The End of the Hourglass Figure

Jessica, I don't find these categories are helpful at all. I mean, if manufacturers labeled their clothes according to them, it might even help, but they don't and things vary greatly even within the same manufacturer.

Now, as for the squeezing your waist with clothes - if you are gonna do that, buy a body shaper. Squeezing your skin with stuff like jeans can break the fibers and lead to horizontal stretch marks. You don't wanna do that.

Well, I was looking at formal dresses and they all seem to categorize their dresses that way saying what styles look best on what body shape... I just don't want to brave the mall right now unless I know what I'm looking for. ;) I've been several times already and no luck... So, I'm not really sure what sort of dress to get...

Oh, and I don't squeeze my waist with my clothes at all. I meant that when I wear clingy knit shirts as oppose to men's t-shirts or button up shirts, my waist looks pretty small.

Oh sorry, I assumed that cause you said the diff in measuring between holding your breath and not holding your breath...

I think an empire-waist formal dress is almost universally flattering - at least it is flattering on rectangles, spoons, and hourglasses. It just wouldn't flatter someone that is bigger on top. The top could be strapless, halter, or have a scoop neck, cause you said you have wide shoulders (so do I) and all these are flattering on the shoulders.

I recently posted, and after considering how rare it is to have an hour glass figure, I realized how lucky I am. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE!!!!!

Women up until the 1960s had a lot of help getting that hourglass figure, as their adult body grew into a corset!! Corsets worn from the beginning of puberty will actually help a woman's body define itself into an hourglass figure as the ribs and organs shift inside the body to conform to the shape. Certain parts of the body will be stunted by wearing a corset for as long as women did. I don't think that the study can actually claim that the shape of the body is defined by diet or excersize, because it seems obvious that the corset is a variable not accounted for!!!! Also Sofia Lauren is just an obvious example of a woman who had the help of a corset when dressed, and had it help permanently affect her figure.

Thanks Jan! Now I have a better idea of what to look for...

I'm a skinny spoon shape (32-25-35), and I quite like it. My problem is many designers expect me to have a bigger bust. No, morons, not everyone is a B/C cup. But I can't complain too much as the very big-busted have an even harder time with tops and dresses.

Another thing: Why is the hourglass the ideal? That's so unbelievably dumb. It's a beautiful shape, don't get me wrong, but it shouldn't be the hailed and worshipped body type. What's wrong with being a spoon or rectangle or triangle? Why can't they be considered as lovely as the hourglass?

Margaret, I agree. I think women of a healthy size for their frame look good whatever their shape. For example, Kristin Davis (spoon, and recently, a bigger size than she was on her S&TC days), Drew Barrymore (triangle), Pink (rectangle) all look as good as any hourglass. Of course, notice I picked women who look like they eat food on a regular basis. I think the reason the hourglass shape is so coveted is that it is one where seriously underweight people look less sick than people who are other shapes and seriously underweight, and seriously underweight is the ideal now. Nowadays, having boobs = "healthy", automatically, for most people. Nicole Richie still looks like she is dying, but she got some breast implants a couple of weeks ago and then suddenly she has people who were calling her too thin saying she is looking great and so healthy. It is sick.

Margaret:

The hourglass shape is the ideal, because the large bust/hip:waist ratio indicates higher levels of estrogren and female fertility. I'm not saying that that should be the be-all and end-all, but that's what scientific studies have indicated.

I'd appreciate some help personally, being a tiny hourglass at at whopping 5'0", 103 lbs, 32-23-31, and athletic shoulders. There are no clothes that fit me, and I hate shopping because I don't expect anything to actually fit. I've had to alter all my clothes so the waists don't gape when I sit down.

I'm sick of shopping in the kid's section, and it's ridiculous that I'm literally a negative number in most stores.

Well, I'm 5'8, 33-23.5-34.5, 110 lbs. No, I'm not starving myself, I just have tiny bones. I actually have some dangly bits. So, what would I be? Hourglass? Tiny, tiny pear? It's annoying how the little amount of fat that I have tends to go to my tight and hips... I'd love to get my hips and bust measurements even, but I don't think I'll get any bigger on top (I'm already a 30-D) and I think that it woould be unhealthy to try to lose weight... another problem is finding clothes that fit. It's hard to find a 36 inseam for a small waist like mine.

