Have you ever sewn something and put it on, stood back and looked at yourself, only to realize that the fit was fine, but the look was off? Please tell me I’m not alone in this experience! What happened? The problem wasn’t about my size; I picked the wrong dress for my SHAPE.
In general, I find that the typical shape system, with only 4 shapes (5 or 6 if we get lucky and the stylist has a better clue about the variety of bodies), doesn’t really work for my shape. My shoulders are too broad to be a Pear. I don’t feel like my waist is distinct enough to be an Hourglass (or X), but I have enough of one that I’m not a Brick (or Rectangle or Square). I could go on, but if you’re a regular CSC reader, you know about these shape variables from the Sewing for My Curves series. Chances are this may be your experience as well. The typical four-shape system, or its various cousins, is just too limited too work well for most bodies.
12 Shapes of the Body Shape Bible
Enter The Body Shape Bible! Famous UK stylists Trinny and Susannah use a 12 shape system (Yes, 12!!) to help women better fit their unique shapes. So what are those shapes and how do the authors talk about them? That’s what I’m here to write about. This review will look at the shapes, their suggestions of what works or doesn’t and why, and the way they talk about bodies and shapes. For better or worse, bodies aren’t just bodies, and how we talk about them matters. Having some info on design features is helpful, but thinking about how writers talk about bodies and frame them is more important to better think about the messages communicated to everyone about gender, femininity, bodies, size, shape, and identity.
Why I Write
Shortly after I suggested this review to the CSC, I asked myself WHY (all Nancy Kerrigan 1994 style)*. As much as I think there is helpful content, the concept of a book based on the principle that women find self-confidence in “knowing you look great” (p.7) and “hiding what you loathe about your body” (p.6) is enormously problematic. It perpetuates the idea that how women look is more important than their skills, personalities, personal ethics, or intelligence. So for me, the premise of the fashion/style advise industry is one that reinforces the beauty myth—that looking good or meeting beauty ideals is an achievement and how a woman finds happiness, confidence, and fulfillment—and is inherently anti-woman.
That said, I think there is some useful insight in this book, especially for those of us who sew. It is irritating to put the time, effort, and money into making a dress or whatever, only to put on the muslin or garment and find you hate the way it looks. Of course, some people will say, “just go to a store and try on a similar style!” That’s all well and good… if you fit RTW sizing. Some of us have a harder time finding RTW items that fit, or at least a varied selection of garment types and styles to get a taste of how certain styles and design features will look. So having some general guidelines about what types of garments and designs will create proportions and move the eye strategically can be helpful.
At the end of the book, Trinny and Susannah include some suggestions for repurposing garments, and some of these ideas need sewing skills. If you can sew (and if you’re here, you probably do), you have some ideas for recycling garments on your own. If not, you have ideas to take to a skilled seamstress.
I also want to enter the discussion about how we talk about bodies here. While they give useful information in the Body Shape Bible (hereinafter the BSB), the way they talk about bodies is more than problematic. At times, the body snark they employ is more than over the top, pithy wit. It veers into shaming, demoralizing, objectifying, sexualizing language—and I say this as someone who loves good snark. Hey, I play Cards Against Humanity. I read GOMI. (*See that comment.) We watch satire in my house. I make many self-deprecating comments about my own body that are meant to be funny. I mean them to show I can poke a little fun at myself. But when I do so, I feed that machine that how we look is more important than who we are. There were moments when I read the advice and thought it made sense, so why did I feel like grabbing my tentiest dress instead of shuffling through patterns for a dress with those features? Oh. Right. Because I’m a big, conspicuous slab with thighs that could power bellows for Aphrodite’s orchestra, to paraphrase some of their insight about the Cello. Stand tall and be proud that my buttocks and thighs are “in a class of their own,” (p.94) whatever that means. We need to discuss how we talk about bodies and why it matters.
