The End of the Hourglass Figure
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)
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Hi there, like some of the other comments I've read I'm confused about whether I'm a Spoon or a Hourglass. I'm a 34C, with a 27 inch waist and 38 inch hips, but my shoulders measure 37.5 inches. I'm I a board shouldered Spoon or a smaller chested Hourglass? I'm really confused so please enlighten me. Also I'm 5ft 2 and 9st 5 if that makes any difference...
I do however love my body, I work in a hospital and see everyday how things can go wrong. I'm thankful for my health, and as long as your healthy you should be happy!
Thanks everyone...
ReplyMy best friend has a square body shape- she is tall, lean, graceful and gorgeous. She's also a hit among the guys (she's still quite selective, though). I'm like the Abbot to her Costello(...or is it the other way around?) Average height, big bust, slim waist, large hips, thighs and butt, broad knees. We envy each others' figures, and have for going on 5 years now. Each of us has grown to love our own body in realising that others envy us and we envy them equally.
Girls, as long as you're healthy and you try you'll look good. I find that anyone can look beautiful if they make an effort. So go for it! Excersize can be fun, too! It doesn't have to be plain old walking- why not take up Irish dance to work on your legs? Or Bellydance for your waist and arms? Karate is excellent! Any sport will do (not counting of course chess, billiards, improv and the like).
As for clothing, I love skirts. they are flattering, convenient and effeminate. It's no wonder they've been popular since prehistoric times! Jeans are difficult for me because of my long body ( equalling short legs) and thin wist with wide hips. Can't get away with low rise.
Wish you all well!
Replyto be honest most people are stuck with the shape they are born with u cant change that so how can u soley blame the food ppl eat. Supposidly if u have a certain diet ur boobs will be bigger but if u are born with small boobs (metaphorically) theyr not gonna grow whatever you eat. neither will your hips.
Reply:p
Several of you have written that a surprising percentage of bloggers on this site claim to have hourglass figures. Perhaps some of the measurements are exaggerated, after all what woman really wants to admit their actual weight or measurements. But if it is true that the fashion industry tailors their clothes to fit rectangles (the most common body type), then rectangles should easily find clothes that fit, and rectangles wouldn't need to go looking for a site like this, and so rectangles wouldn't be commenting, hourglasses, spoons and triangles would.
ReplyThough it does seem that many of you have given spoon measurements, then called yourselves hourglasses. Spoons are beautiful too! And just as tricky to shop for.
Am I an hourglass or a spoon? I am 5ft7, 34-24-40...
Oh, and more importantly - I like to wear fitted clothes but it is a nightmare trying to find them for my figure. - where can I shop for skirts and pants? Tops that are fitted to my waist are a little difficult to find but I can find them. I have just totally given up on skirts however. As for pants, I can only buy low rise pants that are fitted to my hips and large derriere because no line of clothing that I have found fits both my waist and hips. HELP!!! any ideas? Other than having all of my clothes tailored which gets very expensive and even then I've found that clothes can only be tweaked so far from their initial design... any help, suggestions, websites, brands etc. are greatly appreciated....
ReplyHi,
I'm a large bbw & have come to accept & embrace my curvacious body. At 78 - 55 - 74 i guess i'l an hourglass with alot of sand!!
Replywhere do i measure .....?
ReplyI'm confused. I'd always presumed that I was an hourglass, because clothing in stores is always proportionate to my body type (I don't think I've ever had a problem with finding a pair of pants that were too long, but too tight around the waist, etc.)
ReplyPerhaps it's also possible that the listed sizes are inexplicably inaccurate. I wear a 36B, but the measuring tape says that I have a mere 32" bust.
My waist is 25" and hips are 36". So I'm a spoon? The spoon shape implies that one is bottom heavy with large thighs, but my thighs together are 30".
It seems that the only universal shape used to describe women's bodies is the hourglass, and the others vary study by study.
To Lila (and others),
Seems like you care a lot about how other people look. It doesn't matter what weight you are, as long as you are happy with how you look. You shouldn't care about how others perceive you.
I myself am 5'7 135-140 and am considered "overweight" on many sites that seem to promote thinness. I am fine with how I look.
It pisses me off really how some of you can put so much on how you look on the outside, you only live once so why not live happy?
ReplyI've never been able to dress well as nothing EVER fits me properly!
I'm 5' 11" and definitely a "rectangle"--didn't know what shape category I fit into before! I'm 145 pounds, with a 32 waist, 38 hips with shoulders to match and a short torso, 36 bust, and 35 inseam (arms are extra-long!).
Try finding clothes for those measurements! I look like I was flattened by a steamroller! I look great from the side, but when I turn around I look like a gangly freak!
I'm just a tad too short for tall-girl clothing, and my non-existent curves don't fill out where the hips are in the pants. Regular clothing is too short and the long-sleeves of women's tops are usually two inches too short at the cuffs!
