|
|
|
|
Female body shape
|
| |
|
| |
Female body shape has a bearing on a wide range of human activities, and there are and have been widely different ideals of it in different cultures and at different times. Body shape depends on a person's skeletal structure and the quantity and distribution of fat and muscle on the body.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Female body shape' Start a new discussion about 'Female body shape' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Female body shape has a bearing on a wide range of human activities, and there are and have been widely different ideals of it in different cultures and at different times. Body shape depends on a person's skeletal structure and the quantity and distribution of fat and muscle on the body. As with most physical traits, there is a wide range of normality of female body shapes. The female figure is usually narrower at the waist than at the bust and hips, and usually has one of four basic shapes: banana, pear, apple or hourglass. The bust, waist and hips are called inflection points, and the ratios of their circumferences define these basic shapes. Human beings and their cultures have perennially focused attention on the female body as a source of pleasure, sexual attraction, fertility and reproduction.
Shape
The female form is a combination of multiple attributes which cause many conflicting descriptions when taken as a whole.
Inflection points
A woman's bust, waist and hips are her physical inflection points, and the ratios of their circumferences are used to define her basic shapes, which are sometimes called banana, pear, apple or hourglass.
The bust is measured across the fullest part of a woman's breasts, generally across the nipple line when wearing a properly-fitting brassiere (see: Brassiere measurements); the waist is measured at the smallest circumference of the abdomen; and the hips are measured at the largest circumference of the hips and buttocks.
The hourglass shape is the Western conception of the ideal or usual female shape, against which other shapes are compared. It is said that the female body usually inflects inward towards the waist around the middle of the abdomen between the costal margins and the pelvic crests. The waist is typically smaller than the bust and hips, unless there is a high proportion of body fat distributed around the waist. How much the bust or hips inflect inward, towards the waist determines the structural shape. In practice only about 8% of women have the hourglass shape.
Limitation on BWH ratios
A woman's "dimensions" are often expressed by the circumference around the three inflection points. For example, "36-29-38" in Imperial units would mean a 36" bust, 29" waist and 38" hips.
A woman's bust measure incorporates her breast size, as reflected in her bra cup size. For example, a woman with a bra size of 36A has a rib cage of 35-36 inches in circumference and a bust measure of 37 inches; and a woman with a bra size 34C has a rib cage of 33-34 inches around, will also have a bust measure of 37 inches. However, the woman with a 34C breast size will appear "bustier" and "hippier" due to the apparent difference in bust to hip ratios (narrower shoulders, more prominent breasts) even though they both have the same BWH ratio.
Height will also affect the appearance of the figure. A woman who is 36-24-36 at 5'2" height, will look different to a woman who is 36-24-36 at 5'8" height. Since the taller woman's figure has greater distance between measuring points, she will likely appear thinner than her shorter counterpart, again, even though they both have the same BWH ratio.
The use of BWH measurements for anything other than garment fitting is thus something of a shell game when applied to social body acceptance and evaluation.
Female shapes
|
| |
|
|
