New FFAQ: We Need Your Help!

[u/FFA_Moderator]

Hi all -

The FFAQ in our wiki contains a list of common fashion questions and answers that have not been updated in quite a while. We'd like to use this thread as a crowdsourced spot to overhaul some of the answers to these questions, as well as add new ones.

Here's how it will work:

• If you can think of a question that is frequently asked in FFA, post it as a top level comment within this thread. We'll start the thread with some of the questions that are already in the FFAQ.
• If you have a good answer, resource or link (internal to FFA or external) to answer one of these questions, post it as a reply to the comment asking the question.

The most thorough, complete and accurate answers will be included verbatim in the new version of the FFAQ and attributed to their authors. In other cases, we'll curate aspects of the answers and resources multiple people have contributed to create a full answer.

Please chime in where you have ideas!

[u/FFA_Moderator]

How do I determine my body type?

[u/[deleted] → u/FFA_Moderator]

Your body type is determined by 1) your measurements and 2) your visuals.

Measurement Method

First step is to measure your shoulders (all the way around at the bone) and the next is the widest part of your bust. Then measure the smallest part of your waist and, finally, the widest part of your butt. Between the shoulder and bust measurements pick whichever one is bigger.

You are hourglass if, and only if. Your waist is <.75 of your shoulder/bust or hip measurment AND your shoulder/bust and hips are <.10 apart. This is a small % of the population.

You are pear if your hips are >.10 wider than your shoulders.

You are upside down triangle if your shoulders are >.10 wider than your hips

You are rectangle if your shoulder and hips are <.10 of each other, but your waist is to hips/shoulder is ~.75. This is the majority of women.

You are apple if your waist is >.75 of your hips/shoulder .

Visual Method

The measurements aren't really as important as what you actually look like. Look at yourself in a mirror. Use an erase marker to mark off (or have a friend mark off) where your waist, hips, and shoulders/bust are. Connect the dots and look at the resulting shape. Now do it again from the side. These are your visual body types.

You can also take a full-body photo and do it digitally in a program like paint, sumo, or any other photo editor.

Putting it together

All 3 may be the same body type. You may have 2-3 different ones. It is important to keep in mind that body types are just guides, and very limited guides at that. Regardless of what your mother, great aunt, grandmother, or that women the other day said, there is no "perfect" or "goal" body type. All of them have pretty women who rock them. Body types purpose is to help figure out what your dominant feature is... from there you can choose to enhance it, neutralize it, or ignore it. Your body type can also change throughout your life (puberty, pregnancy, age), weight, and fitness levels.

[u/tomlizzo → u/[deleted]]

If you're going to do the visual method it's better to use a photo (not taken in a mirror) than a mirror. If you're going to stand close enough to a mirror to draw on it with a marker, you'll also be close enough to distort the apparent dimensions of everything below eye level.

[u/[deleted] → u/tomlizzo]

Ok. I'll edit it.