Body shape

In the beginning there were only three shapes. You were either "normal", "top-heavy" or "bottom-heavy".
Then people started noticing that that wasn't enough. There has been more and more shapes added.
Looking at this mathematically, there is at least 18 different shapes.

N = normal W = wide O = no waist S = small

Actually, I should add a 3rd option for the waist, between those two, being "normal",

but I have applied "defined waist, non-defined waist".

There are two variations of all of this. 

People with short waist and long legs, and people with long waist and short legs.

Then we should mind such details like

-the shape of the shoulders - is it sharp and angular, or soft and round?

- shape of the butt - flat or round

- shape of the hips - round or square

- shape of the legs. Straight or curvy. Curvy lean or curvy muscular. 

- shape of your back. Round or straight? 

I'm starting to understand a style adviser who was ranting about Trinny's and Susannah's 12 body shapes.

So - I think I'll just follow his advice and pick from my body what I like the best and the least, and highlight the former and hide the latter - or trick the eyes from the "bad" bits into the "good" bits.

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There's some idiot online telling everyone that some women shouldn't be called "hourglasses or curvy" because they aren't, and that SHE knows, because she studies fashion.
Uhhuh.

Anyway, she claims that
Marilyn Monroe, Christina Hendricks and America Ferrera are not hourglasses, but pears
and
Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress and Kate Winslet are cones.
Uhhuh.

Instead of some subjective opinion, let's look at the ladies' measurements.
Hourglass is defined as
chest and hips about the same size - allowed difference 5%
waist about 75% of the chest/hip measurement.

Marilyn Monroe
36-23-36.
Chest and hips the same size. Waist 13 inches smaller, about 65% of the chest-hips measure.
Hourglass.

Raquel Welch
37-24-36.
Chest and hips about the same size, hips about 3% smaller.
Waist 12 inches smaller than the hips, about 66% of the chest-hip measurement.
Hourglass.

Ursula Andress
38-25-36.
Chest bigger than the hips, about 6% larger.
Waist 11 inches smaller than the hips, about 68% of the hip measurement.
Top hourglass.

Kate Winslet
34-26-36.
Hips bigger than chest, about 6% larger.
Waist 8 inches smaller than chest, 25% smaller.
Bottom hourglass.

Christina Hendricks
38-28-37.
Chest and hips about the same size, less than 5% difference.
Waist 9 inches smaller than hips, 25% smaller.
Hourglass.

All of these ladies are Caucasian and have a reasonably normal body.
That's what their measurements say. No subjective opinion.
Now, my subjective opinion of Ursula Andress is that she is top heavy, and not an hourglass,
but who am I to argue the measurements?

This "fashion studying expert" claims that pears can have big boobs.
No, they can't. That's kind of the definition of a pear.
The same way cones have a flat butt and not much of a waist.
The same way rulers don't have much of a waist, nor big boobs.

Also, Kate Upton is not hourglass-shaped, but she is definitely curvy.
She is also voluptuous.
Curvy and voluptuous are not synonymous to having an hourglass figure.

The stupid bitch also says:
"it's just the only bikini one I could find 
that showed she lacks the waist definition needed to be curvy"
Uhhuh... 
Don't you think it would be easier to find photos that show it,

if she really lacked the waist definition?

Some hourglasses have a narrow shoulders and back, some have wide.
You can't say if someone is an hourglass by showing a photo of her from behind.

Also, if a person is standing with hands over her head,
she is likely to have a SEEMINGLY narrower upper body.

As anyone "studying fashion" SHOULD KNOW, you can do a lot with a camera.
Depending on the camera angle, the way the model stands or wrists her body,
depending on what she is wearing,
one can add curves and definition even when there's none.

More disagreement with Kibbe

Here's some Classic faces.

Facial features: Chiseled, symmetrical and evenly spaced.
(Kibbe "chiseled" means that the face has sharpish edges, is precise and crisp, not soft, but not angular and pointy either.)

A Classic will not have prominent or exotic facial features or full and lush facial features (extremely round eyes, full lips, fleshy cheeks).

I don't think Isabelle Huppert is a Classic. Too yang face.

Here's some Dramatic Classic faces.

Facial Features: Usually moderate to large eyes, moderate lips.
A Dramatic Classic will not have extremely exotic or overly lush facial features.

And here's Jackie.

