Yuck, My Body is not Proportional

So you say, so what? Well, all those designers create those wonderful clothes based on a standard fashion mannequin with that most desired hourglass figure. Problem is that only 8% of women have that shape and almost no crossdressers do.

I was amused when one woman wrote to Ask.com and said, “I hate my body. It’s so disproportional! I have enormously big boobs and a flat butt. I want to be proportional or at least so that I have a non-flat butt.” Sound like us? In fact what she describes is an inverted-V shaped body. That and the rectangle type body are most common for men.

Many women say their vertical body proportions  (balanced, short-waisted, or long-waisted) are more important than their horizontal shape body types (hourglass, apple, pear, rectangle, inverted-V) because a balanced body has the most feminine appearance. But no body is perfect and in fact most people have slightly unbalanced body proportions. The key here is to know your body and more importantly to know what to wear to create a balanced silhouette. Maintaining balance is one important key to flattering your figure and dressing for your body type.

There are three vertical body shapes

• Short legs & long torso: Your waist is above the halfway mark between your bust line and your hips. This gives off the impression that you’re short even though you may be an average or tall height

• Long legs & short torso: your waist is below the halfway mark between your bust line and your hips. Some women consider this the ideal because long legs are more appreciated than a long waist and visually trick the eye into believing that you’re taller even though you’re short to average height.

• Balanced Body Shape: Your waist is equally between your bust line and your hips. Gives an impression of great proportions.

Sally McGraw at Already Pretty provides us this easy to understand diagram of the differences.

Usually if you are short waisted your body will be compensated with long legs. Similarly, if you are short legged you will posses a longer waist.

So are there some easy way to take the measurements:  To figure out where your waist falls within your overall physique — your “waistedness” — follow these simple steps:

1. Measure the distance between your armpit and your waist.
2. Measure the distance between your waist and the bottom of your bum.
3. Compare the measurements.

If the two measurements aren’t equal, you’re either short — or long-waisted: If the first measurement is shorter, you’re short-waisted. If the second measurement is shorter, you’re long-waisted.

Another easy way for guys is to bend your elbow. If your natural waist is below the elbow, you are long-waisted; if it’s at your waist, then you are balanced, and of course now there is only one option left.

So what do we do to come up with a balanced look and what does that mean  for the clothes that we choose. Imogen at InsideOutBlog.com provides  us with some excellent examples which I have supplemented with advice from other sources.

The right fashion for short-waisted women

If you’re short-waisted, you’re going to look out of balance with a top half that appears smaller than your bottom half. Finding ways to make your top half look proportionate to your bottom half, by making your waist appear longer, helps you achieve balance.

Here are some tips on how to change that boxy and squat look  to one that appears longer and gives the illusion of having a waist.

Try Empire waist tops and dresses — The rushing under the bust and the long drop gives the appearance of longer legs and hides the actual waist.

Avoid the detail — Look for tops, cardigans and jackets that don’t have any detail or pockets around the waist area to avoid drawing attention to your lack of waist

Try low-rise pants — Observers will believe that the waistline of your bottoms matches your actual waistline, so a low-slung pair of pants or jeans will visually elongate your torso. This trick works especially well if you can tuck in your top

Sport skinny belts — Skinny belts are great for short torsos as the narrow width of the belt gives the impression that the torso supporting it is long. If you’re belting a dress and have a figure that allows it, consider belting a bit below your natural waist to further elongate your look

Experiment with tunics — If you’re all leg and little torso, a style of top that masks your thighs a bit will create some balance. Tunics worn with leggings, clamdiggers, or skinny jeans can flatter certain short-waisted figures. Try throwing a skinny belt on, too, if you need some waist definition.

Leave most tops untucked — If you opt for tops with finished hemlines — sweaters and button-front shirts are two typical options — you can trick the observing eye into believing that your torso is much longer than it truly is. This is especially important when wearing skirts, which typically sit higher on the torso than pants. Avoid belting at the waist, instead you can belt at the hip if you want to belt and don’t contrast belts

Consider long sleeved or sleeveless garments — This is definitely a loose guideline since very few of us are doing long sleeves or bare arms year-round. That said, the eye is drawn to the ends of sleeves, so short and 3/4 length sleeves will bring eyes to your torso. Long sleeves give you a longer overall look, and sleeveless garments do the same. Something to consider, not abide.

Utilize long accessories — Though not as effective as some of these other techniques, keeping necklaces and scarves nice and long will help draw the eye up and down your figure. They can also help ease the break between your top and bottom halves.

Naturally, you can feel free to play up those legs and have fun with a tiny torso: Wear high-waisted pants, towering heels, and short skirts. Also there are more types of short-torsoed women than can be covered in one post, so remember to take what applies to you, discard the rest, and assume positive intent.

Now, you short torsoed lovelies: Do you dress to balance your proportions? What tips and tricks can you share?

Fitting fashion for long-waisted women

The problem that long-waisted women have is that their body type makes their legs seem shorter. If you’re a long-waisted woman, you need to use your clothes to add length to your bottom half:

Wear a nude shoe  — a nude shoe, one that blends with the color of your skin on your foot, will make your legs look longer by creating a seamless transition from skin to shoe.

Wear a low vamp shoe  — The vamp is the top of the shoe, the bit that goes over the top of your foot. A low vamp shoe will further elongate your leg by making your legs appear to start from the toes, rather than the ankle.

Keep your skirt or dress hem no longer than knee length  —  this allows us to see more of your legs, thus making them appear longer. Hems that cut you off at the mid or low calf will visually shorten your legs. You may wish to wear a skirt that sits above the knee but when doing this, hem them just above the knee, not mid-thigh!

Wear a skirt rather than trousers —  we can’t see where your legs start in a skirt, so we may assume they are longer than they are. (I knew there was a reason that I loved skirts)

 Color blend your shoes to your trousers  —  and preferably keep your trousers darker than or not as bright as your top, to draw attention up to your face. Generally, I’d advise to keep trousers to neutral colors.

Keep bottoms free of detail — this means avoiding pockets on the thighs of your trousers, cuffs on trousers and patterned trousers (you’re trying to create a column of color)

Avoid cropped pants — cropped pants shorten your legs. Keep your trousers as long as possible to create the longest unbroken line which will elongate your pins.

Wear a heel — yes it’s obvious, it does actually add some extra inches to your height and the length of your legs.

And just a reminder that the list of Don’t’s is the reverse of the Do’s

As I am long-waisted, and I suspect most of us may be too, these suggestions fit well with my self-image as a woman, so there’s more to fashion than you might expect. Certainly our bodies require a more feminine fashion to achieve the right look for us.

Tags: crossdressing, fashion, featured, passing, style

Category: Style, Transgender Body & Soul, Transgender Fashion