Shape and Minimalism

I had tried out the Polyvore application some time back and it lead me down the path of body shape styling. Before encountering this concept I never realized I, along with most people of the female persuasion, was being  manipulated by the fashion and trend industry. As a teenager I was comfortable enough with my body to run around in tight tank tops, and midriff style tops. I was still very subconscious of my shape, however. The reason for this, I've realized, is because I wasn't the wafer thin, hour glass figures that I saw portrayed out of Hollywood's teen films. 

If Jennifer Lawrence had been acting at that time maybe I would've figured out how great I looked. Alas, like every other teen girl out there, I thought I was fat. And someone summed this up beautifully in this GIF:

Now I've learned a few things since my teen years, and I know that the stick figure mannequins and photo shopped images in magazines is someone else's pipe dream of beauty. I've had to struggle and accept my own shape. For most of my life, I had no idea what that was! I'm betting many girls and women out there don't either.

I'm going to run through a primer of the common body shapes here for you. Over time I'll be creating posts around each body shape, the best styling and minimalist wardrobe that you can create for yourself.

Let's begin...

First, you'll need to determine your measurements which will identify your shape. To do this, take measurements at these locations - these are all flat measurements, not the usual sewing measurements which is around the body.

1. Shoulders - straight across, shoulder to shoulder
2. Bust/Chest - measure across the upper most portion of your rib cage, across the bust area
3. Waist - measure from side to side
4. Hips - widest part of your hip area, this could be either at the natural hip or your upper thighs, target whichever is widest
5. Measure the distance from each point: Shoulder to Bust, Bust to Waist, Waist to Hips
6. Take all those measurements and divide by 10. You can then draw out in inches on a piece of paper the corresponding line lengths to determine your body shape.

I was NOT happy about the shape I identified for myself. This is where fantasy and reality collide. For some, it could take a few days to accept your shape. To accept that you're not the Marilyn Monroe hour glass figure everyone fantasizes about having is a large mental and emotional hurdle to overcome. Trust me, once you let go of your fantasy shape, you'll find yourself much happier in the body you're living in!

The different shapes can be grouped into 4 categories, each defined by the widest part of the body. My lists have the most common name for each body type and each indented item is a synonymous name. I'm not sure why there are so many names to similar shapes, it may be that people are trying to capture body type as well as shape. It all gets very confusing, You can use the various names to look for boards and images that are readily available out there to get an idea of the clothing styles and fashioning that would look best on you!

I hope these lists help you identify your shape, improve your body outlook, and of course, open doors to the proper styles for yourself!

Equal Bust/Hip

• Rectangle : chest, waist, hips are equal
• Hourglass: chest and hips are equal, waist is thinnest area

Wider Top

• Inverted Triangle: Bust and waist are equal, hips are thinnest area
• Lollipop: Waist and hips are equal, larger bust area, wide shoulders
• Apple: Bust is larger than hips and waist is well defined

Wider Midsection

• Oval: Large bust, full midsection, narrow hips
• Diamond: Waist is wider than bust and hips

Wider Hip

• Triangle: Hips are wider than bust and waist
• Pear
• Spoon

By identifying my body shape it's been much easier to purge my closet and pass on those trendy pieces in malls. If it's not likely to make me happy, I just say No! I'll discuss more in depth in later posts, or share great articles, about buying quality over trendy. If anyone has the background to do this, it's certainly me!

This is step one in shifting to a more minimalist and streamlined closet. I won't claim it will streamline your whole life, but I know it's helped me be happier with the things I've identified look great for my body, my closet, and my wallet!

P.S. The Polyvore application has been shut down after SSense, a Montreal company acquired it for the user base - which it surreptitiously lost. What can I say, they're French.