Body shape: how to recognize the shape of your body and enhance it
In recent years, you will have more and more often heard expressions like "body shape", without understanding exactly what it was. Today, especially thanks to Rossella Migliaccio, image consultant, image & color expert and absolute master of color harmony, we have a clearer concept of "body shape" which, specifically, refers to the shape of our body. In 2020, Migliaccio even wrote and published a book about it, entitled, in fact, "Forme", which in a short time has earned the fame of bestseller. The manual contains all the tips for discovering your body shape, the characteristics of each figure and all the tips in terms of beauty and fashion. First of all, it is good to specify that, to date, there are 6 different body shapes, better known as: pear (or triangle), apple (or reverse triangle), hourglass, rectangle, oval (or diamond) and eight. These shapes are distinguished on the basis of various parameters, such as the size of the breasts, lower back and waist, the width of the abdomen, hips and shoulders and the distribution of weight over the whole body. But before proceeding it is good to make a premise that is as necessary as it is important: the body shape has nothing to do with the size or weight of a person, but it leaves out these details, focusing on shape and proportions. Knowing it will be useful to understand what our strengths are and which, instead, are our weaknesses and to select the most suitable garments for our shapes. It is a path of self-awareness with which to realize, once and for all, that there is no right body and a wrong body and learn, with the right precautions, to value and love one's own.
Before you start reading, enjoy this video where the concept of "body positivity" is better explained!
Body shape: how to understand your shape
To understand what your body shape is, you must first learn to carefully observe your body and ask yourself some questions, for example: where do I usually accumulate excess fat? What is my strong point? What about my weakness instead? Are the upper and lower body balanced or are there obvious disproportions? By paying attention to these details, it will be easier to determine what your figure is and dress accordingly, always giving priority to comfort and personal taste. To further help you along this path, you can resort to image consultancy from a specialist who will perform an analysis of the figure as accurate as possible for you.
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Pear or triangle
The first body shape that we will face is certainly one of the most widespread and - wrongly - feared. We are talking about the pear-shaped body, also known as a triangle. The main feature of this figure is the disproportion, more or less accentuated, between the upper part and the lower part of the body. Usually, a pear has small breasts, a flat abdomen and narrow shoulders, while it tends to widen below, sporting rounded hips under a rather tapered waist. The triangle or pear accumulates the extra pounds on the legs and buttocks, keeping the upper body substantially dry, sometimes even bony. The strong point of a pear-shaped body is undoubtedly the waistline, which is slim and should be enhanced by focusing on high-waisted trousers. According to the beauty advice given by Rossella Migliaccio on her social channels and in the recently published book, a woman whose shapes correspond to those of a pear should opt for palazzo pants or bootcuts, high-waisted jumpsuits, dresses with a wide skirt and jackets. medium short with structured shoulders.
In the photo above we can admire two famous "triangle" women: on one side the timeless Jennifer Lopez, on the other the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
Apple or reverse triangle
Among the various body shapes, you have undoubtedly heard of the apple shape, also known as the inverse triangle. In very simplistic terms, it could be said that the apple-shaped body is the exact opposite of the pear-shaped body, but let's see it in more detail. An inverse triangle, as opposed to a simple triangle, sports a rather prominent rib cage, with a large bust and usually broad but well-defined shoulders. In the lower part of the body, on the other hand, the apple tends to thin, presenting a slightly hinted waist and b-side, narrow pelvis and thin legs. Should she gain weight, the apple woman would concentrate the fat deposits on her arms and abdomen. The slender and slender legs are certainly the main strengths of an inverse triangle and for this reason they should be highlighted, wearing cigarette pants. Furthermore, according to the daily beauty consultancy offered by Migliaccio through posts and stories on Instagram, an apple is enhanced by garments such as wrap skirts and sheath dresses, boyfriend jeans and long, straight and preferably single-breasted jackets.
Also in this case, we have created a collage with two well-known faces united by this body shape: the singer and model Caroline Vreeland and the radiant Alessia Marcuzzi.
hourglass
The hourglass is perhaps the most emblematic figure of the Mediterranean forms: sinuous curves, pronounced hips, homogeneous shoulders and pelvis, protruding bottom, abundant breasts and, finally, the characteristic that most of all defines the hourglass shape, that is the thin and marked. That of the hourglass is a body shape that stands out for a certain balance, having substantially proportionate upper and lower part of the body. This connotation causes the hourglass woman to distribute her weight evenly, showing off a rather uniform and harmonious figure. Since the hips and thighs are the weak points of the hourglass, while the waistline gives it its main value, the hourglass will have to prefer dresses, especially wraps, and fit jackets fitted at the waist with belts.
If we think of an hourglass, many examples of celebrities characterized by this figure come to mind, among which the names of Sophia Loren and Scarlett Johansson stand out. However, we have chosen to represent this category through the figures of two very different models such as Ashley Graham and Emily Ratajkowski to underline again how much the concept of body shape is unrelated to that of weight and size. In the images above, in fact, it is evident that, regardless of size, both women clearly have an hourglass body.
Rectangle
To stay on the subject of geometry, the fourth figure we are about to analyze is that of the rectangle. It is a very dry, almost androgynous body shape. Unlike the hourglass, the rectangle woman has few curves, making it rather angular, she has small breasts, a slender pelvis, a not very pronounced or flat buttocks and slender and toned legs. This shape gives the body a well-defined and uniform structure, favoring a homogeneous distribution of weight, although it is more often a slim figure. The slender and thin body is, in fact, the main strength of the rectangle, while its "weakness" is given by the almost absent waistline. As for fashion tips, the beauty suggestion that Rossella Migliaccio offers the rectangle woman to enhance her shape is to enrich her wardrobe with skinny jeans, polo shirts, trapeze dresses, suits and cigarette pants.
Two celebrities who carry the flag of the rectangle-shaped body shape high are undoubtedly the enchanting Charlize Theron and Kate Moss, one of the absolute protagonists on the catwalks of the 90s.
Body shape test: calculate your body shape!
Oval or diamond
The oval figure, also known as a diamond, is the body shape of balance and uniformity par excellence. In fact, no other silhouette is as proportionate as the oval, in which the weight is distributed evenly over the whole body, without obvious distinctions. In general, it is a rather soft figure, characterized by the absence of a highlighted waistline, soft shoulders and rounded arms. Usually, the extra pounds are accumulated on the abdomen, which is the weak point of the oval, without however creating such disproportions as to alter the homogeneity of the body shape. Rossella Migliaccio's fashion-themed posts teach us that the oval woman, to adapt beauty to her shapes, wants monochromatic garments, enriched with accessories that create contrast, broken suits but not double-breasted and, in general, prefers dresses to pants. .
Both oval-shaped are the supermodels Kate Upton and Chrissy Teigen.
Eight
The eight is undoubtedly the least known figure among all the body shapes, but it certainly deserves a mention. It is often confused with the hourglass, being rather similar at first glance, but, if analyzed more carefully, it presents some peculiarities that distinguish it as a form in its own right. Also in this case, we are faced with a very highlighted waistline, but, unlike the hourglass, this is immediately followed by the expansion of the hips which give it the classic 8 shape.
Famous examples for having this body shape clearer are Charlotte Casiraghi and radio host Annie Mazzola.
