What is the true description of an hourglass body shape?

Trinny and Susannah provide this representation of an hour glass, it sounds like a good description but I just wonder whether if their description truly captures what it means to have an hour glass figure.

http://bodyshapestyle.com/2011/01/11/trinny-and-susannah-the-hourglass/

Are there any fashion/ design/ textile students who know where I can find research that gives conclusive definitions of the the hourglass figure?

Reply 1

blossomx

Yep sounds pretty accurate to me... :shrug:
I guess having a waist to hip ratio of 0.7 or under kinda confirms the small waist and wide hips too if you're looking for something more objective.

Reply 2

charlotte-rose

I thought it was a minimum of 13" difference between bust/waist and hips/waist?

Reply 3

Linzikins

People class beyonce's body as pear but to me she looks hourglass, boobs, curvy waist and big hips....

I don't think that just because she's slim but because of the shape of her body....

Reply 4

zKlown

Lol, look at an hourglass, and think yourself what an hourglass figure might look like.

It's pretty self explanatory TBH

Reply 5

babygirl110

Original post by Linzikins

People class beyonce's body as pear but to me she looks hourglass, boobs, curvy waist and big hips....

I don't think that just because she's slim but because of the shape of her body....

Just because she's curvy, it does not mean she's a hour glass. A hour glass figure has chest measurements that are equal to the hips and a waist 10 inches smaller. Beyonce doesn't appear to have a large chest to me. Her upper area is almost as tiny as her waist, making her a pear.

Reply 6

Linzikins

Original post by babygirl110

That is my perception of what hourglass means, to me her shoulders and hips are in alignment. The shape of an hourglass.

Maybe this...

0waist--2924381130586806996.jpg14.1KB

j.lo maybe?

I thought the definition of an hourglass figure was boob and hip measurement have to be less than 1 inch different and the waist must be at least 9 inches smaller.

You don't necessarily need huge boobs to be an hourglass if you have a slim waist.

Reply 9

RowingGoose

Shoulders and hip are about the same width. Although some say a waist to hip ratio of 0.7 is what makes a 'true' woman. Although Kate Moss is stupidly skinny, she has a waist:hip ratio of 0.7 apparently.

Aria Giovanni

Kelly Brook.

Beyonce and j.lo are definite pear shapes.

Reply 12

StressReliever

When your bust and hips are within a couple of inches difference measured at the fullest points and your waist is significantly smaller than your other measurements, typically around a 0.7 waist/hip ratio.

However there are times when a woman may possess these traits yet still not resemble an hourglass and that is down to individual body type, i.e. a long waist can hide hourglass proportions, having more of the hip measurement in the bum as opposed to the width of the hips is another possibility.

There are variations of the hourglass figure such as vase and cello. A vase is an elongated hourglass in that the waist is longer so the bust and hip measurement appear less dramatic. A cello is where a woman has a little more round the tummy than a typical hourglass but is still reasonably curvy on the bust and hips.

Reply 13

mel0n

Original post by plimsolls

Kelly Brook.

Beyonce and j.lo are definite pear shapes.

Doesn't a pear have smaller breasts? Theirs aren't humongous as such but they're not... small either?

Reply 14

carillee

Not always I am a pear shaped woman and I have huge breasts which makes me look proportioned and my waist is 10 inches smaller than my hips. I might be a mixture between a pear and a cello shape. You can be more than one shape.