No Hiding Allowed: Dressing for Your Body Type

Sep 1, 2021 | Style & Fashion

Written by Meira Schneider-Atik

Myth: To look your best, you need to hide anything that you don’t like about your body.

Truth: To look your best, you need to stop hiding and work on flattering your unique body and showing your unique beauty.

You may be plus-sized but you have your own unique body and your own unique beauty and that deserves to be celebrated.    

I’ve loved clothing, accessories, and jewelry ever since I was a little girl. I used to love playing around with anything I could find and trying to look like a glamorous princess or queen. I loved looking and feeling beautiful. That never went away. As an adult, I’ve learned that while I’m not like most other people, I do have at least one thing in common with other women – I love looking and feeling beautiful.

Unfortunately, one of the worst myths out there is that if a woman doesn’t fit a certain standard of beauty, she cannot be beautiful. Yes, it’s a myth. I know because I see it all the time. There are women who do not fit the standard but who use clothing and accessories and grooming to show off their unique beauty and they look stunning. But whether or not a woman fits the standard, she might simply not know how to dress her unique body and face. That’s where I come in and help her.

The number one rule of dressing for your body type is this: hiding doesn’t work. No matter what makes you self-conscious about your body, trying to hide it only makes it more conspicuous.

I imagine my audience reading this and thinking “What?! Then what’s all this about covering up and dressing modestly?”

 It’s true that dressing with modesty and dignity does involve covering up a little more. It means necklines and sleeves and hemlines that don’t reveal too much. But what most people don’t know is that it doesn’t mean hiding. The whole point of modesty and dignity is that it is about who you really are as a person and that means no hiding allowed. While it is true that when you reveal too much of your body it distracts from the person, when you dress in ways that don’t flatter your body and face it also distracts from the person. Classic designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel said, “Dress shabbily and people remember the dress. Dress impeccably and people remember the woman.”

Some of you may be thinking,  “Impeccably? Yeah right. My body can’t look impeccable.”

Incorrect. Every body can look beautiful and impeccable. But since every woman is unique, it means that what makes one woman look beautiful will make another woman look sloppy and/or costume-y. I have a straight body with a short neck and a protruding tummy. Maybe you have a larger bust. Maybe you have strong coat-hanger shoulders. Maybe you have a large derriere. All of these things can be flattered with the right clothes but while a particular style might work for one, a different style might work better for another.  

“What if I’m just plain fat?”

 No one is “just plain fat.” You may be plus-sized but you have your own unique body and your own unique beauty and that deserves to be celebrated.    

“OK, fine. So then what do you mean by not hiding?”

Most women make the mistake of trying to hide their body issues under larger clothing. They figure that if the clothing item is big enough, no one will notice what’s underneath it. But everyone does know what’s underneath it. Instead, we need to focus on a good fit and the right styles so that anything you don’t like about your body can be downplayed and everything you do like can be emphasized. For example, if you wear a fitted top, we can still see the outline of your arms and torso, but you can choose to play them down in a neutral color or play them up in a bright color and/or print.      

Of course, playing up the face always works. Wardrobe stylist Leah Feldon described the face as “your center of communication.” It’s where your personality can shine through. And that’s always a good thing. It’s not just about your unique body, but also about your unique personality. When you put flattering colors and one or two fun accessories near your face, you’re directing people to look there and that allows your personality to become the focal point.      

As long as you’re not trying to hide anything, your unique beauty can shine. 

Related Articles

Related