Guide · Find your shape
What Is My Body Shape? A Guide
“What is my body shape?” has a simple answer once you know what to compare: your shoulders or bust, your waist and your hips. This guide shows three ways to find out what body shape you are, with a tape measure, with a mirror, or from the way your clothes already fit, plus a quick self-check and a chart of common measurements.
What decides your body shape
Your body shape is not your size or weight. It’s the relationship between three widths, and two questions answer most of it:
- Which is wider: your bust (or shoulders) or your hips? Or are they about the same?
- How defined is your waist? Clearly narrower, only slightly narrower, or about as wide as everything else?
| Bust vs hips | Defined waist | Little or no waist |
|---|---|---|
| About the same | Hourglass | Rectangle (or apple if the waist is widest) |
| Bust wider | Top hourglass | Inverted triangle |
| Hips wider | Bottom hourglass or spoon | Pear (or triangle if much wider) |
That gives the nine shapes in the female body types chart. The three ways below are just different routes to answering those two questions.
Way 1: Determine your body shape with a tape measure
This is the most accurate way, and the only one that separates close shapes like pear and spoon.
- Bust: around the fullest part, tape level across your back.
- Waist: at the narrowest point, after breathing out normally.
- High hip: 3–4 inches below your waist, across the hip bones.
- Hips: around the fullest part of your seat, feet together.
For a diagram of every measurement, see how to measure your body. Then enter the four numbers in the body type calculator. It applies the same rules fit researchers use and shows how close you are to the neighbouring shapes. As a rough rule: if your bust and hips are within an inch of each other and your waist is 9–10 inches smaller, you’re an hourglass; if all three are within a few inches, you’re a rectangle.
Way 2: Find your body shape without measuring (mirror or photo)
No tape measure? You can still see your proportions. This method shows widths from the front rather than measurements all the way round, so treat the result as a good first guess.
- Wear fitted clothes or underwear and stand straight in front of a full-length mirror, feet together, arms slightly away from your body.
- Or ask someone to take a photo straight on, with the phone at waist height and at least 2 metres away so the camera doesn’t distort you.
- Look at three lines: the outer edge of your shoulders, the narrowest point of your waist and the widest point of your hips. On a photo, you can hold a ruler against the screen.
- Ask the two questions above. Are your shoulders or hips wider? Does your outline curve in at the waist, or run fairly straight?
Way 3: Let your clothes tell you
You’ve been testing your shape every time you shop. The places where clothes pull, gape or need altering are strong clues:
| What happens with your clothes | Likely shape |
|---|---|
| Jeans fit your hips but gape at the back of the waist | Hourglass, bottom hourglass or pear |
| Trousers fit at the waist but feel tight just below it, at the top of the hips | Spoon |
| You need a bigger size on the bottom than on top | Pear or triangle |
| You need a bigger size on top; shirts strain across the shoulders or bust | Inverted triangle or top hourglass |
| Same size top and bottom; belts and waist seams don’t change much | Rectangle |
| Waistbands dig in or roll, and tops feel tightest round the middle | Apple |
| Wrap dresses and belted styles fit without alterations | Hourglass |
Quick self-check: what body shape am I?
Answer three questions from what you see in the mirror. It’s an estimate; the calculator gives the measured answer.
Body shape by measurements: common examples
Here’s what some common bust-waist-hip measurements come out as on the body type calculator (in inches, without the optional high hip).
| Measurements | Body shape | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 36-24-36 | Hourglass | Bust = hips, waist 12 in smaller |
| 34-24-34 | Hourglass | Bust = hips, waist 10 in smaller |
| 34-26-36 | Hourglass | Hips 2 in fuller, waist 10 in smaller than hips |
| 36-27-36 | Hourglass | Bust = hips, waist 9 in smaller |
| 38-28-40 | Hourglass | Hips 2 in fuller, waist 12 in smaller than hips |
| 32-26-38 | Bottom hourglass | Hips 6 in fuller, defined waist |
| 36-26-34 | Top hourglass | Bust 2 in fuller, defined waist |
| 32-28-36 | Pear | Hips 4 in fuller, waist only 8 in smaller |
| 33-32-40 | Triangle | Hips 7 in fuller, little waist |
| 38-30-33 | Inverted triangle | Bust 5 in fuller than hips, little waist |
| 34-28-36 | Rectangle | All within a few inches |
| 36-30-36 | Rectangle | Bust = hips, waist only 6 in smaller |
| 34-32-36 | Apple | Waist close to bust and hips |
Your numbers not here? Enter them in the calculator. Adding the high hip can turn a bottom hourglass or pear result into a spoon.
Between two shapes?
Most people are. Real bodies sit on a scale, and one inch at the waist can move a result across a border. If two shapes fit you, read both guides and keep the advice that matches your problem areas. The calculator’s “how close you are” bars show exactly which two shapes you sit between. Your shape can also shift with weight change, training, pregnancy and age, so it’s worth checking again after a big change.
What body shape am I as a man?
Men compare shoulders instead of bust, and the five male shapes are trapezoid, inverted triangle, rectangle, triangle and oval. Use the male body type calculator, or see all five male body types side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is a model’s body type?
Runway models are usually tall, around 5 ft 9 in to 6 ft, and slim, with measurements close to 34-24-34. On the calculator that comes out as an hourglass, because the waist is 10 inches smaller, while models with a smaller bust are often rectangles.
What is my Kibbe body type?
Kibbe is a separate style system from David Kibbe’s 1987 book Metamorphosis. It sorts people into image types such as Dramatic, Natural, Classic, Gamine and Romantic by bone structure, softness and facial features, not by tape measurements, so it doesn’t replace your body shape.
What is a stocky body type?
Stocky describes a solid, compact build: often short to medium height with broad shoulders, a wide waist and sturdy legs. By shape, stocky women are often rectangles or apples, and stocky men rectangles or ovals.
What body shape is 34-26-36?
Hourglass. The bust and hips are only 2 inches apart and the waist is 10 inches smaller than the hips. 36-27-36 is an hourglass too.