Your Body Shape?

flutterflye · 16-06-2011 8:04pm #1

I know there are so many cross-over, and similar threads here at the moment,
So I doubt anyone will want another!
But anyway........

I was reading the other thread and it reminded me of years ago when I was a teenager.
We had a large enough group of friends, and one of the girls was very thin, and had a very straight figure.
We would always slag her 'bony ass' (in the typical Irish jokey way), and when all the girls would be discussing how fat and hideous we were, we would never include this girl, saying things like 'ah, you wouldn't understand'.

Little did we know at the time, she was deeply self conscious about her straight figure. She believed she looked like a 10 year old boy. And our dismissive attitude and friendly slagging, only added to her insecurities.

Where we all stood, she was skinny - every girl's ambition in life, so she wouldn't be bothered by the odd joke or two. It's not like she was fat and we called her a 'fat ass'. Never even entered our heads that it could be a problem!

We tend to focus on weight when we think of insecurities, but since my friend admitted her feelings to me years ago, I have been aware of the fact that so many women actually hate their shape.

Thankfully though there have been many popular tv shows in recent years highlighting body shapes, and dressing to flatter your shape.

What type of shape do you have to your body?

Are you happy, or at least content, with your shape?

Are you more concerned or bothered by your body shape, or your general weight?

Do you find it difficult to get clothes to fit, or look well because of your shape?

I am happy enough with my shape.
I am slim enough (could do with toning up though).
I have a small frame, teeny waist, big hips and bum.
Small boobs though, which are the focus of most of my body self hatred!

I don't find it hard to find clothes that fit well,
But I do find it harder to wear clothes well.
I have to stick with a-line skirts/dresses so my hips, legs and bum don't look abnormally lardo.
And halterneck type tops to make me look balanced and proportional.
It can feel a bit boring wearing the same type of clothes all the time.

Kya1976 · 16-06-2011 8:12pm

I am a lot happier with my shape now than I ever was when I was younger. You have too many silly hangups when you're younger(or I did anyway). Especially when it comes to weight issues etc.

I never have any problems finding clothes really, I'm normally a size 12 or so, so an easy size to find in shops:) But of course you pick as 'flattering' clothes as possible when you go shopping, it doesn't matter what size or shape you are.:)

rainbow kirby · 16-06-2011 8:14pm

flutterflye wrote: »

What type of shape do you have to your body?

Hourglass size 12, long torso/relatively short legs for my height

flutterflye wrote: »

Are you happy, or at least content, with your shape?

Pretty happy, wouldn't mind smaller boobs but you can't have it all.

flutterflye wrote: »

Are you more concerned or bothered by your body shape, or your general weight?

General weight - wouldn't mind dropping 6-7kg but that's more out of a desire to run faster than anything else.

flutterflye wrote: »

Do you find it difficult to get clothes to fit, or look well because of your shape?

I'm big enough up top to make shirts a little awkward. This generally gets solved by leaving several buttons open and wearing a vest top underneath. Anything that hangs straight down from the boobs without pulling in somewhere makes me look pregnant. I've also never been able to find a pair of skinny jeans that would fit me properly due to having rather muscular calves - so I stick to bootcut, boyfit and flared jeans. Apart from that - no real issues.

Dudess · 16-06-2011 8:15pm

I have a love-hate relationship with it - some bits of it I'm really happy with, others... nah. Overall though, not bad - toned up and I'd be very happy with my shape.

gargleblaster · 16-06-2011 8:15pm

Oh I'm all over this. :pac: (Dang this addictive forum! I told myself no more boarding tonight and here I am again. I promise I'll shut up after this though.)

It was only in my early 20s that I realized that calling people 'skinny' could be an insult! My dad was always on my sisters and I about our weight and our looks, so I thought being skinny was the ideal. Little did I know.

I'm hourglass and happy enough now. It only took me 26 years to feel even somewhat happy though, and only in the very recent past that I've started to feel actually comfortable. It kills me to think of all the anguish I caused myself by buying into what I was told. :rolleyes:

I'm more concerned by weight, especially as I get older and it gets harder to maintain it. I wish I had the energy to work out as much as I used to, but your priorities change over time, too.

Sibylla · 16-06-2011 8:18pm

I'm a size 8 and pretty much have a straight down body shape. I'm quite happy with that. Most women would be apple or pear shapes I think, The hourglass figure is the most desirable in my opinion. Kelly Brook has a fantastic figure without being too skinny.

borderlinemeath · 16-06-2011 8:36pm

Some days I'm fairly happy with my body, other days I cringe when I look in the mirror.

