Do you know your body shape?

By: Nyakallo Tefu

Looking great is on every girl’s agenda, the only problem is when you don’t dress according to the shape of your body. To look great you need to wear something that really compliments your body. Speaking to fashion designer Danny Mdluli, he gave me three body types, which one are you?

• ·         Hourglass shape- “for women with this body, the bust and hip are approximately the same size, and the waist is narrow. This is the typical Beyoncé and JLo look”.
• ·         Pear Shaped figure- “Curvy hips, thick thighs, and a full bum are the key characteristics of the pear-shaped woman. Women who are Pear shaped are small up top and big down low”.
• ·         Rectangular body shape or the athletic shape- “These women are generally plank-like, they are the same size from bust waist and hips”

Have you found your body type yet? Now that you know what your body shape/type is, wouldn’t it be even better to know what would look better on you, something that will complement your body? Don’t worry, I got you, well Danny and I. According to Danny:

·         Hourglass body shaped woman's focal point is their waist. Women with this body shape have to avoid wear bulky clothes as it will take away from their initial shape. Key items to have are figure belts, fitted jackets (keep to short jackets) and dresses that hug the body.

·         Pear shaped figure- women with this type of body shape need to balance out their shape by wearing darker coloured pants or skirts and wearing bright coloured/ printed tops to draw the attention away from their wide hips.

·         Rectangle/ athletic body shape- women who have this shape look sporty their bust waist and hips are similar in size. These women have a free range to play with. Fitted clothing that hugs the body. Wearing layered skirts make the hips look bigger and wider.

Whenever I see people who don’t look nice in an outfit I always assume that they don’t have a nice body, yet after speaking to Danny my opinion changed, a lot. According to (Dailymail, 2014) a study found nine in ten women didn’t know their body shape- with many mistakenly believing they have a wasp waist and hourglass curves. Don’t you wonder why guys prefer certain types of body shapes? Well according to www.psychologytoday.com men haven’t a clue about why they prefer certain body shapes or why their brains light up when they see narrow waists and well-rounded hips and thighs.

“The ideal body shape we as a nation consider as sexy would be the hourglass or 8 body shape, not saying other body shapes aren't sexy.  But with whatever body shape you have, dressing it up to be in proportion is crucial”, says Danny. Society demands a bit too much from ladies, but I totally agree with society when it comes to body shape, ladies you need to wear according to your body type, just so you can look good and feel comfortable at the same time.

According to Danny:

One item that needs to exit your closet:

• ·         It’s difficult to say what women should get rid of but ill-fitting clothes need to go!

 Must have:

• ·         A quality statement necklace is a must.
• ·         The item every woman in the world needs to have is a good high waist black booty panty or the Bonang Distraction all in one body shaper.

You don’t need to limit yourself, but just be cautious of what you wear, don’t overdo it, remember simplicity is beautiful. All body shapes are beautiful, don’t forget that.