One of the best ways to start making a name for yourself, especially while still in college is through social media. Whether you want to start posting your own social media content to improve self-confidence or you want to start working toward influencer status, it’s so important that your photos express your personality while flattering your body shape. You want your followers to see the real you in your photos! Try to shy away from photo editing and instead learn which poses work best for your individual body shape. Three of the most common body shapes are hourglass, inverted triangle or rectangle. Just because these are some common body types listed on the internet does NOT mean that your body has to fit inside the mold or description of one of these. I’m just listing the most common ones so you can hopefully find one that similarly matches your own body shape. Listen up! EVERYBODY IS BEAUTIFUL. Every individual body is unique and different, that’s what makes us human. If we all had the same body shape and if we all looked the same, the world would be quite boring, wouldn’t it? Imagine walking down the street and seeing the exact same person over and over again. Honestly, that sounds terrifying. When reading this article and understanding the different body types, remember that no body shape is superior. These body shapes are simply here to help you identify which clothing types work for your body, which poses flatter your shape etc. I think it’s so exciting knowing that there is no other person in the world that looks exactly like you. I believe that’s one of the most intriguing parts of social media as well! You can express yourself freely because you are the only person in the entire world that has that shade of blue eyes or that specific shape of your top lip. In pop culture today, there are fruit analogies that go along with body shape identification. I will not be using fruit metaphors (pear, apple, banana, etc.) simply because I don’t think they’re effective. In my opinion, fruit metaphors talk about a woman’s body type in a much more opinionated way, while descriptive words like hourglass and triangle are much more scientific. If you don’t want your body to be compared to fruit, don’t worry, I feel the same way. So now, let’s break down some body shapes so hopefully, you’ll be able to find one that resembles your unique, gorgeously individual figure.
- Hourglass Shape
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The hourglass shape is when your hips and chest are equal or close to equal in size and your waist is smaller than both. Your shoulders are most likely rounded and soft and your legs proportionate to the rest of your body. Within the hourglass shape, there are two subsections; top hourglass and bottom hourglass. If your body is a top hourglass shape that means your bust measurements are slightly bigger than your hips and if you’re a bottom hourglass shape your hips measurements are bigger than your bust. If you look in the mirror and see an hourglass shape, A-line skirts, form-fitting knits, tailored jackets or slightly flared pants might look really flattering on you. Now, when it comes to poses for the hourglass shape, you’re going to always want to choose a post that flatters the curves of your body. Something that could show off your waist as well as the curves of your hips and bust. Show off those curves girl! The next time you find yourself taking photos for your Instagram or Pinterest, try throwing your arms up. This might sound a bit weird, but with your arms up you’ll be able to show more of those stunning curves. So with your hands up, put all your weight onto one leg, making your hip pop. Another pose for the hourglass shape would be to put one hand behind your waist casually. By putting an arm behind your waist we’ll be able to see more of that striking silhouette. Maybe even try “fixing” your outfit for a more candid photo. Candid photos make the most authentic and interesting Instagram content in my opinion. Just seeing you feeling natural is really intriguing for a follower/supporter!
- Triangle Shape
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If you’re a triangle body shape, you might look in the mirror and see that your top half is narrower than your bottom half; your shoulders and chest area are slimmer than your waist and hips. Your hips and thighs might be stunningly well-developed. You might see that your arms are a bit slim. With this body shape, you might be encouraged to wear waist-encouraging clothing. So maybe crop tops, low-waisted pants, something that can show off your gorgeous transition from waist to hips. For this body shape, try a sitting pose; sitting with one leg flat and one leg up while leaning on one arm can be really flattering for a triangle shape. Another really flattering pose for the triangle shape is a side profile shot. Try turning to the side and then changing your eye focus to the camera. This will allow the camera to see your beautiful lines from your chin all the way down to your legs. For a candid shot, try walking with your side facing the camera, just stepping forward and back to capture some motion in the photo.
- Rectangle Shape
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The rectangle shape is when your waist, shoulders, hips and bust are all the same width. Your shoulder line and ribcage are straight, creating a beautiful line from your shoulders all the way down your legs. For this body shape, work on creating dimension in your figure. So try putting one leg forward while putting all your weight on the back leg and play with those arms! Throw them up in the air, put them on your hips, create some dimension! Also, photos taken from a lower angle might also be really flattering for your body shape. When taking pictures, take all this into account but also make sure you’re having fun and that you’re not restricting yourself within the realms outlined in this article.
Now, if your body shape was not described here, good! It shouldn’t be! There’s never going to be a body that perfectly fits into the mold of an hourglass shape, a triangle shape or rectangle. These are shapes! We are human! Obviously not shapes. So don’t compare yourself to a circle, a square, a rectangle, a triangle or any of those demeaning fruit analogies. You are a beautiful human with a unique body shape, a body shape no one else on this planet has. Embrace that uniqueness and love yourself for it. Find similarities in these body shapes within your body type and use the similarities to amp up your social media! Social media should be all about empowerment and receiving support from others. Somewhere along the way social media quickly turned into a place for people to hide behind a screen and share their opinions which most of the time are degrading. Use this time in quarantine to reinvent your social media and make it all about empowering the amazing human you are. Make sure people know it’s a safe space for you to explore and create art and if people don’t understand that, move on from them. Use your social media to grow in your career, your personal life and most importantly in self-confidence. Post! See what happens!