I'm a bit of a pear, I have a small enough chest, slightly bigger hips and a "squishy" bum. I have fairly broad shoulders so I look balanced enough from the front but sideways I'm a bit lumpy.

I really don't like my thighs, they can look turkey drumstick at times, but the main reason is a varicose vein on my right thigh that is visible and does effect what I wear.

I would be more concerned about shape than weight, but I'm just under 9stone so don't have a weight issue.

I don't find it too difficult to get clothes, I don't get hung up on sizes, I'm a size 10 or 12 depending on the shop but wouldn't get annoyed if I had to try a bigger size.

CnaG · 16-06-2011 8:37pm

I've been kind of insecure about weight/shape since I was 11 or so. More so as a teenager. Probably was up until college, and still am on a rare occasion. I would describe myself as (very) curvy in that I measure the same around my bust and arse, but have a waist. I'm 5ft 9 and most of my clothes are a 14. Particularly on top I occasionally have difficulty fitting a 14, because the standard cup size allowed for in most clothes seems to be a B or C, and I'm... bigger :P. Then again, sometimes if there is enough cleavage room I can fit a twelve. It depends really.

Part of the problem as a teenager, I think, was having to wear a uniform. I was pretty much always one of the biggest (height and width wise) in my class. It didn't help that I got pretty much no male attention during these years :cool:. Of course, I realise now that shouldn't have mattered, but at the time it did.

It sounds a bit corny, but it was only really in college that I kind of accepted my figure. I've been this general shape since I was 14, and I'm ok with it now. Lots to dislike in life/society/the world apart from my figure, which is unlikely to change much unless I undertake drastic dietary measures (unlikely to happen, I like my food

).

With regards to clothing, it seems to me a lot of high street fashion stores don't actually seem to stock up to size 14, or when they do it isn't big enough around the bust. I like Next and Marks and Spencers for work clothes mainly, they always have stuff of decent quality that fits really well. I am also convinced that a good-fitting bra can help anyone's figure, no matter what size that figure is, and (IMHO) Marks do the best bras.

I'd buy more casual stuff in our local Vincent de Paul store (all their stuff is second-hand, but like new). Second hand stores generally tend to have quite a lot of my stuff in my size actually, for whatever reason. The trick to to avoid looking like you looted yer granny's wardrobe

daenerysstormborn3 · 16-06-2011 8:39pm

flutterflye wrote: »

What type of shape do you have to your body? - Hourglass I suppose. People always tells me I'm very well proportioned.

Are you happy, or at least content, with your shape? - No but unfortunately due to being ill, being out of work and then back to work and having no time to work out I haven't been able to do much exercise wise but I eat very healthily.

Are you more concerned or bothered by your body shape, or your general weight? - More concerned by body shape rather than weight.

Do you find it difficult to get clothes to fit, or look well because of your shape? - Only jeans give me jip and I have to search for the "just right" pair but otherwise it's handy enough.

Unfortunately a good buddy of mine falls into the category of being "so thin it's okay to criticise them" rather than "so fat you can only say nice things about them".

Catari Jaguar · 16-06-2011 8:41pm

Have tried really hard to lose weight for the past year. Now I'm 34 - 26 - 33

Happy days...

borderlinemeath · 16-06-2011 8:53pm

pixiebean22 wrote: »

Unfortunately a good buddy of mine falls into the category of being "so thin it's okay to criticise them" rather than "so fat you can only say nice things about them".

A relative of mine is so thin and cannot put on weight, she's a size 6:eek: at 5ft 7in. She was a size 8 for ages but has been fairly stressed out for the past 6 months, and the weight has fallen off her and she cannot put it back on, she eats a fairly decent amount of food but it just won't stay on weightwise.

daenerysstormborn3 · 16-06-2011 8:58pm

Same for my buddy, she eats rings around her and still like a whippet. She gets some awful comments where she works though. If she decides to eat a salad she's told "sure you don't need to eat that sort of stuff" and if she decides to eat a snackbox she's told "oh it's fine for you to eat that, you're so skinny".

I don't think anyone should comment on anyone else's weight but it's ironic that if someone is actually so overweight it's effecting their health that it would still be frowned upon to comment in a constructive way.

xaoifsx · 16-06-2011 9:01pm

i'm a banana :pac:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa641Awmj0E

Eve_Dublin · 16-06-2011 9:05pm

I'd have an hour glass figure. I don't know my exact measurements but I take 34 in jeans, small waist and my bra would be a 32 D cup but my arse and thighs are definitely curvy. I hold most of my weight there. I'm about 9 stone. Am I happy...at the moment, when I look in the mirror I'm generally pleased with what I see. I like my curves but then I step outside and I'll be honest, at the moment, it's difficult living in a country of tiny, beeeautiful women, particularly when I eat very well and go to the gym every 2 days. I am the weight I am and I can't see anything dramatic happening anytime soon. Most days I feel great but the Summer is here which means shedding the clothes and I'd be more self-conscious than normal, at least now with the beginning of the really hot weather.