Anyway, my mom is a seamstress and if you want to see *tiny* sizes that were not affected by vanity sizing, look no more. Just take a look at those printed on the back of a pattern's pocket. You want small, you'll see *small*. I wear 0, 00 in ready-to-wear (and often the smallest sizes are too big. I need to get the waist and pant length altered all the time), but if my mom was to make me some clothes, I'd be somewhere between a size 6 and a size 8/10. Scary. Please note that they don't carry sizes lower than 6, and it's made for rather small women (5'5)

Even my boyfriend, who is a whooping 5'6, 32 chest, 27 waist, isn't the smallest man size. In ready to wear, it's heck to try to find him anything that fits.

It's funny how women have so many clothes to choose from and men don't. I think some factors have to do with genetics, but others like Erica said, people used corsets and such. A lot has to do with diet and exercise. Genetics affects where fat cells are stored in your body. But no "target" exercise will get rid of it, you have to lose fat on every part on your body in order to see results in others (according to a health article). I believe figures for certain clothes is very much attainable. Take Drew Barrymoore for example (b/c someone mentioned her) Before Charlies A's she was curvier, but when she got fit for CA's Her boobs were the same size, but her overall body fat was considerably less in all aspects. from her neck to her hips. So I say it's attainable. And it's not just about losing weight. It's about getting fit. Walking regularly will cause your body to take a different shape as if you were to be swimming. Goes back to my previous example. Overall cardio changes shape, you just want to know what type.

I forgot to add about clothing. Even though everyone's body is different it's probably very hard to be able to accomadate to EVERYone's body shape. But if you really know design, people design with a model in mind and their measurents. But even so, when it goes from runway to someone who wants to buy the article it always has to get tailored. Even for the model going down the runway that same night, because people cannot sew in a cookie cutter way. EVERYTHING always has to get altered or tailored to achieve the finished looked.

V, you are right on both posts. I mean, the clothes on the mannequins in store windows, who are supposed to be perfect size 2s, always have to be size 4s pinned in the back, cause the size 2 usually won't fit - or you have to dress them in a 2 and still pin it. I worked in a small store in college and part of my job was dressing the mannequins.

I also agree that anyone that is fit and looks fit looks great, regardless of shape and clothes size.

I'm an hourglass figure and I feel that clothes are just made for the skinny models. I can't find jeans that fit over my hips and I can't find shirts that fit me right, all shirts either fit around my stomach perfectly or around my bust perfectly but never both at once. I have to buy larger sized jeans, and when I do that, they drag all over the ground b/c I'm only 5'3. I wish they would use me as a model to make their clothes.

oh and for joe way up ahead of me....I'm an hour glass figure and I love greasy fried foods and pop.

I am a teenager and have had problems looking for clothes and heard that knowing your body shape helps. I was wondering if any of you know what I am? I am 38-39(depending on the bra), 29, 36. I thought I was sort of an hourglass, but my hips aren't as wide and I have wide shoulders. Also, could my body shape be affected because I am a little overweight? A lot of the junior clothing doesn't fit because my bust and shoulders are too big and I have problems with pants because my hips aren't wide ( to go with a rather large behind).

You'd probably need women's sizes for tops and dresses, and juniors for pants, I'm guessing.

The only problem is that I am 5 feet tall.

any suggestions about that?

Hemming stuff. Buy a used sewing machine and get used to hemming.

I'm 5'1", so I know what you mean. It is hard enough to find stuff to fit our waist and hips right, if you also want them to be the right lenght, then just forget about it. So start hemming those pants, skirts, and the sleeves of shirts.

Usually, the easiest clothes to find to fit anyone are skirts and tops, because they come in many different cuts. For dresses and pants, take time off to try on tons and tons of stuff at different stores. It will be trial and error. That is the only secret. Don't settle to buying stuff that "sort of fits"; it is your money and you deserve clothes that really fit. You don't have to spend a lot of money to find clothes that fit, but you do have to spend quite a bit of time, especially at first. If you have tried 20 different pants at a store and none fit, it is safe to say you shouldn't bother looking for pants there anymore.

