometimes 8 for jeans cause I don't like them too tight, and there is no way I could get into a size 9. Or even an 11.
ReplyTo further confuse the issue, different brands can't seem to agree on standard sizes. If I go into one store and try on a pear of jeans, I may be a size 10, at the next store, I may be a size 8 or a size 12! How on earth did I lose/gain two sizes in between shops? ;o) If you check the labels on some of your clothes, you'll see that in different countries, that same item may be considered several different sizes as well. This makes it doubly hard to shop no matter what size you are.
ReplyWOW!! Finally someone else that understands!! I am 5'6", weigh 135, wear a size 6, and have an hourglass figure...I have been so frustrated shopping in my life, and have often complained that American designers must think every woman is square!! For those complaining about our complaining, listen, it is a handicap to shop for months on end, spending hours, only allowed to take 5 things in to try on at a time, when it'll take 6 days of trips to every store in the mall, trying on clothes for hours, to find one thing that sort-of fits!! I guess I only recently realized the problem after getting tired of always having clothes that didn't fit right...I am so happy to hear about J-Lo's clothes, and when I feel like spending an arm & a leg I've noticed Italian clothes fit like a glove, (the women there must be so much more beautiful!!) like BCBG, and I have found some Ambercrombie & Fitch jeans that fit.
ReplyFor the record, a size 13 is NOT plus-size.
ReplyIt just shows how stupid the fashion designers can be. People, esp. women, come in all shapes and sizes. I have a strange figure type- I wear a size 5-6 pants but need to buy Med-Large shirts so they'll fit over my shoulders...people used to joke I was built like a man! My shoulders are wider than my hips. It's silly to try to make a standardized "model" of clothing, because everyone is built different;y.
ReplyWell, I didn't know that I am an hourglass (there is a 10.5 inch difference between my bust and waist), but I am not sure that this study is correct. When we gain weight our base shape (the shape that our genetics determines) can change because out weight can be distributed different. So if at a normal weight you are an hourglass but put on too much weight in your stomach then your shape would not necessarily be hour glass anymore. There really is not "cookie cutter" shape. As normal this study and fashion still consider women on a too generalized basis.
ReplyI read on a yahoo answers a seamstress went over what your measurements have to be to be concidered a hourglass figure or triangle and the other shapes. I've been told I have an hourglass figure so I read it. FOr an hour glass figure your bust has to be either an inch smaller or 1 inch larger than your hips. and for your waist, there has to be 9 inches between your waist and your hips. So 33" bust 23" waist and 32" hips would be an hour glass figure or 33" bust 25" waist and 34".
ReplyFinally!!! I have resorted to ordering my jeans from target*made to order, just so I can get a pair that fit in the waist and the hips, as my hips are only 6" bigger than my waist. Most jeans both pinch my waist and are huge in the rear. I am soo sick of hearing women complain about a little extra room in the waist, just tuck in the shirt and be comfortable. Hopefully more jean manufacturers will pay attention to this.
ReplyI have to say, I'm an hourglass. And I wear a size 12. It's all genetic. My mum is quite large, but she is also an hourglass shape. The problem with pants not designed for this shape isn't "extra waist room". It's that the waist sticks out in the back. It looks awful and it's actually quite uncomfortable. I have to wear low-rise jeans because they don't come up to the waist, and so I don't get that problem. To everyone who's complaining: yes I can see your point. But you don't have to put up with it. Shop somewhere else. A lot of places have different cuts of pants, even pants with wider and narrower thighs, as well as waist to hip ratios. If you don't find something in 99 stores, look in one more. Surely 1 in 100 stores will have something. and so what if you have to pay a bit more? you don't need that many pairs of pants. Or wear skirts. they are way more likely to fit properly. There are ways around this, but I don't believe whining will fix anything. You got what you got and that's that. If you fit most clothes you're lucky there. If you don't, well just be glad you got the sexy bod!
ReplyI'm supposed to be an hourglass according to this study, but my "bust" measuring is actually my back measurement - I have wide shoulders and back. So tops usually don't fit, cause if they are big enough to fit my shoulders, they become too low-cut because I don't have an actual bust to fill them up.
I buy t-shirts. Occasionally a skirt or dress, or a pair of jeans (I try on about 50 to find one that fits). Pants don't ever fit, so I stopped trying. I make the rest of my clothes myself, mostly using vintage designs. It makes sense: since I don't have the shape that the clothes nowadays are designed to flatter, why not just wear stuff that was designed to flatter my shape, years ago, when it was the ideal?