One of my students in one of my classes today couldn't have one of the chocolates I brought in for the class (end of term) and I asked her why. She's on something called the Dukan diet that I never heard of and the whole class were stunned I'd never heard of it. One student commented that it was huge among Spanish women at the moment..everyone was on it...I dunno, I've never said no to something I wanted but I don't buy biscuits and stuff because I've no willpower. This student is smaller than me and doesn't need to go on any sort of diet. I sometimes feel like I'm doing something wrong, that I'm not keeping up with what other women are doing here. I NEVER felt that way back home. Buying clothes is a bit of a mare here as well. Clothes aren't made for an Irish build here.

Generally though, it's not a problem. As I said, I like what I see in the mirror most of the time but I do start thinking my arse and tighs are too big sometimes (at the moment, a fair bit) when I look around in spite of myself BUT the fact of the matter is, I'm taking care of myself without being obsessive and I'm healthy. The guy I'm seeing loves my bum. I go out for beers without beating myself up over it and I'd always take a chocolate if someone offered it to me. Life is too short.

G86 · 16-06-2011 9:10pm

I really don't have the typical Irish women shape, which seems to be the whole pear/hour glass shape. I never put weight on my lower body and I've narrow enough hips and very slim legs, it all goes on my stomach if I do put weight on so I can never get fat and use the 'curvy line! 'Curvy' is hot when the curves are on your ass/hips - not your belly!:o I'd love wider hips and a bigger ass, as it'd be easier to get clothes to fit! But I'm a size 12 with good arms/legs/boobs so I'm happy with that!:)

flutterflye · 16-06-2011 9:11pm

Kya1976 wrote: »

I am a lot happier with my shape now than I ever was when I was younger. You have too many silly hangups when you're younger(or I did anyway).

Yes, I totally agree.
I spent far too much of my teenage years obsessing and over-analyzing how I looked.
I'm by no means at the point yet where I am happy in my skin, but I have let go of the vast majority of my hang-ups over the years.

rainbow kirby wrote: »

I've also never been able to find a pair of skinny jeans that would fit me properly due to having rather muscular calves - so I stick to bootcut, boyfit and flared jeans. Apart from that - no real issues.

Actually, on the muscular calf issue - I am short in height with size 5 feet.
Off I go to buy boots - :mad: They won't fit!
I find it so hard to get boots that I like that don't dig into my calves.
I had forgotten how much that made me angry until right now!

gargleblaster wrote: »

Oh I'm all over this. :pac: (Dang this addictive forum! I told myself no more boarding tonight and here I am again. I promise I'll shut up after this though.)

It was only in my early 20s that I realized that calling people 'skinny' could be an insult! My dad was always on my sisters and I about our weight and our looks, so I thought being skinny was the ideal. Little did I know.

I'm hourglass and happy enough now. It only took me 26 years to feel even somewhat happy though, and only in the very recent past that I've started to feel actually comfortable. It kills me to think of all the anguish I caused myself by buying into what I was told. :rolleyes:

I'm more concerned by weight, especially as I get older and it gets harder to maintain it. I wish I had the energy to work out as much as I used to, but your priorities change over time, too.

Fully agree with your whole post.
Especially the needing energy to work out!
Even though we all know that exercise gives us energy, it's so hard to push yourself initially to get the point where you are feeling the benefits.
Actually, I find the idea of it the problem - building it up so much that you exhaust yourself before you get off the couch!

Sibylla wrote: »

The hourglass figure is the most desirable in my opinion. Kelly Brook has a fantastic figure without being too skinny.

Yeah, although it's just another idea fed to us by the media/society, I would love the hour glass figure too.
I would have it if I got a boob job.

borderlinemeath wrote: »

I look balanced enough from the front but sideways I'm a bit lumpy.

Yes! Me too!
I got a present at christmas of a lovely dress - That I can never wear!

I'm a size 8, so not fat, but my god this dress makes me look enormous, but just from the side. Really flattering and pretty from the front. Ah well!
I'm sure Bernardo's will appreciate it.