I have been reading a lot regarding women's shapes and what celebrities have been doing to their bodies and I only have a couple more things to say:

1. The focus should be taken off women's bodies completely;

2. We need to let the fashion industry know our complaints regarding body shape/sizes of the clothing they produce through comment cards, phone calls, surveys, etc.

I am an hourglass - my mom always says I was born in the wrong century as I have the classic "Gibson girl" figure. Since I can't go back in time where others may appreciate my curves, I need to find clothes that fit!

I am busty (34 or 36D depending on the brand), small waist (27" waist, 38" hips on my "fat" days). To make it worse, I am short (5'2), but not of petite propotions (obviosly!), so length is always an issue. I have everything from a 6 to a 10 in my closet, I can't buy button down shirts because a large is too big in the waiste and shoulders, but mediums gap in the bust. Ay yi yi! Any good brands you have found that work? How about Victoria's Secret pants, they have a lot of lenght options, I am just concerned that hips and thigh areas would be too tight.

Becki, I had the same problem, but I found that some stores will have button-downs that are sized 6, 8, 10, etc. and those are usually a better fit. I find if I go up one or two sizes, I can usually get a nice fit at the bust, arms, and shoulders that is not very baggy at the waist. If they are sized like that and have a bit of stretch in them, then it is perfect.

As for pants, if you are gonna try them on in a store, they might be a good fit for you, but if it is off the catalog, I'd say forget it. Other than the hip/waist difference, we also have to mind the crotch length. It is sometimes way too big for someone our height, so that is an extra concern there.

Regardless of whether we should or should not (as women) worry over such things as our body shape, we are more or less programed to do so. However there are a few things that are often misconcieved when it comes to body-shape specifically. Particularly when it comes to accurately determining one's body type. Here are some key factors to consider:

1) If you are overweight (BMI over 25) wait to determine your body shape. Despite popular belief, fat is not stored evenly throughout the body and it doesnt come off that way either. So while you are losing weight you're more than likely going to be moving in and out of various body types.

2) Unlike the often pushed ideal, potential partners are attracted to ALL types of womanly figures. An hour-glass figure is not a guarenteed fast-track ticket to a partner's heart.

3) When buying clothing for your figure shape, do not look for the 'perfect fit.' You are going to be looking for a very long time if you do. Check key area's of the garment: shoulders for shirts, hips and rise for pants. If they fit in the key place and look great but need to be adjusted then buy it and take it to a tailor.

Becky, I agree with not waiting for the perfect fit, but unless you are talking about a store that offers free alterations, the cost of altering something like pant legs can add up, or taking in the waist of a shirt. There is no guarantee also, with some fabrics, if the alteration won't make the garment look strange. Often, all you have to do is try a different pair of pants or shirt to get the right fit, and once you are familiar with stores and/or shapes that tend to fit, shopping is fast and easy.

But yes, if we are talking hemming pant legs, skirts, shirt sleeves, or taking in the waist of a garment, it is usually worth it.

hey all...i just needed help figuring out what shape i am... i'm 5'7" and 35.5D-26.5-37. i dunno what this falls under but i definitely know that i don't have an a** at all...even my mum says so! lol

Believe it or not I think the hourglass figure had a lot to do with the use of corsets. Sophia Loren often used them. Corsetry is completely out of fashion now, but when worn, corsets create the perfect hourglass figure. And without them the figure returns to a more natural shape in order to sustain the organs. Here is a picture of Sophia Loren in a bathing suit.

http://abes-celebrities.com/sophia_loren_4.jpg

she looks beautiful but her figure doesn't look as perfectly shaped as it does in the above picture.