Cathy, for the "back gap" on jeans, I started adding elastic to the inside of the band, just 1" of it. It won't make the jeans look elastic waist, it will just encourage them to stay put (I still wear a belt though).
Theresa, most hourglasses also have a short torso, so we look pretty bad when we tuck anything in. So that is not a solution.
Dana, that is true - when I'm overweight I'm a Spoon, not an Hourglass. Shapes do change with weight.
Replyi have an hour glass figure and i love it but it can be hard to find jeans that suit me perfectly.
ReplyI have a size 8 hourglass figure which I am pround of except I am only 5'2 and I just came home from trying on jeans (nothing fit of course) I have found that easy riders lucky brand jeans fit well(I couldnt find a short length). I have yet to find a place that sells j-lo jeans. I have had three kids and have been blessed with strech marks,yuck, so the low cut jeans are out for me. If anyone has found a good fitting pair of jeans please share the info.
Replykohl's sells j.lo's brand of jeans. i bought some vigoss jeans from jc penny (they were a size 1, i was shocked.) and i'm an hourglass (32-23-32, 5'6, 119) and they fit really well -except in the thighs. there are small shops around my city that are laundromats/dry cleaners and they do alterations. they don't charge a lot but don't give them your favorite clothes up front lol. make sure they can do a proper alteration with a pair of clothing that isn't your favorite first.
ReplyHi Amy...I am also size 8 and 5'2". Sarah Jessica Parker's new line at Steve and Barry's makes really nice jeans in bootcut/straight-leg styles in short length. They are only $7.99! Perfect fit and a great price! Good luck! :)
Replyi have a size 6-8 (depends on the brand) hourglass shape. I've discovered, no jeans ever fit and am no fan of the low rise either.. but stretch jeans (usually the right size work well). they fit correctly on the waist and don't make anything stick out either.
ReplyThe more hourglass shaped women complain, the more I think that they are taking what they have for granted.
I'm a pear.
I'm 5'2.
I weigh 97 pounds but I'm still fat looking because I'm pear shaped. My pants are 6 and my tops are small. The My hips down are for taller, longer women. My waist up is for a 12 year old.
And you guys think you have it bad? Ridiculous.
I don't even BUY pants anymore. I just wear huge parachute pants and layer upon layer on my body.
Don't take what you have for granted.
ReplyFrom what I've read I think most people are actually just complaining that because of the overrun of American figures like yours, and the rectangle, the American clothes designers have all but forgotten our figures & so it makes it very frustrating and difficult to find clothes. I do not see a single person who is or ever would complain about having such a beautiful figure, but you go out in one of our shoes for a month, and try to find a sinlge pair of jeans or shorts that fit!!
ReplyKira, you are also taking what you have for granted. You're very slim, and I'm sure most of us complaining would like to weigh as little as you do.
ReplyI agree it can be very difficult to find clothing that fits! I avoid the Juniors sections in Department stores like the plague. I have small shoulders and small hips but a bigger waist and thighs. I wear a size 2 in skirts usually, but a 6 or 8 in pants. Talk about being weird shaped :-)! But I have found that Gap usually always has the best fits! I've got stretch marks too from having 2 kids, but I still go for the low rise - I just find longer shirts or wear a long tank top under my shirt.
ReplyI have a friend who is totally hour-glassed shaped and she says Paper, Cloth, & Denimn Jeans are the best because they don't stick out in the back. They are kind of pricey, but you can get 'em pretty cheap on Ebay. Hope that helps!
The problem with only finding Jeans that fit in the rear (or hips)is..yes it's so big in the waist that when you sit down...your panties hang out for everyone to see. So I end up wearing long shirts to cover this problem.
ReplyI find that although i am a comfortable size 12/10, hourglass shaped, i have a long torso, which makes it hard to find clothes that go over my shoulders (i'm stocky in the shoulder and back) and that actually go all the way down to my waist. I normally wear baggy jeans and fitted tops that show a small part of my stomach (luckily, flat) so it makes it easier to disguise the length of my body.
ReplyI am 5'2. I wear a 5/6 in most pants and small/medium in shirts. I weight 128 pounds. I have a curvy, hourglass shape. Is this the ideal shape and size for my height? I use to weigh a lot more.
ReplyIt sounds like to me that you are the perfect dimensions Chrissy. Good job losing weight!! Now go enjoy it & yourself, & be proud of your beautiful body!!