I don't think Katharine Ross belongs is Dramatic Classic either. Big yin eyes, soft, curvy yin mouth... I'd say she's Soft Natural. Her personal, chosen style is Natural.

Phylicia Rashad differs from the rest so much, I didn't even add her. Her chin is too small, her face heart-shaped, her eyes big and beautiful and lush...

Then the soft classics
 

"Facial features; Soft and full, slightly fleshy. Large eyes, soft cheeks, full lips. Symmetrical and evenly spaced.
A Soft Classic will not have a large or angular bone structure"
So Meryl Streep is not Soft Classics.

The lady who differs all too much from the rest in this category is Catherine Oxenberg. This is one of her modelin photos, and she's over 20 in it, so that's not some baby fat and not ready bone structure. She has round face, perhaps heart shaped. 100% yin. Now, a Soft Classic's face SHOULD be yin,

Now... Kibbe doesn't think women should be "ingénues", that is "soft gamines".
Kibbe also doesn't think women can have yang bones and yin flesh and/or face, at least if they are taller than 5'5. So all tall ladies with long, slender limbs and curves and heart shaped face are placed in classics. Kibbe treats Classics a bit as if they were grown up Gamines.

There really should be some sort of rules to help people better define the style.
Like
- diamond shape face = Dramatic
- square or rectangular face = Dramatic or Natural, depending on body type. Ectomorphs Dramatic, mesomorphs Natural.
- oval or oblong face = classic
- heart shaped, inverted triangle or round face = Romantic

If your body is long, straight and thin = dramatic
If your body is top-heavy, athletic = natural
If your body is more or less "figure 8" - moderate hourglass, either top or bottom = classic
If you're an oval, an apple, then it's about your shoulders.
If your shoulders are wide = natural,
                                  average = classic
                                  narrow = romantic
If your body is pear or hourglass = romantic
If your body is petite = gamine

Jackie

Kibbe classifies Jackie as a Dramatic Classic. I disagree with Kibbe a lot, and as we know it's not HIS categories, he just took an existing style chart and made it "his", so I don't think highly of his ability to actually define style.

Here's why I think he's wrong.

Jackie was quite tall (5'7), but because she had big head and short limbs, she looks shorter than she was, so her vertical line was smallish.
Being 5'7, she's too tall to be Classic, according to Kibbe... Hmm...

Her shoulders are pretty average, symmetrical, even, but... there's the sharpness, boniness of yang there... Her shoulders aren't as soft and smooth as Grace Kelly's.

Her arms and legs were very short in proportion to her height and torso.

Jackie had very square face, wide but not high cheekbones, wide nose, eyes far apart and straight eyebrows. A typical Natural face, according to Kibbe...

For bone structure, Jackie gets very mixed results. There's as much yang as there's yin and balanced added together, but not in a balanced way.

Her body is straight, in a broad, muscular manner.
Her limbs were moderate, but short.
Frankly, I'd say she was Gamine, but Kibbe says women of Jackie's length are not Gamine.

Her eyes are wide apart, her mouth is moderate full and average size, her cheeks are pretty broad but not angular, her nose is broad and short and her hair seems quite coarse to me. Also, her neck is quite sturdy and short.

Someone said that one could see that Jackie's natural style was exactly that, natural, when one looked at what she chose to wear when she wasn't the First Lady anymore.

Anyone else looking like Jackie would not be classified as Classic anything, by Kibbe or anyone else. Sure, she is a style icon for the classic style, but that's not her natural style. I think this harms the Kibbe system, as having Jackie in this category makes it hard to see who's natural and who's classic.

Kibbe quiz - How to interpret your results

Dominant answers in column A:
Extreme, sharp Yang - Dramatic

Dominant answers in column B:
Soft Yang - Natural

Dominant answers in column C:
Balanced between the extremes - Classic

Dominant answers in column E:
Extreme, soft Yin - Romantic

If answers are an even mixture of the extreme opposites of column A and column E:
Combination of opposites - Gamine

If answers are dominant column A, with several answers in column E as a strong secondary force:
Bold Yang with a pronounced Yin undercurrent - Soft Dramatic
Note: To qualify for this theme, your bone structure should be Yang-dominant while your body type (flesh) and/or your facial features should be primarily Yin.

