What Is My Body Shape? 5 Basic Female Shapes & How To Dress Them

Plus, the celebrities with bodies just like yours!

By SheKnows — Last updated on Mar 13, 2023

Photo: Karen Cox / SheKnows

If, like us, you grew up reading lots of fashion advice about what to wear to flatter your body, and therefore you also know that the struggle to figure out which of the many beautiful body types you actually have is real. And yet, figuring it out is essential when dressing your body for fashion success.

It may sound trivial, but in reality, there are advantages to knowing what body type you have, especially when it comes to knowing which clothing choices will be the most flattering and attractive on you.

Celebrity stylist Corey Roché offered us simple explanations for each of the five basic female body shapes so you can figure out which one you have, as well advice on wardrobe essentials for your shape.

How to find your body type

To find out your body shape you will have to measure your shoulders, your bust, your waist, and your hips. When you're done, use those measurements to help you figure out what shape most fits your body.

What are the 3 main body types?

While there are several body shapes, there are three main body types: Ectomorphs, Endomorphs, and Mesomorphs.

1. Ectomorph

Ectomorphs tend to be long and lean with little body fat or muscle. This body type loses weight easily.

2. Endomorph

Endomorphs have curvier bodies with plenty of body fat and muscle. This body type gains weight easily.

3. Mesomorph

Mesomorphs have a balanced amount of body fat and muscle. This body type is often described as athletic, strong, and solid.

What is my body type?

After taking your measurements, read through the descriptions of each of the five main female body shapes below to see which is most like yours, which celebrities share your type of figure, and the best clothing choices for to your flatter your shape.

Apple-shaped body type

Celebrities with an apple body shape:

Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Hudson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Tyra Banks

How to tell if you have an apple-shaped body:

"Your shoulders and hips are around the same size," Roché says. "Apple-shaped ladies have little difference between the measurements of their chest, waist, and hips. You as an apple-shaped girl have chest and waist size measurements that are fairly close, but your hips are about six inches smaller than your chest."

Apple body shape traits:

Your hips and shoulders are about the same width; waistline has the same width or is wider.
You gain weight mainly around the waist, at least in proportion to the other parts of your body.
You have slender lower legs and arms.
Your high hip is wider than your lower hip.
Your bust and midriff are larger than your hips.
You are short-waisted.
Your thighs or hips are the narrowest part of your body.

10 best clothing choices for an apple-shaped body:

Bras that support and lift
Trouser jeans
Colorful medium-heeled pumps
Single-breasted, tailored and structured jackets
Sheath dresses in a firm fabric
Knee-length structured pencil skirts
Form-fitting tops in stiff fabrics
Straight-leg pants with a flat front
Belted trench coats with epaulets
Swing tops

Pear-shaped body type

Celebrities with a pear body shape:

Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Kelly Clarkson, and Rihanna

How to tell if you have a pear-shaped body:

"Your hips are wider than your shoulders," Roché says, "They are also wider than your bust, making them the widest area of your body. In numbers, your hip measurement is more than five percent bigger than your shoulder or bust measurements. With a pear figure, one of your best assets is your slim midriff, which many women envy you for. Make sure to show off your killer waist and balance your wider lower half. These basic items should be the foundation of a great wardrobe."

Pear body shape traits:

Your hips are wider than your shoulders.
You have round, sloping shoulders.
You have a well-defined waistline (and might even have killer abs).
Your buttocks and thighs are the fullest part.
You tend to gain weight in your thighs.

10 best clothing choices for a pear-shaped body:

Bright scarves
Knee-length A-line skirts
Form-fitting blouses with ruffles
Long A-line coats that end below the widest part of thehips
Classic or open-toe pumps in nude
Short, fitted jackets with puff sleeves that end at the waist
Empire-line dresses that flare out with details around the bust
Figure-hugging off-the-shoulder tops in light or bright colors
Form-fitting shirts with boat necks and big sleeves
Boot-cut stretch jeans in dark denim

Hourglass-shaped body type

Celebrities with an hourglass body shape:

Kim Kardashian, Dita Von Teese, Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, and Eva Longoria

How to tell if you have an hourglass-shaped body:

"Your shoulders and hips are around the same size," Roché says. "Your waistline is significantly smaller. The rule of thumb here is about 75 percent: Your shoulder and hip measurements are within five percent of each other. Your waist is at least 25 percent smaller than your shoulder, hip and bust measurements. Your waist is eight to 12 inches smaller than your hip or bust measurement."

Hourglass body shape traits:

Your hips and shoulders are about the same width.
You have round, sloping shoulders.
You have a well-defined waistline.
Did we mention cleavage?
Your buttocks are rather round.
Your lower hips are wider than your high hips.
Your thighs are full but narrower than your lower hips.
You gain weight through your hips and above the waist.

10 best clothing choices for an hourglass-shaped body:

Wrap dresses
Belted, figure-hugging coats
Mid-sized belts
High-rise pencil skirts in soft fabrics
Straight-leg high-rise trousers with a defined waistband
Figure-hugging sweaters in fine knit with a rounded V-neck
Classic pumps
High-rise jeans with stretch in a boot-cut style
Well-fitting, supportive bras
High-rise A-line skirts

Rectangle-shaped body type

Celebrities with a rectangle body shape:

Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Cameron Diaz, and Sophie Turner

How to tell if you have a rectangle-shaped body:

"Rectangles have a very athletic frame," Roché says. "That allows them to wear boyish clothes as well as a wide range of feminine ones. Your shoulders, waistline, bust, and hips are around the same size. Your shoulder, bust, and hip measurements are within five percent of each other. Your waist is less than 25 percent smaller than your shoulder or bust measurements. Waist measures from one to eight inches (2.5 cm – 20 cm) smaller than the bust."

Rectangle body shape traits:

Inverted triangle-shaped body type

Celebrities with an inverted body shape:

Naomi Campbell, Demi Moore, Renée Zellweger, Miley Cyrus and Victoria Beckham

How to tell if you have an inverted triangle-shaped body:

"Your shoulders are wider than your hips," Roché says. "They are the widest part of your body. Your shoulders are more than five percent bigger than your hip measurement."

Inverted body shape traits:

You have prominent, broad, straight shoulders that are wider than your waistline or hips.
You have an athletic build.
You probably have rather flat buttocks.
You might have a larger chest and fuller back than rectangles.
You usually gain weight through the torso and back area.

10 best clothing choices for an inverted triangle-shaped body:

Light or bright trousers with front pleats
Distressed jackets in dark colors
Kimono-style shirts in dark colors
Super-comfortable slouch-knee boots
Peplum skirts
Soft and drapey wrap cardigans in dark colors
Short one-shoulder or tunic dresses that show off your legs
Waterfall colored shirts in dark colors
Straight jeans in light or bright colors
Chunky-heeled shoes

All images: Karen Cox/SheKnows

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Lisa Fogarty has written numerous articles for USA Today, The Stir, Opposing Views and other publications.

This article was originally published at SheKnows. Reprinted with permission from the author.

How To Find Your Body Shape And The Most Flattering Clothing To Wear