Embracing/Accentuating Your Shape

Your shape is beautiful! The human body is defined by its skeletal structure, muscles and fat. As we age, our genes as well as our estrogen levels help to determine where fat is stored in our bodies; for women it is usually in the buttocks, hips and thighs due to the effect of estrogen which changes as we mature in life. After menopause, fat usually shifts to the belly. In any case, the key to embracing your individual shape is to accentuate it!

The Coveted Hourglass Figure

Let’s talk about the hourglass shape! Characterized by a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, this shape has been considered to be the most admirable of all shapes because it can show off all the curves of the female body in a very balanced way. Though we all come in different shapes and sizes and it is important for us to love our own shape, fashion generally lends itself to this “ideal” shape which is why it is very important to know how to accentuate your shape best.

What The Experts Say

I am sure that you have seen the body shape charts in magazines or online before. “If you’re apple shaped try this”, or “if you are pear shaped try that”…these charts are created to help you find styles or designs that are cut to make your individual shape look good by creating an hourglass or “balanced” look. For some reason balance is attractive, this is why we look for haircuts that fit our face best and shoes and clothes that make us look polished and divalicious.

You probably have already noticed this in fashion but for many curvy women, the focus is on cinching the waist. Historically, fashion has always focused on accentuating the female shape regardless of size, think about the Victorian era and how the use of boned corsets focused on cinching the waist, a known marker of health and fertility. This was said to be attractive to men because biologically tests have found that women with fuller breasts, smaller waists and bigger hips and thighs were more fertile, having higher levels of sex hormones and studies have found that men generally viewed this as important in selecting a mate…call it instinct I guess. Interesting enough this is another reason to celebrate your curves and show off your shape in all the right places…they are attractive and beautiful!

So when you get dressed, don’t hide your curves – cinch in your waist with a belt or layer on pieces of different lengths, use color and prints to minimize parts of your body and highlight the parts you want to emphasize, try fitted shirts, high waisted or A line skirts, skinny jeans or chunky heeled boots or shoes, even flats.

There is a curvy revolution going on in case you haven’t noticed, we no longer have to be limited to shapeless dresses and oufits so show off those womanly curves and embrace & celebrate your shape by making fashion pieces show off the best you!