I want to be up front. I am a feminist, and that influences how I interact with the language and images in the book. I am also a scholar that works extensively with the history and representation of women’s bodies. I’ll be using techniques of deconstruction here to unpack the rhetoric and images in the BSB. Many people think deconstruction and the general critical analysis of pop culture are “too much.” When I use these techniques in class, students often say that I’m taking things too seriously or making too much out of something that isn’t important. But the BSB wasn’t written and published in a vacuum. And it isn’t read and used by women in a vacuum. Rather, it is part of a larger world that is filled with messages about women’s bodies. A few months ago, Jenny published an article here at the CSC about negative body shaming comments on her social media. If we take the past few years alone, and only look at social media, we can easily find numerous examples of how women’s or girls’ bodies are policed, commented upon, and objectified: any number of women who’ve posted pictures of themselves on social media have found degrading comments or learned that others have taken them and loaded the images to fat shaming sites without permission or found that people took pictures of them anonymously to post at various misogynistic websites; the discussion that ensued around the “Fit Mom” “what’s your excuse?” photo; the number of more developed (bigger breasted, larger hipped, fuller bodied) teen-age girls getting dress code violation write-ups, sent home from school, or removed from school dances for violating dress code often when wearing the same garments as their thinner, smaller breasted, slimmer hipped peers, or comments on intellectual or career oriented blogs/vlogs that tell the female writers/presenters that the women should try to dress more stylishly, be sexier, or just make general comments about appearance (and say nothing about content). And that’s just social media. It doesn’t address the messages in TV, movies, ads, fashion magazines, sports broadcasting—well, everything else—that perpetuate the overwhelming focus on women’s bodies, the invented ideals our bodies should meet, and the ever-present pressure to be sexy.
If you’re ready, come with me on an in-depth tour and analysis of the BSB. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting a regular series of guest posts where we’ll explore the following topics:
- Book Review: Trinny and Susannah’s Body Shape Bible
- Shapes, Suggestions, and Patterns: Skittle, Pear, and Bell
- Shapes, Suggestions, and Patterns: Brick
- Shapes, Suggestions, and Patterns: Apple
- Shapes, Suggestions, and Patterns: Hourglass and Vase
- Shapes, Suggestions, and Patterns: Cello and Goblet
- General Patterns:
- Pants and Skirts
- Tops
- Dresses
- Wardrobes and Other
- Final Criticism
(All images from the book are used in accordance with US Fair Use Laws allowing the incorporation of images for the purposes of academic, intellectual, or cultural analysis or criticism.)
A note about language: I’ll try to use non-coded descriptors to be as neutral as possible. For example, even though “deviates” is a fine verb to note something that differs from an ideal, the average, or a model, deviate and its forms (especially deviant) can also be negatively coded and used as insults, so I’m avoiding using it here. To an extent, when talking about bodies it is extremely hard, maybe even impossible, to avoid all words that can have negative connotations and still find descriptors that most people find meaningful and communicate a (reasonably) clear concept or image. For a lot of women, bulky and chunky are two words that they feel negatively about, but these words also communicate a feature, shape, or body that most people can visualize. When I use words like those or larger, full/ fuller, protuberant, etc., I use them as unmarked descriptors with no judgment intended.
As a life-long sewer and a wardrobe consultant for the last 25 years, I have a couple of comments:
Clients often tell me that finally discovering the styles and colors that look best on them lets them walk out the door feeling confident, put appearance worries on the back burner and focus their attention onto doing great things in their world. It’s less about what somebody else thinks (although a compliment or admiring look can be lovely) than about feeling good ourselves.
That optimal look is achieved by showcasing what is lovely about yourself, and that can only happen when you really believe that you are beautiful and dress in harmony with what you inherently are. I see so many mistakes when women are focused on hiding perceived flaws rather than showcasing assets.
And for all the frustration of sewing an outfit and then not loving it — we are so much more fortunate than women whose choices are limited to what they can find in ready-to-wear. Chances of finding your best color, flattering silhouette, nice fabric, quality construction and good fit on a store rack — virtually zero!