I frequently have trouble finding clothing that fits. I am an extreme pear-shape. I am 5'8" and measure 37-34-44. I also am an AA cup and have a large, round, high (and I think, rather shapely) butt. In addition, I have an arched back that makes pants gap out even more at the waist. I have a defined, high waistline falling just 3 inches below my bust and 3 inches above my bellybutton, with a little over a foot from waist to crotch (let's just say I have a very hard time finding something long enough in the stride). I also have legs that are a little longer than average. Despite all of these traits that are nowhere near the "ideal" body shape, I absolutely love my figure. Sure I could stand to tone up a bit, but even if I did, I would still have this same exact body type (I know, I've been all over the place weight-wise). I get so tired of articles telling me how to minimize my butt and hips or maximize my bust. I like the way I look. I think my body type is interesting and unique. I want to show off my graceful curvy hips and I don't try to bulk up my comparatively delicate bust and shoulders. When I was in high school, I tried so hard to have that slim boyish frame, but I just ended up looking sickly with big hipbones that stuck out. Now, fifty pounds heavier, I feel much more beautiful and feminine. I've learned to love my shape and work with it rather than trying to fight it. Each woman is beautiful and unique in her shape and size. I know I will never have a delicate, bird-like frame, and I will never have voluptuous breasts, but I'm okay with that. I think the secret to looking great is finding the clothes that do work (or can be made to work) and wearing them with confidence. Sometimes I compare myself to other women, but than I have to remember that I am not them. I have what looks good on me. It's a struggle every time I try to buy pants, but it's worth it when I do find that great pair (I find that Apple Bottoms work nicely for me, thought they're pricey so I only have one pair). Adding personal touches can also take an outfit from being just okay to awesome and unique.

hey, I think everyone should be fine with your body. If you are really that concerned, go to a *gasp, shock* thrift store. They are everywhere, and they are definately cheaper than anyplace else. I am definately a rectangle, but for shape complaints, I am 5'10", and my waist is about a 30. They do not make anything in my size, at least not under about $50, other than I find at thrift stores, and if that isn't bad enough, I wear a size 12 1/2 shoe. Payless carries 6 pairs of shoes that fit me, and 5 are 3inch stilettos. Just stop complaining, because we all have problems finding clothes, so go to a thrift store, cuz there will always be something that fits. Trust me.

I am a hispanic 29 year old women with two children ,in between a rectangular and triangle shape. I weight 112lbs, with 34C breast, and narrow hips. I am thin and I hate it. I don't feel womenly. I hate my body. I have decided to go to the Gym to achieve that "perfect" hour glass figure. Unfortunately, we are judge based upon our appreance, especially women.

Also, I am very small framed. The only problem with working out at the gym is that I lose weight very easily. I don't want to look ridiculously skinny. Any suggest on how to achieve that hour glass figure?

Baby: I can help you out, if you're serious/determined about this. You'll need to build muscle in your back and chest, reduce your waist, and build up your glutes and hips. I can tell you how to do this, but it won't be easy.

Im Hourglass figure and i hate it because clothes just do not fit me. Ive tried so many jeans and i just look fat in them because of my big hips and thighs. I cant find the right jeans, or anything that fits and i now have to wear long baggy teeshirts that fit my bust! Designers should really start focusing on what real women look like!

I am 5'10, 138 lbs, I am 35-25-36, so I think that puts me in hourglass. I have long legs, but also have a long torso, so I don't think it is as dramatic as some people's hourglass. However, I think that most of the shapes are very pretty, as long as they are lean and fit. Sophia Loren weighed more than what models today are expected to weigh, and that made it easier to look curvy. My point is, people shouldn't worry about what shape they are, and just concentrate on being healthy and fit.

I am 5'7, 113 pounds. I wear either a size 0 or 1 in juniors, 2 in women, but even that is baggy. I am tired of people saying that clothes are designed for skinny models because I'm skinny and nothing fits me. Nothing is small enough and nothing is long enough. These days the "longs" are made for average people that want to wear heels with their pants. I need at least a 37 inch inseam in pants and the longs you find in stores are 34. I am so tired of people saying that skinny people are 'anorexic' because I consume more than the average person daily. I actually spent a day calculating how many calories I consumed to prove to someone that I was not anorexic and it came up to about 6,000 calories which is about 3 times more than the typical American. But of course they just assumed I was bulimic after that...I just have a high metabolism. But I guess nobody in this world ever had biology besides me. Anyway I have a rectangular figure...my waist is skinny but I have wide ribs so it leaves NO room for any sort of curve, even though I have no pudge whatsoever and I am a B cup and my lovely hips are non existant. I don't see how hourglass figures can have it bad considering they are the prototype for all fashion.