Well, I'm done ranting. Things could be a lot worse. I just wish the whole "perfect" woman myth would shrivel up and die!
We're all really just fine the way we are---why should we berate our "shapes" because of some mass-market manufacturing size guidelines?! Let's all learn to sew!
Replyok, so i need a dress to fit
i am big busted (d-cup) big hips, they mostly look the same size as my shoulders but sometimes look a bit bigger and i have no waistline, my waistline comes from the bottom of my bust and goes straight to my hips in an a shape. and i'm a size 12 (uk size)
i know what clothes fit me but not what dress does
any ideas?
ReplyIs it possible to turn from an hourglass shape to a spoon?
ReplyI'm hourglass but really want to have a spoon figured body. Although, some people think i'm crazy to want bigger hips than anything.
Please can someone reply as soon as possible!
Thanks.
your probalbly a spoon shape jenna im kinda that shape give or take a few inches.i know its dead confusing it like am i a pear shape do i just have big hips
ReplyI'm an hourglass in the very traditional sense. If I lost some inches, I could be a pin-up in the 1950's :) And I still love fashion. What people need to remember is that ALL fashion is tailored to fit the models body perfectly on the runway. Models might pull an outfit from the shelf and look great in it, but typically the designer will then go in and tailor it to fit the girl so that it looks at it's most optimal on her body. Unfortunately, since the predominant trend is towards being superpetit (or anorexic, depending on the girl) the world doesn't get to see how good a tailored outfit can look on other bodytypes.
In the real world, most people can't tailor their clothes, and have a hard time finding things that fit in the store, especially when you're on a budget. One of the best things you can do is learn to use your sewing machine, or even just a needle and thread. Pants fit your hips but are too long in the leg? That's the easiest thing to fix with a machine, and shouldn't take you more than a half hour. In the end, if you really have a piece of clothing you love but need it to fit better, it's best to just shell out for some tailoring if you can, or ask somebody you know who can sew to help.
Check out the link above for some great sewing tips if you're interested in learning to make clothes fit YOUR body, instead of just putting up with ill fitting things. It's a DIY site with a lot of information. (And no, I'm not the owner or anything, I just really love it).
*hugs to all the girls*
ReplyI dunno ladies... I think I'm with Joe on this one.
ReplyI am definitely an hourglass shaped woman. And I am extremely frustrated with not being able to find pants that fit. To get pants that fit my hips require me to have a waist that is way too large, and to keep them up, I have to wear a belt quite tightly around my waist which makes the pants fairly unflattering. With tops as well, I typically have to go one size larger than necessary just because of my bust. There's benefits and drawbacks to being an hourglass. At least my guy finds me terribly cute even if I have trouble finding clothing.
ReplyI find that there aren't very many stores that are working for an hourglass figure and if they do, they design for a woman at least 5'10". I think that is absolutely ridiculous.
My body measurements are 38-25-38, only a mere inch larger in the waist than Sophia Loren. However, I'm only 5'1" and I have a very small, delicate frame. I have a lot of trouble finding clothes, especially underwear. I absolutely love dresses but I've had to put away many of my old dresses because if it fits on my waist, It can't even hold in my breasts or butt.
I do find that vintage dresses tend to fit me wonderfully, however finding a dress that can be worn out of the store without getting odd looks is rather difficult.
ReplyWell thank you for mentioning that because I have the same problem. Every pair of jeans and skirts have the same problem.I am looking for the tilted rise jean but can't seem to find any. I mean its getting irritating how every pair of jeans is either too long, too tight, doesnt fit at your bum or waist.. its redicilous. For whom are they making these damn clothes if not for people who are going to buy them..
ReplyI have to say I am part of that 8%... but with that extra 1" on top and well nothing ever fits right, not even almost. My bust has to wear 2 sizes larger then my waist and my hips wear one size larger then my waist... ohhh and apparently they think all women have narrow shoulders. I barely ever find anything that fits my shoulders. Bras are just about impossible to that don't look like something my great-grandmother would wear... and they make you feel about as sexy as her aswell.
My conclusion after reading all the posts is that the industy is spewing out clothes that are shapewise somewhere between hourglass and rectangle, ending up fitting absolutely no one!
ReplyI am 18 years old, and guess what - I have absolutely no curves, no bust. My butt sticks out, and I guess it looks nice. I just have a lot of muscle on top of my non-curved body, so I just look abnormal or something. I understand that a lot of people would not think this is attractive. But those are my main flaws, the ones that I think about. I really cannot help it, even with all the cutting down I have been doing with the working out (especially on my stomach)!!!
ReplyAnd, to add, my shoulders are broader than my hips (because I don't have any). So, I do not fit into any of these categories. I don't know how to change that.