I’m excited about this series. I think I watched too much of the British What Not to Wear. LOL But I do think they have some valid points.
I am greatly encouraged to hear what you have said so far about Trinny & Susannah and their approach to body shape and I am excited about what you have to say in the upcoming articles.
A balanced, intellectual analysis of their work is very much needed.
More strength to you for wading through the quagmire of inappropriate
and loaded social junk to get to golden nugget sat the core of their
work and present it for us in a more sensitive and appropriate manner.
I have long thought that while they have many good points, the way they present it and the use of shaming when presenting meant that I could not in all good conscience support their work as it sends a message with which I don’t agree. If educating truly was their goal, why do they use shaming as their primary tool; it just cuts too close and prevents us from hearing what may otherwise be a useful message.
I know my book on alteration refuses to talk about “figure flaws ” and instead talks about “figure variations”. It made me rethink things a bit. I am not trying to hide things about myself but instead look the best I can with clothes that fit me well. I also have stopped wondering what others think of what I wear and instead take a critical look at myself and wonder if I like what I wear. It’s quite freeing!
Thank you for this post! I’m looking forward to this series.
There is a big difference between wanting to look good as YOURSELF (what my British father called ‘looking smart!’) versus trying to look like the currently popular female ‘standard’ as portrayed in popular culture. The latter is, of course, oppressive, degrading, and worth avoiding! (Never mind boring) I am hoping you will continue to make that distinction clear because it’s easy for women to think that caring about how they look is somehow wrong. Caring about looking like the best version of yourself is a fun part of life.
Even when I’m home alone and know that no one will see me, I like to look ‘smart’. (wearing some sort of co-ordinated, well-fitting outfit) It makes me feel good!
I’m looking forward to your analysis of the BSB. Back when their show was on air, I enjoyed it quite a bit–except for how snarky and mean their comments about their clients’ bodies could get. Especially their assumption that every woman’s ultimate goal is to look as attractive/sexy as possible to the opposite sex. Now, that’s fine to an extent–we like to feel attractive–but women don’t exist merely to be eye candy to the world’s male gaze. It’s great that the BSB identifies so many body shape variations (what is “the norm” anyway?? There is no “normal”), but I always find the accompanying discussions of the shapes as “flawed” incredibly problematic because their based on the assumption that somewhere out there is a PERFECT, IDEAL female human figure and every variation from that is a flaw or deviation. That framing puts far too much emphasis on an ideal or on emulating the ideal and it encourages feelings of inadequacy that are completely unnecessary (Unless of course the goal is keepin’ a girl down).
So I can’t wait to read your future posts!
I’m looking forward to this! I remember seeing Trinny and Susannah on TV back in the day and their USP was to be slightly insulting but always very warm with it – I wonder if maybe the warmth doesn’t come across so well in the books and you’re just left with the insulting bit. They always had some interesting ideas but were a bit extreme for me – they would go through their victim/client’s wardrobe and throw out all of their previous clothes for example! They were also quite heavy on prohibitions: “You must NEVER wear xyz!” which of course always immediately makes me want to wear it….
Looking forward to this series.
THANK you! I tensed up when I read the title because I have the same experience – there is useful information in these kinds of ‘body shape’ discussions buy oh boy do you have to wade through a whole lot of toxic stuff.
I once was told that my top was too revealing, by a manager who was wearing the same top! It was very frustrating.
The thing I find useful in these discussions is to first think about why I want to look certain ways, and how I want to be perceived. It’s impossible not to buy into the machine in one way or another, we all live in the world. We all are seen by people and judged by them. For me, understanding my bodyshape and how I want it to look, and sewing for it, can be really powerful. It allows me to present myself the way I want, which plus size RTW doesn’t, because of how limited it is. It’s still important to me to think about WHY I want to be perceived certain ways, and is that healthy, and what does that say about people who aren’t perceived those ways? And to do my part in using respectful language and challenging others when I can.