If your answers are dominant column E and/or column D, with several answers in column A as a secondary force:
Soft Yin with a slight Yang undercurrent - Theatrical Romantic
Note: To qualify for this theme, your body type (flesh) and your facial features should be Yin-dominant while your bone structure should be slightly Yang-influenced.

If your answers are dominant column C, with several other answers in columns A and/or B:
Balanced, with a Yang influence - Dramatic Classic
Note: To qualify for this theme, your body type (flesh) and features should be primarily balanced between the extremes of Yin and Yang while your bone structure should be more Yang-influenced.

If your answers are dominant column C, with several answers in columns D and or E:
Balanced, with a Yin influence - Soft Classic
Note: To qualify for this theme, your bone structure should be primarily balanced between the extremes of Yin and Yang while your body type and facial features should be more Yin-influenced.

If your answers are dominant column B, with several answers from column A:
Strong Yang with blunt edges - Flamboyant Natural
Note: To qualify for this theme, your bone structure should be extremely Yang-dominant while your body type (flesh) and facial features will be moderately Yang-dominant.

If your answers are dominant column B, with several answers from columns D and/or E:
Soft Yang, with a Yin undercurrent - Soft Natural
Note: To qualify for this theme, your bone structure should be moderately Yang-dominant while your body type and facial features will be Yin-influenced.

If your answers have nearly an equal mixture of opposite extremes from columns A and E, while you also have several answers in column B:
Combination of opposites, extra Yang - Flamboyant Gamine
Note: To qualify for this theme, your bone structure and body type (flesh) should be Yang-dominate while your features and stature are Yin-dominate. Your facial bones will be from the strong, Yang side.

If your answers have nearly an equal mixture of opposite extremes from columns A and E, yet you also have several extra answers in column D:
Combination of opposites, extra Yin - Soft Gamine
Note: To qualify for this theme, your bone structure should be Yang- dominate while your body type (flesh) should be Yin-dominant. Your facial features should be extremely Yin-dominant.

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If you STILL are uncertain, here's the table, again. This is why you were to note the result for each part of the test for itself.



All the As and Bs are yang, Cs are balanced and Ds and Es yin.

David Kibbe's Metamorphosis example test, part III

Facial Features
The shape of my eyes is best described as:
a. Narrow, straight, closely spaced, or almond-shaped

b. Narrow, straight, widely spaced

c. Evenly spaced, symmetrical, moderate size

d. Rounded, slightly close together, possibly slightly almond-shaped or up-turned

e. Very round and very large

Deep set eyes and hooded eyes are usually yang features because of the dramatic, angular, sharp, high-contrast effect.
Unless the "hooded eyes" are like Marilyn Monroe's, round and innocent and childlike. Then it's very much a yin feature.

The shape of my lips is best described as:
a. Straight, narrow, sometimes described as "thin-lipped."

b. Straight, strong, slightly broad, but not full

c. Moderate, evenly shaped, neither straight nor overly full

d. Slightly full and rounded

e. Very full, very rounded, and very luscious

The flesh on my cheekbones could best be described as:
a. Taut and flat, even when overweight

b. Fairly taut, but I do tend to get a little "puffy" when I put on weight

c. Moderate, soft, but not puffy

 d. Soft and fleshy, and may bet extremely full with excess weight

e. Very soft, very fleshy, very round, even when I'm at my thinnest

Hair
a. Extremely finely textured (silky-smooth), either straight or with a slight bend
b. Strongly textured (coarse, heavy, either thick and straight or wavy/curly
c. Moderate texture, slightly wavy or with a bend
d. Moderately thick, with bend, wave, or curl
e. Extremely thick, with lots of wave or curl (with a soft surface)

Now, Kibbe has nose in facial bone structure, but I think it has a great impact on the impression one gets of a face. I mean... it's right in the middle  there :-D

6) The shape of my nose is best described as:
a. Sharp or prominent

b. Broad or blunt, but on the large side, possibly wide

c. Moderate, symmetrical, netiher overly large nor overly rounded

d. Delicate, tapered, narrow

e. Rounded or softly wide

Some extra help here.

All irregularities add yang to your face, like crooked nose or very dark and prominent eyebrows.
All softness and smoothness, like good skin, add yin.
If your face is symmetrical and mediocre in all ways, it's "balanced" and classic. Every feature that is not average, adds either yin or yang.

