Staying Ahead of the Curve: How to Make a Ruler an Hourglass

I’m sure by now you are all familiar with the infamous body types that divide the female form into categories (Hourglass, Apple, Pear, Rectangle/Ruler, and Inverted Triangle). An “hour-glass” shape is the cornerstone of a feminine image and is our ideal look to create. Nothing exudes femininity quite like  a gently sloping, curvaceous figure.  Most trans-women, especially early in transition, fall into the categories of rectangular/ruler or inverted triangle (this already sounds way more linear than curvy!). For those of you unfamiliar with these shapes, this simply means that we have only very subtle curves through our torso, while our shoulders and upper body tend to be proportionally larger than the rest of our body (a quintessentially male shape). Though it may seem like genetic odds are stacked against us, its worth pointing out that around 46% of genetic women have a rectangular body shape, so we are in good company as we learn to better shape our bodies.

In order to create curves we must consider all of our main bodylines (shoulders/bust, waist, and hips) and most importantly how they relate to each other. If you haven’t already, or just want a refresher, please check out my previous post on The Concept of Line which explains these lines. Shown below with their associated bodylines are the 2 common body types for trans-women side by side with the hourglass for comparison:

Let’s take a look at our ultimate goal, the hourglass shape, and how it’s lines relate to each other; typically a proportionally larger bust line contours down into a skinnier waist line which, in turn, curves gracefully outward around a hip line which is of similar width to the bust line. Now consider your own body shape… for myself, I am much more a rectangle than an inverted triangle, I have modestly broad shoulders, a smaller bust, a regular (but happily existent) waistline of similar width to my bust, and a small hip line (also very close in size to my waist and bust). Overall, I’m a cute ruler at best, prior to any styling magic…. So let the magic begin!

What do we need to do to get from where we are, to that goal of the hourglass shape? We have three options to enhance our curves, and should take full advantage of all three together in order to be most effective:

1. Create the appearance of a fuller bust.
2. Define and minimize our waist.
3. Create the appearance of wider hips. 

Given your body shape, you may not need all three, the key is to make them all work together… bust and hips the same width while being proportionally wider than the waist. For example, an inverted triangle should be careful with techniques for enhancing the bust line because they could emphasize an already large region if not done properly.

A quick caveat: One solution to address these would be to wear padding in the appropriate areas, or other shaping garments (corsets, etc). I find that this has limitations; many times it is both impractical and uncomfortable. If you are inclined to use padding, feel free, it is certainly a viable solution and will lead to good results if done properly. That being said, you can still achieve quite a bit with what you wear, and dressing in a flattering manner is important regardless of padding or not. Let’s look at what we can do with our style to accomplish these objectives.

Since each of these three curve enhancing strategies can be accomplished in a multitude of different ways, I’ve decided to dedicate each one to a separate post, so stay tuned as we go through each one!