I used to be pretty hourglassy and now I am that same shape but my waist is proportionally larger. Maybe I’d be a vase, I guess I’ll find out in a few days! 😛 The interesting thing to me is that lately I have stopped wanting to emphasise and visually thin my waist. Instead I want to emphasise my hips and shoulders, which I always felt like I wasn’t allowed to do. Because fat women shouldn’t take up space. Now I want bigger and bigger skirts and more and more angled and top-heavy shoulders. Really getting into cut-on sleeves, which I had previously eschewed. I’ve been thinking a lot about how that’s healthy for me – feeling ok taking up space and attracting attention – and what is still part of the machine – wanting to have an hourglass shape. And how people react to me nicer when I am dressed in a way that emphasises that shape! And how do I balance genuinely wanting to look that way because it makes me feel like myself, and all the other baggage that comes with (and WHY does it make me feel like myself??)
Anyway, long story short, I am VERY excited to read this series!
I love your approach, which is similar to what mine has become. Very good thinking points, too. What I’m currently stuck on is the question of whether it’s better to work the system from within, by dressing to play to its values to a certain degree to attain acceptance and trading on our own value within it, while unapologetically and consistently working to reshape misogynistic leanings. I tend to think it’s currently the most productive approach I personally can take.
Emphasize those shoulders and hips! Take up all the space you’re entitled to and then some! Refuse to be invisible or to apologize for existing as you are.
Thank you! I tend to agree with that approach – that way, too, if it’s a day I just can’t deal with it, I can go about my life like anyone else. Sometimes that feels like total failure but also I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and while it’s important to challenge, it’s also important to take care of ourselves and have ‘off’ days. That said, I do try to challenge as often, and absolutely as unapologetically as I can! I also have semi-unconventional hair, so I think that helps me feel like it’s a bit harder for people to put me in a ‘safe and compliant’ box.
I do also try to keep in mind that there are many people who can’t, for one reason or another, ‘pass’ within the framework. They are too fat, or disabled, or shaped in a certain way, or their skin is a different colour, or they’re trans, or a million other reasons that they don’t fit the stupid arbitrary box. So I try to remember those people and I find it’s easier to speak up for them than for me, often. Plus then I remember how many other wonderful, fabulous people have MY back!
All of the tug-o-war issues in your comment are so true. Getting dressed is full of internal drama! Your comment that “understanding my bodyshape and how I want it to look, and sewing for it ,can be really powerful.” is the heart of the matter. It is extraordinarily powerful to take that kind ownership. I think that is why the women who post pictures of themselves modeling their sewn garments look so radiant!.They have claimed that power. P.S. I love your screen name!
I’m so looking forward to this, thanks!
Thanks for such thoughtful commentary. I am eager to read your review. As the mother of a young girl, I am more than a little intimidated about combating the beauty myth which you so rightly note. It is alive and well and has already influenced my 3-year-old daughter’s image of the ideal woman. Indeed we must be careful about the way we discuss women’s bodies.
This will be an interesting article. I find it somewhat disturbing that even very young girls’ clothing is so form fitting and modeled on young women’s clothing. It seems they’re not allowed to be children anymore.
Hurray!!!! I am REALLY looking forward to this series, including the feminist critique.
I was delighted to read your blog entry! I am a feminist (have been describing myself as such for more than 40 years 🙂 I am also an academic (M.A. Religion & Culture), a sewer and yet still fall into the trap of what makes me look my best 🙂 I have a pretty solid idea of what suits me however, but I certainly still make mistakes. Seeing a pattern that I just can’t resist because it’s so interesting and fabric that is just simply gorgeous and putting the 2 together to only see in a mirror that it makes me look like a busy blob! I am keen to read more of your review in the coming weeks!
