We all have a body image. We all have feelings about the way we look. And we have ideas and feelings about how others think about our looks. Your overall body image can range from very positive to very negative. You may feel good about certain parts of your body or the way you look and not as good about others — that’s totally normal. Body image is also how you feel in your body — if you feel strong, able, attractive, and in control. We do not develop our body image all on our own. The people around us and our culture strongly influence it. We get both positive and negative messages about our bodies from family and friends all the time — starting from when we’re very young. For example, we may develop a love of exercise and a sense of being strong and capable if our parents share their own enjoyment of physical activity with us. On the other hand, we may develop a negative body image if our parents criticize the way we look. We also get messages about body image from television, magazines, films, and other media. Many of the beliefs we have about the way women and men “should” look come from the models and celebrities we see in the media. But models and celebrities do not look like most people. For example, on average, women who are models have very different builds. They weigh 23 percent less than women who are not models. People who accept the way they look and feel good about their bodies most of the time have a positive body image. Their appearance may not match their family’s ideals or the ideals in the media. But they have learned to be proud of the way they look. A negative body image develops when someone feels her or his body does not measure up to family, social, or media ideals. Many people feel as if they don’t measure up — especially when they measure themselves against the standards of beauty commonly seen in the media. “Positive and Negative Body Image | Improving Self Esteem.” Body Image. Web. <http://www.plannedparenthood. org/learn/body-image>. Body shape is all about proportion, and fashion is all about dressing those proportions to look their very best. When you think about body types, don’t focus on height and weight... focus on shape. A slender gal can have the same body shape as a curvy gal, just as a short woman can have the same body shape as her taller friend. Each of us is unique — and our bodies are, too! Nevertheless, our body shapes are generally narrowed down to five general categories: pear, wedge, rectangle, apple and hourglass. You might fall into one category, or you might be a blend of two or more categories. Conelly, Catherine. “Find Fashion That Flatters.” SheKnows. 8 Apr. 2011. Web. <http://www.sheknows.com/beautyand-style/articles/826747/dressing-for-your-body-type>.
- SMALL SHOULDERS - WIDE TORSO - SMALL HIPS
- HEIGHT UNDER 5’4” - SHOUDLERS TO WAIST/ WAIST TO LEGS ARE SAME LENGTH. - RULE OF THIRDS
- BUST AND HIPS SAME MEASUREMENT - SMALL WAIST
- BROAD SHOULDERS - BROAD CHEST - SMALL WAIST - NARROW HIPS
- SMALL SHOUDLERS - SMALL CHEST - LONG, LEAN TORSO - WIDE HIPS
- SAME MEASUREMENT -SHOUDLERS - BUST - WAIST -HIPS
INVERTED TRIANGLE
WHAT TO WEAR
PEAR
WHAT TO WEAR
RECTANGLE
WHAT TO WEAR
- FULL SKIRT - DETAILS AT HEM - BODY CON ILLUSION: LENGTHEN LEGS
- A- LINE - EMPIRE WAIST ILLUSION: HIDE HIPS OR CREATE HOURGLASS SHAPE
- BABY DOLL - A- LINE ILLUSION: SMALL WAIST
APPLE
WHAT TO WEAR
PETITE
WHAT TO WEAR
HOURGLASS
WHAT TO WEAR
- EMPIRE WAIST ILLUSION: CREATE SHAPE
- HIGH WAIST - TEA LENGTH OR MICRO SKIRT - TIGHT FITTED ILLUSION: APPEAR LONGER
- SHEATH - WRAP DRESS - BELT AT WAIST ILLUSION: ENHANCE FIGURE
There are two side of body image. First is how you see and respect your own body; second, is how your body is classified according to measurements. As people do not understand the difference, body image has become a growing social issue. The development of technology and the obsession over media has also contributed to the problem. Young adults and teenagers are brainwashed to dress a certain way in order to get attention from the people they desire to associate with. As a result, the fashion industry is forever changing and developing. Foreseeing the futures latest trends in order to hold the attention of their target market is imperative. Clothing is a basic need for survival as it protects our bodies from the elements of earth. Fashion however, is the way one uses clothing to present themselves to society. In my opinion, the most important rule of fashion is to understand your body size and shape. Not one shape is superior to the other, and dressing to your body’s advantages can instantly change the perspective of your self-image. Using the basic necessity of clothing along with a small knowledge of fashion, you can enhance your body into a work of art. For this project titled “Nature/Nurture” I used my extensive knowledge of sewing and the fashion industry to create a garment that can transform one body size into three different body shapes. My version titled “Silhouetted” I used my dress form as the model and created a tight-fitted black dress made of a Cotton-Polyester blend to ensure it would hug the curves. This dress enhances the petite shape of the form with a natural waistline. This also counts as dress number one as well as a base garment. Next, a tulle skirt with a satin ribbon belt is tied several times creating a drop-waistline. This creates dress number two as well as an hourglass shape. The skirt is then removed, reverting back to the original shape when a second bodice is revealed from the lining of the dress. This flips out and lays flat where it appears shorter and has hand-sewn snaps at the base. A third A-line shaped skirt is attached to the snaps creating an empire waistline and now a triangle shape to the form. As the dress transforms before your eyes, I hope it helps you understand that your body is a canvas and you can make it into anything you want it to be.