You Are More Than a Body Type

At BU Style, we believe that it’s crucial to embrace body diversity and promote body positivity.

Our bodies do incredible things! We can walk miles, sprint, carry heavy loads, cozy up on the sofa, create comfort to others with a hug, and don’t even get me started on childbirth. Our bodies are truly amazing. Why shouldn’t we focus on the miracle of all the things our bodies can do, instead of reducing ourselves into something as small and insignificant as… fruit? Or an hourglass?

There isn’t a huge amount of research available on the subject of body types, in terms of who created them. But we all know them: Apple, Pear, Banana, Strawberry, and Hourglass.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired of feeling like a smoothie ingredient instead of a person who has thoughts and opinions about the clothes that I wear.

Dr Amelia Serafine, faculty member at the History Department of San Antonio College in Texas, is an expert of Cultural History. She says,

“There are many more examples of different body shapes being idolized from the 20th century than there are from ancient Rome, Renaissance and early-modern periods. The huge volume of different ‘perfect’ body shapes in the last 100 years makes the point that body ideals are now changing so rapidly that it’s impossible to keep up. In fact, body ideals throughout history were largely fantasy, though people went to extraordinary lengths to try and meet them. Especially since the 19th century, most of these body ideals were created to exclude, to make people doubt themselves. If history has anything to teach us about the ideal body shape, it’s that it will change tomorrow."

We think Dr Serafine is on the money with this one. If you really think about it, a lot of messaging in society (subconscious or conscious) is geared towards making women feel like they can never catch up. That they’re always behind and, therefore, lesser-than. As Dr Serafine puts it simply: “It’s impossible to keep up.”

So, instead of trying to jam yourself into something that doesn’t make you feel great, or trying to change yourself to fit a fleeting societal standard, take Dr Serafine’s advice: “Personally, I think that the ‘ideal’ body is the one you’re living in. Treat it well, and enjoy its varying shapes and sizes–love it for being yours."

So, with that in mind, we wanted to share the ABCs of dressing for your body. To help enjoy “its varying shapes and sizes,” follow these steps:

—A: Accentuate. Identify what you like to accentuate. Collarbones? Your hips? Your waist? Your neck? Your arms? Find pieces that accentuate these features. Don’t feel great about how your waist? Instead, try to think about dressing in a positive light. “I don’t love my waist today, but I realize, when I really think about it, that I’m okay with how my collarbones look.” Fab! That’s a great place to start.

—B: Balance. Do you like to balance out your silhouette? Maybe you like accentuating your hips, but want to balance the top with a strong shoulder. Maybe you want to balance a long torso with high-waisted pants to make your legs look longer. Think of yourself as a whole person here, and think about the overall image and message you want to put out as well!

—C: Camouflage. Sometimes, we don’t feel like accentuating parts of our body, and that’s okay! So we can use objective style principles as a medium to achieve the goal of camouflaging things. That’s your choice and prerogative. For example, I sometimes love accentuating my hips, but other times, I want to camouflage them. When I want to do this, I wear wider-leg pants or an A-line skirt in order to more pointedy accentuate my waist those days!

So that’s the ABCs of dressing. Instead of thinking of yourself as a fruit or an hourglass, cut the noise and think about how clothes are making you feel. Ignore “ideal body type dressing” guides. These are inherently problematic; don’t let someone else dictate what is “correct.” Instead focus on honoring your amazing body and your specific goals for dressing it. What do you want to put out into the world? What do you want to tell yourself by the way you dress? How do you want to thank your body—a body that does so many amazing things? And, remember, these goals can change from day-to-day and setting-to-setting. You are in the driver’s seat!

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