OMG I am so excited by the first instalment of this series. I’m a feminist and an educator who is thoroughly dismayed by the sexualisation of young girls, the misogyny that is rampant in my country, Australia, and the overwhelming focus for our youth on consumerism, including consuming that your physical body and presentation is what truly matters, over what you think, say and do.
What an exciting way to start the year- here’s to the feminist seamstress! LOVE this article. Thank you so much CSC.
I’m so looking forward to this. Are you able to give a discussion of each shape? or will this be in the individual articles? I’m wondering what day to look out for in particular.
We’ll have an in-depth breakdown for each shape in the upcoming individual articles.
What a lovely discussion this is going to be…..I was visiting my neighbor who has wide shoulders to borrow her red top (fabulous top) to see if I could reproduce it…..NOPE not on my soft not very wide shoulders, with a round neck and dropped shoulder…..fit fine, but no go…..I need set in sleeves, V neck and I’ll be good to go…..so this will be a very interesting discussion indeed, and I appreciate the work you will put into your posts, as you always do….thank you.
Thank you for this! I’m another one who’s very concerned about the language we use about women’s bodies; figure “flaws” that need to be “corrected” and all the rest of it. What I hate is the attitude that there’s one “correct” way to look and fashion that gets you closer to that is “flattering,” and nothing else is. We really need to have a discussion about this stuff and become more aware of the ways in which we shame women for being themselves.
I’m super excited about this series — including the feminist critique!
One aspect of body shape that I don’t see addressed anywhere is the fact that we are not 2-dimensional creatures, so our shapes are not determined only by looking our bodies head-on. I’ve found that, as my weight has fluctuated, my head-on body shape hasn’t changed very much (moderate hourglass/pear) but my side view (e.g. profile) has changed dramatically (apple/brick). I’d be interested, at some point, to have some insight into how your profile shape impacts the fit and style of garments.
Same here! I can’t believe how much more weight I carry in my bum now than I did when I was younger. I thought that our bums were supposed to get flatter as we aged?
Mine hasn’t gotten flatter at all and I’m 63
Me too! My abdomen got larger faster than the rest.
Oh my goodness yes! And it’s this 3Dness that doesn’t seem to be very well catered for in RTW in my experience, whatever the size of the clothes.
Good start, looking forward to this series!
I was excited when I saw the title of this post pop up in my email, and yes! I have definitely sewn many things in my size that I wish I’d muslined first because I ended up feeling they did my body shape no favors. Thanks for pointing out this book, as I’d not heard of it. However, I think I’ll skip the feminist critique of it. 🙂
I’m a plus-sized gal, and I do gain confidence from looking good and working around areas of my body that I personally feel insecure about. I don’t think this is the result of any sort of “beauty myth.” And I don’t think I’m alone there. I can’t imagine that anyone would pick up this book to learn how to be smarter, wittier, kinder, or a better all-around person. I’m guessing one would pick up this book because they were interested in how they look. I don’t see anything “problematic” about that. But I also don’t feel like a victim of any sort of societal conspiracy to shame and degrade fat people. No one can shame or degrade you or make you feel bad in any way without your consent. The “beauty myth” can only be “reinforced” if you allow yourself to buy into it. And style guides are just someone else’s opinion, anyway – which, in almost all cases, I will ultimately find inferior to my own. 😀
In this new year, I would love to see more plus size gals in the sewing community abandon the anger and the victim mentality that has become so prevalent. I would love to see more women unabashedly celebrating their bodies and less women complaining about how society doesn’t.
I love this! As a fat feminist who sews I’ll look very much forward to following this series.
Thank you <3
Yay! I love Trinny and Susannah, even though their emphasis is often on looking sexy, when mine, at 65, is not. Yes, their language is rude and frequently demeaning, but they apply it to themselves as well as to others, so they get a bit of a pass in my book. I am so looking forward to your series. Thanks.
What a great idea! I’m looking forward to your posts!!