Sarah, clothes are no longer made for hourglasses. They are made for overweight rulers, for people with your figure, yet who are a bit overweight. Just look at female pants in the racks these days. They are not that different from the male ones anymore.

Sarah, Jan made a point. Look at the clothes from Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic. They're made for pudgy rectangles. Abercrombie? Rectangles for the bigger sizes, skinny rectangles 'ruler' types for the smallest sizes. The prêt-à-porter seem to be full of clothes made for rectangles. If you go couture, then there's hope for the typical skinny hourglasses (like yours truly, 33-23.5-34.5). However, when the clothes get retailored for mass market, they're usually adapted for rectangles, as they're the prevalent shape. So actually, if you gained about 20 pounds, you'd be in luck. But I can perfectly understand that you can't find anything small enough considering your current weight.

Beside, I suppose that you meant that you need an inseam of at least 37 when wearing high heels, because I have great difficulties believing that for only 5'7, you could have such a long inseam without heels, unless you measured yourself incorrectly or are 'just guessing'. It's just not feasible. I should know, I work in a tailor shop. Myself, I'm 5'8 , with a very, very long legs and my inseam is but 35 when wearing flats... You might want to note that some stores say that their pants are cut at a certain lenght, but the pants are actually shorter. It depends. I noticed that Parasuco and Gap tend to cut their pants very short, even when in their 'long lenght' option. So I suggest you get measured professionally and that you try to order pants from companies that are truer to size (most high end labels are).

Be that as it may, some stores to carry inseams of 36 in small sizes, take Mavi for instance. Zara's pants are cut long, maybe 35. However, I've never seen prêt-à-porter stores carrying inseams of 37, 38 inches... but that's a problem for all the ladies taller than about 5'11 or so, not for you.

I agree that clothes are made for rectangles. I have this rectangular shape and clothes are usually ok for me except... for the thighs! I dont understand this way of seeing a women's body as fitting in one of those 4 categories. I know many girls who have the same shape as I have from the shoulders to the hips but they usually have big thighs while I just have really skinny thighs. So to find a pair of pants that will be ok for the waist and the hips without having so much extra fabric in the thighs that I can make myself a scarf with it is almost impossible. This classification is wrong since it assumes that every women has big thighs which is not the case.

I would like to add my two cents being a thin rectangle shaped woman at 5'7" and 105 pounds; (no, I don't diet, this is just the way I was made). There are a lot of slim women in my family on both sides but none and I mean none of them are hourglass shaped. I can look at 100 year old family photos and see that my ancestors were mostly slim and shapeless, as I am, so whoever said genetics play the largest role in body shape is 100 percent correct. I would LOVE to be hourglass shaped but even when I deliberately overate to try and up my weight and put on 20 pounds I had the same rectangular body shape I do now, (small top, thick midsection, tiny hips and non-existent bum). I read somewhere on this thread that Latin/Mediterranean women tend to be more curvy, which may explain my problem as I am of 100 percent Northern European descent.

a lot of the measurements on thiis site are not hourglass figures---though people claimed to have them, most writers were rectangles. sienna miller, jennifer aniston,demi moore(pre-implants), back in the day britney spears, nicole kidman---and other gorgeous women have this shape.
here are better guidelines:
HOURGLASS (H)
Your shoulders and hips are around the same size, and you have a very defined waistline.
Check the numbers: Your shoulder and hip measurements are within 5% of one another. Your waist is at least 25% smaller than your shoulder, hip and bust measurements.
For example: If your shoulders and hips measure 36", your waist is 27" or smaller.
RECTANGLE (R)
Your shoulders, bust and hips are around the same size, and you have no defined waistline.
Check the numbers: Your shoulder, bust and hip measurements are within 5% of one another. Your waist is less than 25% smaller than your shoulder or bust measurements.
For example: If your shoulders measure 36", your waist will be 27" or more.
lastly, women with this shape tend to have narrow ribcages(smaler back measurements in their bras), are small bones, and have wide hips. so think, a spoon with a sizeable rack. small chested women ARE not hourglasses--their shoulders would be broad.

i have a hourglass figure, and it is dreadful finding clothes attimes. my measuremets are 30E-23.5/24-35.5. i don't even buy american brands, and my clothes are all from italian makers since they make clothes for curvy women.