ReplyI am tall, 6'0", but wear a size two(i know i'm pretty skinny) the problem is that i'm pear shaped kind of. My hips are about ten inches bigger then my waist, and my bust is only twelve inches bigger. All my weight (123 lbs.) is stuck in my thighs! It is imposible to look for pants that are 1) long enough 2)small enough 3) and slihgtly stretchy or big in the thighs! *gives an exasperated sight*
ReplyI'm a size-8 hourglass, with a 13/14-inch difference (depends on the time of the month lol). It's kind of awkward for me, considering that I always have to take in the waist on my shirts and can never find a decent dress. However, I am never ashamed of my figure and feel blessed to have a body that I am comfortable in.
My denim pick for hourglass-figured is DKNY jeans. They come in a lot of styles (high and low waists), they are pretty affordable, and they are fashionable.
ReplyI'm about 5'6" and a size 4 hourglass. I watch what I eat and work out 5 times a week, I love my body but I still struggle to find jeans that fit off the rack. If you buy your jeans at a nicer department store you can get them altered. Now I find a pair that has a cute wash and fits well in my hips and thighs and just get it taken in in the waist.
ReplyI HAVE A PEAR SHAPE BODY AND IM NOT NO WHERE NEAR FAT BUT IM NOT IN SHAPE EITHER AND ALL IM LOOKING FOR IS SOMETHING EASY THAT WORKS AND DONT COST MONEY TO HELP ME GET THERE BUT EVERY THING THAT DOES WORK COST ALOT OF MONEY OR DONT WORK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT GOSH ALL MOST OF US PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR IS A EASY WAY TO GET THE PERFECT BODY WE WANT AND FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyAshley, what works is: exercise, including weight training and cardio; eating more fruits and vegetables, and no junk. And patience. It doesn't cost a lot of money, and it does work. It is not fast though. The only fast thing out there is massive life-threatening plastic surgery.
ReplyThe hardest part is being a 20 something professional and trying to find something appropriate, reasonably priced and fits well. If you're 5'3", and 16, there's a lot out there. I'm a size 6-8 hourglass and find that Ann Taylor/Loft and Banana Republic work the best for my figure. AND I don't need a home equity loan to finance my jeans. Just remember ladies, stay away from the tapered legs, and you'll find the jeans a lot more flattering.
ReplyMan, I'm reading all ya'lls comments and I'm thinking most of you guys are lucky. Nobody I know has my PROBLEM. I'm short (5', round hourglass, biiiig bust & hips. My hourglass is starting to turn into an apple). I can not find a style that looks good on me. Yeah, I know-I just need to go on a serious diet and exercise program. But in the meantime, I'm stuck wearing t-shirts & bootcut jeans. I look sick in dresses & skirts. (sigh) I have such good memories of my youth when I could wear that stuff. Anyway, I'm a grandma and I have given up on finding clothes that fit and look good on me. Good thing I work in the medical field--at least my scrubs fit! I just wish designers would think of people like me who don't make a fortune but would still like to look nice. I think it's important to look nice no matter what size we are. I guess I need to get serious about a diet cause I don't think designers will ever change.
ReplyIzzy, try the What Not to Wear book, by Trinny Woodall and Susanna Constantine. They are really helpful and have pictures of what to wear for apples, etc.
ReplyI am reading all of your comments and have taken some comfort in knowing I am not the only one who has problems finding clothes. I wish designers would get a clue!
Personally, my problem is that I'm a true pear-shape. I am EXTREMELY small up top, with very small shoulders and a small waist with larger hips and thighs, which is where I carry all of my weight. Most people say I'm lucky because I'm so thin, (size 2-4 depending on brand and 5'7), but unless you have tried to find pants and tops that fit those sizes, you cannot begin to understand how disconcerting it is. Ann Taylor is about the only place I can find tops that fit and then they still have to be extra-small and mainly only pull-overs, no button downs or any of the real pretty ones. Pants...to date I have not found a brand that fits well on me. If they fit in the waist, they don't fit in the hips or thighs or visa versa. I have to wear most of my pants real low cut, but they are supposed to be worn slightly below the natural waist, which is where I want to wear them. I am almost 50 years old and like to be stylish and somewhat hip, but still not look like a teeny-bopper. Oh yea, the other problem..I have no backside, so everythings sags there! The only type of pants that I found to fit somewhat decent are jeans from The Limited. The stretch in them helps, but also does just that and stretches out as the day goes on, which means by the end of the day I am pulling them up constantly. And no, their dress pants don't fit for some reason. Any ideas????
Replyi have an hourglass figure but it is hard to find jeans to fot properly because my hips are wide so tha size of the jeans are big and they dont fit tightly around my legs coz my legs are small lol
Reply