Big eyes - yin, small eyes - yang.
Big nose - yang, small nose - yin
Big chin - yang, small chin - yin
soft, round, small ears - yin, big, angular, pointy ears - yang.
Big teeth - yang, small, even teeth - yin
big, square forehead - yang, small, round forehead - yin
widow's peak - yin
square hairline - yang
if your face is extreme, has a lot of texture and angles, furrows and lines, this adds yang.
If your face is lushious and "exotic", has the so called bedchamber eyes, this is yin.

This is Chrishell Stubbs, and in her face you have all the yin features. Soft, smooth skin and cheeks, very lush lips, small nose, big, round eyes, smooth, regular, fine eyebrows, soft, round, small ears, tiny, round chin.

Here's Glenn Close, who is very yang in her features. Fine hair, relatively small eyes, big mouth, not much lips, nice big nose, strong jaw, high cheekbones, low eyebrows...

David Kibbe's Metamorphosis example test, part II

Body Type (Flesh)

8) The overall shape of my body is best described as:
a. Long, lean, sinewy
b. Broad, tending toward muscular
c. Symmetrical, evenly proportioned
d. Very shapely, a delicate hourglass
e. Very soft, lushly curved, a ripe hourglass

Now, I think Kibbe in reality only gives four alternatives. 

The skinny, bony model body, also called a pillar, a ruler, a banana, pencil, rectangle, straight - there isn't much difference between one's shoulders, ribcage, waist and hips. Thyroid body type, leptosome body type. Some of these women have a pear shaped body, meaning their hips are the widest part of their body, but their hips are then always flat and bony. If your body is "boyish", this is where it belongs according to Kibbe.

The athletic body, inverted triangle, V, strawberry, valkyrie body, top heavy, cornets, lollipops and goblets. This body shape is also called the android body type. The top of the body, shoulders and ribcage are more prominent than the hips. The hips are straight and the bottom flat.

Normal, average body. Chest and hips are about equally wide and there's a waist inbetween. One can be an inverted triangle, pear, hourglass, straight, but the difference is practically unnoticeable.

The hourglass body. Yin bodies are very shapely, curvy, fleshy. 

If you have big breasts, it doesn't mean that you cannot be A or B. Breasts add yin, though, so Dramatic women don't have naturally big breasts. If you have big breasts, add "yin points" to your "flesh" part of the quiz.

The same with weight. Fat doesn't change your body type, but the more you have it, the softer and more yin your body becomes. A fat Dramatic glides to Soft Dramatic, a fat Classic to Soft Classic etc.
The same with being skinny. The less fat you have, the sharper and more yang your body becomes. Skinny women need to add some "yang points".

9) My bustline/torso is best described as:
a. Flat, taut (I never seem to add flesh here, even when I'm overweight.)

b. Wide, broad (I tend to add a little flesh here when overweight, but not much

c. Moderate, in even proportion to my waist and hips

d. Shapely, curved, more prominent than my waistline (My torso is slightly short and I add flesh here, when overweight.)

e. Very prominent, lushly curved (Whether I'm thin or heavy, I'm always "busty.")

10) My waistline is best described as:
a. Elongated, but boyishly tapered (This is true even when I'm overweight.)

 b. Elongated, but tends to be very straight (if thin) or thick (if overweight)
(Both of the following are of Cameron Diaz. That's a model example of type B waist.)

c. Moderate, slightly defined, but not overly cinched

d. Very small, in proportion to my bust and hips

e. Softly defined, but tends to be slightly wide

11) My hipline could best be described as:
a. Tapered, straight, and boyishly narrow

b. Straight, slightly tapered, and slightly wide

c. Moderate, in even proportion to my bust and waistline

d. Shapely and rounded, more pronounced than my waistline

e. Extremely soft and rounded, whatever my weight

12) The flesh on my upper arms and thighs could best be described as:
a. Long, lithe, and sinewy
b. Elongated and tending toward muscular
c. Moderate, neither extremely soft nor extremely muscular or sinewy
d. Soft, slightly short
e. Very soft, slightly wide and fleshy

And now you are done with the second part of the quiz.

To refine the results, you can take the following quiz:
Are you an ectomorph, mesomorph or an endomorph?
What is your body type quiz
Ectomorph = a
Mesomorph = b, c
Endomorph = d, e