Dolbert · 16-06-2011 9:29pm

I'm the dreaded apple shape. Always put on weight on the mid-section, with weirdly lean muscular legs. I know I need to diet when I get the 'egg on toothpicks' sillhouette :pac:

rainbow kirby · 16-06-2011 9:37pm

flutterflye wrote: »

Actually, on the muscular calf issue - I am short in height with size 5 feet.
Off I go to buy boots - :mad: They won't fit!
I find it so hard to get boots that I like that don't dig into my calves.
I had forgotten how much that made me angry until right now!

Same problem with knee-high boots here. I was lucky to get a pair in M&S last year that fit me well, but they are falling apart now (after wearing them to death over the winter) and the thought of boot-shopping again come September/October is not exactly filling me with joy.

CnaG · 16-06-2011 9:39pm

And me. Only pair of knee-high boots I've ever had came from Marks, and they probably only fit because they were made of stretchy material

valerie · 16-06-2011 9:51pm

flutterflye wrote: »

Actually, on the muscular calf issue - I am short in height with size 5 feet.
Off I go to buy boots - :mad: They won't fit!
I find it so hard to get boots that I like that don't dig into my calves.
I had forgotten how much that made me angry until right now!

I pretty much have the exact same shape as Rainbow Kirby - get more frustrated with the short legs/long torso combination than the hourglass aspect. Can sometimes end up looking like my legs only start from the knees.
Clarks and Evans both do wide fitting for calves.

Yes! Me too!
I got a present at christmas of a lovely dress - That I can never wear!
I'm a size 8, so not fat, but my god this dress makes me look enormous, but just from the side. Really flattering and pretty from the front. Ah well!
I'm sure Bernardo's will appreciate it.

I had a similar problem with a dress I bought for work recently. Was standing kind of awkwardly at one point and a patient asked me if I was pregnant. I've no washboard but it's fairly flat but some dresses really aren't that flattering. Have worn it since with some supportive underwear which I generally abhor but I really don't want to get rid of the dress. It did look better but not slouching would probably be more useful.

Novella · 16-06-2011 10:17pm

My body shape... hmm...

My weight on the scales goes up and down, up and down. I lose weight. I put weight on. I vary between a size 8 and at my biggest, I was a 12. I constantly have a different body shape. Sometimes I think I look great, others I am really paranoid.

Overall, I'm quite tall and I guess long so I like that.

Dudess · 16-06-2011 10:26pm

G86 wrote: »

I never put weight on my lower body and I've narrow enough hips and very slim legs, it all goes on my stomach if I do put weight on

Dolorous wrote: »

I'm the dreaded apple shape. Always put on weight on the mid-section, with weirdly lean muscular legs.

Said it in the porn thread (it's taken a new direction

) but I'm the same. When I was younger I focused more on the negative - not having a flat stomach (unless I starved myself) but now I focus on the positives: slim from the arse downwards and big boobs - come on... not bad!

I do get irked by my stomach's sticking out tendency, and skimpy little tops don't suit me - I wear floaty empire-line tops... but make up for this with plunging necklines and short skirts. :pac:

Chuchoter · 16-06-2011 11:35pm

I've completely changed shape in the last couple of years. I used to be very pronounced hourglass, still am but much less so. I don't know, I'm not a great fan of my body, I'd like to be taller and less slight. I don't like the way clothes look on me more than I dislike my actual body.

Hermione* · 17-06-2011 12:04am

G86 wrote: »

I really don't have the typical Irish women shape, which seems to be the whole pear/hour glass shape. I never put weight on my lower body and I've narrow enough hips and very slim legs, it all goes on my stomach if I do put weight on so I can never get fat and use the 'curvy line! 'Curvy' is hot when the curves are on your ass/hips - not your belly!:o I'd love wider hips and a bigger ass, as it'd be easier to get clothes to fit! But I'm a size 12 with good arms/legs/boobs so I'm happy with that!:)

+1 on not being able to use the curvy line. It'd be so handy! I put all my weight on my stomach/waist :mad:

I'm a boyish shape - narrow shoulders, slim hips, small bum, never put weight on my legs. But I have apple-ish tendencies as all my weight goes on my stomach. Mostly, I like my shape. I'm tall and I like my narrow frame. Even at my current heavier weight, I'm still a size 10 in most shops. I don't like my tummy at all but that's a work in progress, and I know if I can keep doing what I'm doing now, eventually that'll get smaller.*

*in about 2013 or so.

Mayo Miss · 17-06-2011 12:17am

I'm barrel shaped. I'm only 5ft 3 with enough boobage for 3 women. I carry a lot of weight on my stomach.
Last year I managed to lose 3 stone but have put it all back on. Oh how I love my food!
Clothes shopping is a nightmare for me.

