How to Determine Your Body Type

Oftentimes, understanding your body shape is not that easy. We perceive ourselves and those around us subjectively, which means our eyes and mirror can play tricks on us. But if you take a few simple measurements and analyze them, it will be very easy for you to determine your body shape.

5-Minute Crafts is going to tell you how to figure out what type of body shape you have.

How to take measurements correctly

In order to get accurate measurements, it’s better to remove your outer clothes and measure your body over your underwear. Or you can put on tight sporty clothes like a tank top and leggings.

1. Bust girth
Wrap a measuring tape over your bust and adjust it so it’s parallel to the floor. Make sure it runs along with the most prominent points and rests on the chest freely, without overtightening it. Check the measurement and jot down the result.

2. Waist circumference
Wrap the measuring tape around your waist (usually it’s the narrowest part of your belly) again, adjusting so it’s parallel to the floor. Make sure it fits tightly against your body but don’t tighten it too much. Check the measurement and jot down the result.

An important note: Pay attention that your navel is lower than your waistline, not on it. The waist is normally located a few inches lower than the chest.

3. Hip girth
Place the measuring tape around the widest part of your hips, lower than your hip bone. Wrap it around your hips and slide over the prominent points of your buttocks. Make sure the tape is located horizontally and jot down the result that you get.

4. Shoulder girth
Wrap the measuring tape around your shoulders so that it goes around their widest part and so it’s positioned horizontally. Take the measurement and write it down.

An important note: It’s quite difficult to take this measure by oneself that’s why it’s better to ask for someone’s help in advance.

What to do after your take all the measurements

After you take all the measurements, analyze the results of your measurements.

Here are several questions that can help you with it:

• Which part of your measurements had the biggest number?
• How different is it from other measurements? Could you call it dominant?
• How do your shoulders, bust, and hip sizes compare with each other?
• Can you say that you have a well-defined waist?

Determine the type of your body shape based on the following characteristics:

• If the lower part of your body is a lot larger than the upper part — you have a triangle type of body shape (also called “pear”).
• If the upper part of your body is bigger than the lower part — “inverted triangle.”
• If your body shape is wider in the upper and middle parts and is much narrower at the bottom part — “oval” (“apple”).
• If it’s almost a straight body, without many curves — “rectangle.”
• If the upper part of your body is almost the same as the bottom part, and you have a thin waist — “hourglass.”

Please read the more detailed characterization of a suitable body shape to be able to compare and match it with the specifics of your body.

“Triangle” (“pear”)

The characteristic features of the “triangle” body shape:

• The hip girth is more than 5 percent, or larger, than the bust or shoulder girth.
• Your shoulders can be quite narrow. Your bust might not be large.
• The waistline is clear and clearly visible against large hips.
• Legs can be slightly plump, massive, or muscular.

“Inverted triangle”

The characteristic features of the “inverted triangle” body shape:

• Shoulders are much wider than the hips. In this case, the shoulders’ girth will be 5 percent or bigger than the girth of the hips.
• Shoulders in this type of body shape can look quite athletic: they can be massive and even slightly “square.” The size of the bust can vary from big to small.
• Oftentimes, those who have wide shoulders also have beautiful legs, flat hips and buttocks, and a poorly defined waist.
• People with an “inverted triangle” body type oftentimes have athletic body shapes.

“Oval” (“apple”)

The characteristic features of the “oval” body shape:

• All the volume in this type of body shape is concentrated in the middle part. That’s why, in some cases, the indicators of the volume of the bust, waist, and hips may not differ much.
• Round and wide shoulders, a large bust (it is usually medium or large), hips that are slightly smaller in size.
• The waist can be poorly defined and that’s why this type of body shape oftentimes has a protruding belly. It can be round and curvy.
• Also, those who have an oval body type oftentimes have beautiful legs with thin ankles.

“Rectangle”

The characteristic features of the “rectangle” body shape:

• The body shape of this type has shoulders, a bust, and hips that are equally the same size, lacking a well-defined waist. In this case, the measurements of the waist circumference will differ from the measurements of the chest circumference by less than 25%.
• Oftentimes, “rectangles” lack the natural curves of the body. They have straight hips, small bellies, and busts that are modest in size.
• Those who have the “rectangle” body shape are often very tall and slim.

Hourglass

The characteristic features of the “hourglass” body shape:

• A well-defined waist and almost equal shoulders and hips (or bust and hips) are the main sign of the “hourglass” body shape.
• Usually, hips and buttocks have round shapes. Shoulders are round as well.
• The waist is small.