ReplyI would like to say that us true hourglasses are still here. From our size 4 rings, to our size 6 shoes. Let's face it ladies. If we get something to fit our butts, it is way to loose in the waste, and vise versa. Clothes manufactures have no scrupples!!!!! Imagine my grief--not only am I a true hourglass, but I have a height of only 5'4" with 32" legs---- IT BLOWS!!!!! I can't buy even petites because they are meant for woman with 26-29" legs--thus making them high waters on me. If I get a shirt to show my waste off it is smashing my chest in. Gag.
ReplyI have now seen several articles about this same study, and all of the articles say that it is evidence that women's bodies have changed. The problem is that this study really only shows us what women's bodies are like today. Supposedly only about 8% of women have a true hourglass figure, but how do we know the number was any higher in the 1950s? Just because there were movie stars in that era who had hourglass figures doesn't mean an hourglass figure was any more common in the general population back then than it is now.
Also, I disagree with the idea that most clothing is designed to fit an hourglass figure. To me, it all seems to be made for a straighter figure! I guess people just come in so many shapes and sizes that the clothing industry just can't keep up, so finding clothes that fit isn't easy for anyone.
ReplyIt appears that scientist have found a strong correlation between mothers who have an hourglass shape and high intelligence in their children.
http://pmsol3.wordpress.com/2007/11/11/
Replycurvy-women-have-smarter-kids/
Better nutrition, better bodies, better brains.
ReplyThat Joe guy couldn't be anymore wrong. You can be overweight and "fat" and eat fast food and still have hourglass figure. Or you can be in great, healthy, athletic shape and have the body of a rectangle. I don't think body shapes are in direct correlation with health at all!
And this hourglass figure is just something that is beauty in a box. You can still have an awesome body with any of the other body types listed.
ReplyDragon Horse, that study is on waist-hip ratio and since the bust isn't included it isn't soley hourglass. Spoon figures fit into that study just as much, maybe even more so.
I think there's the misconception that good health in a woman = hourglass shape.
ReplyI'm not sure what body type I have..I'm 38DDD-32-42, it's hard finding tops that fit. If a buy a dress it fits well in the breast but is to lose in the wasit and hips.Everyone makes fun of my chest what a shame. I want to slim down my waist and hip but I'm afraid my chest will just look bigger! I don't think I fit in any of the groupings I'm like an extreme.
ReplyI'm pear shaped and proud. I get compliments all the time for my lovely small breasts and shapely hips. 33-25-38 is beautiful! :)
ReplyI totally agree. I may only be 16, but I'm close to having an hourglass figure according to the info/criteria above (I only have an 8 inch difference). Judging by the body shapes in my family, I think I will end up with an hourglass figure. After all, I am only 16. :)
I'm about 160cm, 60kg, and I'm a NZ size 10 in pants. Shirts, however, are what I have a problem in buying. I would be a NZ size 10, but my bust is too big for most size 10 shirts and the sirt pulls arcoss the bust area, so I have to wear a size 12. And when I do, there is not enough tailoring in the waist- it always seems just a tad too loose.
I honestly would love to learn to sew, so I can finally make my own clothes without having to put up with ill-fitting clothes!
Another problem I have is my age- because of my body shape, even clothes that suit me may not be suitable for a 16 year old girl to wear. A V-necked top may look nice, but it also looks nice to that guy over there, and that guy over there... Not a lot I can do about it, but still, it would be nice to not worry about it. Maybe its just a reservation I have. :)
Replyplease can someone tell me what body type i'm i?38DDD-32-42..note i can lose atleast 10 pounds.What type of body do i have?i don't understand I don't fit in any groups and my chest confuses me so much.
Replyyour
your most likley have a triangle body shape, or even a sort of hourglass
Reply
i'm not sure what my body type is i think it's hourglass.
Replyi am complimented on my curves,but i don't know could someone tell me my shape? and give me some clothing tips to show off my body
i'm 5'8. i'm still young and still growing
"42.5"-"34"-"45"
thanks:)
Hi. My measurements are
bust - 40.5"
waist- 21.5"
hips - 37"
what is my shape? IDK if Im an hourglass or a triangle or whatever....
ReplyBravissimo sells tops, bottoms and dresses for hourglass shapes - small dress size/large bust size. I am a size 6 dress (36-26-36) but my my chest is 36D. It kind of sucks. I recently lost 40lbs, I thought it was hard to find clothes then...now it's near impossible. Designers don't plan that someone tiny and petite (5'1) is going to have such unproportionatly large chest. I think that there has to be some progressive variation in women's clothing. I agree that designers don't generally make clothing for the hourglass... it is more for the square/athletic shape. That's why I can't go into a store and find a shirt large enough for my breasts but small enough for may waist. If it were the 50's I'm sure I would feel great about my figure. Hourglass just doesn't fit with today's super-thin models.
Reply