Lia_lia · 17-06-2011 12:39am

What type of shape do you have to your body?

I've a very boyish shape. Tall (a bit over 5'9"), no boobs (32/34a

), size 8, really skinny legs...etc.. I have a bit of an arse in comparison to the rest of my body...but that's it really!

Are you happy, or at least content, with your shape?

Yeah, I guess. I'd like to have bigger boobs, but that's it really. Always wanted to be shorter when I was younger but I like being tall now.

Are you more concerned or bothered by your body shape, or your general weight?

I'm not really concerned with any of it.

Do you find it difficult to get clothes to fit, or look well because of your shape?

Yeah, I often find it difficult to find dresses to be fitted in the chest area. Even in the smallest size they usually hang off me. And I find it hard to find boots to fit me because my calves are quite thin. And jeans, because I'm just a weird shape. But generally I can wear pretty much anything in comparison to most people because I'm so tall/straight up and down. Whoop!

17-06-2011 12:51am

I am happy with my body.

I gave up really caring a long time ago, It just consumed too much of my time being too conscious. . so I thought f%^k it.

I am a pear shape.
So I carry whatever weight I have on my stomach and hip area.
I'm 5'8, 34B have long skinny legs, a long torso.
And I am a size ten. . so I am happy with that.

liliq · 17-06-2011 1:04am

Ugh... I have major body image issues most of the time!

Shape wise... I don't know really what shape I am! I'm kinda big all over... I have broad shoulders, big boobs, no waist, wide hips, and big legs!
Not happy or content with my shape at all... or my weight!
Finding clothes... I've good days and bad days with this!
At my heaviest I was 16 stone, at my lightest I was about 10.5 stone... at 5'11" a good weight for me is prob 11.5 stone.

i was very easy on myself the last year and a bit, cos I gave up smoking which was a huge thing for me. I had planned to be nice to myself for a year, but then finding out I was pregnant kinda extended that timeframe!!

Once baby comes I'm determined to get back to a shape and a weight I'm happy with- I'm not a small person naturally by any means, I do have "big bones", but I used to have a fab figure and I really want to get back to that!!! I know I'll feel better once I give myself a kick up the bum and just do it!!

Elmidena · 17-06-2011 1:09am

What type of shape do you have to your body? Hourglass I guess, size 6-8

Are you happy, or at least content, with your shape? Shape is fine, if I think my tummy is a little rounded but I know it's not, it's just not washboard flat and I'm good with that, I don't like the gym

Are you more concerned or bothered by your body shape, or your general weight? General weight, been a battle for years and now lucky to get over 7st. Not a problem for me but I find it hard to think someone would be turned on by sticky out bones

Do you find it difficult to get clothes to fit, or look well because of your shape? Yep, especially footwear! size 8 due to wide feet, but if I want boots or anything they assume I have elephant calves =( I find it difficult to find something with right gusset room also, as people also wrongly assume skinny legs=short

coffee_cake · 17-06-2011 8:38am

What type of shape do you have to your body?
Hourglass. large hourglass :pac: I'm about a 12-14

Are you happy, or at least content, with your shape?
Much happier since I lost a stone but yes

Are you more concerned or bothered by your body shape, or your general weight?
Need to lose more but otherwise quite happy with it

Do you find it difficult to get clothes to fit, or look well because of your shape?
Same as kirby with the shirts - E cup does not make for buttoned up shirts!!
I think skirts probably suit me more than trousers too so I should wear more of those... but otherwise not really. I do wish shops would be more consistent in their sizing though...

diddlybit · 17-06-2011 9:31am

Hermione* wrote: »

+I'm a boyish shape - narrow shoulders, slim hips, small bum, never put weight on my legs. But I have apple-ish tendencies as all my weight goes on my stomach. Mostly, I like my shape. I'm tall and I like my narrow frame. Even at my current heavier weight, I'm still a size 10 in most shops. I don't like my tummy at all but that's a work in progress, and I know if I can keep doing what I'm doing now, eventually that'll get smaller.*

You're me, aren't you? I could have written this apart from the fact that I'm about a size 6. Been sick for a while and havne't been training so my stomach now resembles a mini-beach ball.

Even so, I never really had any hang-ups about my body, I think that came from my parents. In fact, I think I appreciate the strange things more...like the fluffy belly and the size nine feet on a five.five frame.

Saying that though I am still bummed that I never grew into those feet.

Your Body Shape?

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