My body type is “pear shaped” according to the dozens of online body type quizzes I took when I was in middle and high school, which means I have a small waist in comparison to my hips and bust, which are both similar in measurement. And lucky for me, it also happens to be ~national pear month~ (shout out to myself). Either ways, I think the whole “body type” thing is categorical and not always accurate because your body type can change depending on where your bod decides to hold on to fat or muscle. Same with “dressing for your body,” it just places us into imaginary categories like you can’t wear a crop top if you don’t have a toned stomach.
Keeping both of these things in mind, I have experimented with a lot of different fashion styles and mixes over the years to make up for my insecurity on having more fat than the average person (I have like a 45 percentage total body fat). I’ve also always been pretty short, which doctors consistently pointed out in my struggle towards losing weight, even though all along I didn’t actually have to lose weight I just had to stop eating so much candy and actually move my limbs once in a while.
For a long time I thought this combination meant that 1) I was perpetually unattractive because I’d never get to be 5’10 like Cindy Crawford, and 2) I had to hide my body with baggy clothes because showing any extra skin or rolls was not allowed. Luckily, I realized these factors were both wrong when I turned eighteen and moved here!
Here are a few of fashion gainz I made over the past year. This advice doesn’t only apply to people with a body type similar to mine, but is fashion inspo available to everyone!
@philomenakwao
1. Baggy, high-waisted pants
I love these kinds of pants because I’m not super comfortable with exposing my bare tummy at times so the high waist kind of keeps everything under control. The bagginess is not necessary at all, I’ve just been a big fan of this style lately because the high waist also makes these pants tight around the booty so you can show off those curves, but the looseness in the legs is essential so you have room to stretch or do lunges or whatever.
@robsongirl
2. Tie everything up front
I love crop tops. I live and die for c r o p t o p s. Lately I’ve been a big fan of buying oversized turtlenecks and either cutting them into crop tops or tieing them in the front in a little loop (just like you’d tie a rope or a bun). This creates a cinched illusion in the waist or hips, and accentuates whichever area you want whether it be right under your bust, in the middle of your waist or cropping your shirt higher up your back. It’s still baggy enough that it looks relaxed but it’s cute.
3. Spanx = satan
I hate Spanx. A ton of people suggested I buy Spanx because of my body type and the struggles both I and society have had towards letting women actually have visible body fat. First of all, I took a before and after pic and neither my waist nor my tummy looked any different. The only way I found Spanx relevant at all was because I felt like I had no jiggley-ness because my fat was being constricted into a hellish spandex prison. I looked up Spanx reviews online and many people said they used Spanx more for the comfort and self-image boost than for the finished look. I just felt like my organs were merging into a human Pangea.
@naomishimada
4. Roll stigma? Outdated.
Maybe it’s because I follow so many curvy and plus-sized models on all my social media, but I feel like the stigma against rolls is cancelled. I remember ten years ago (at the risk of sounding like an old lady) I was so afraid of having ANY visible rolls, to the point where I would feel nervous about wearing bras because of the “back bulge”. I looked it up and everyone else seemed equally as afraid of “back bulge,” pointing my pre-pubescent self towards back workouts, corset-looking bras and shape wear. Nowadays, I see more and more women wearing tight body con dresses regardless of their body type. I feel like the naturally curvy figure of the female body is more beautiful than just one type of “perfect” body. Drawing attention to one’s natural curves is always a move I like to embrace.
And I don’t mean curves as in hips, breasts, etc. I mean actual fat! Who says love handles, a double chin or a potbelly can’t be cute?
Hey, what can I say. My body type is what it is and I wouldn’t change it for anything nowadays!
As for FAQ’s people who admit to having fat or having fat bodies get: yes, I eat a lot of sugar and I really do like eating candy more than I like eating anything else. Yep, I have fat and no, I’m not worried about my heart at the moment. I do get my share of protein and vegetables, and I’ve never had any health condition nor been close to having one. I’m not interested in losing weight or building muscle now, but if I ever choose to that’s up to me and my reasoning only. And no, I’m not as healthy as I could be but also that is my own damn business! Might as well call it like I see it.