Rummaging Around In My Attic

Because I was so heavy for so long, I never really paid much attention to my actual body shape. If someone were to ask me what I thought my body shape was, I would have likely replied in a self-demeaning manner, “A pumpkin on sausage legs.” To be honest, that was kind of true then but it really isn't true now.

One of the commonalities I've noticed across weight loss communities, here and elsewhere, is that people losing weight really struggle with body image. As the weight drops off, many of us hold internal images of our bodies that don’t change to reflect the loss of pounds. Or, as in my case, some of us have an internal image that is an exaggerated caricature of a body we really never had. In the carnival mirrors in my attic, I still from time to time see myself as much heavier than I ever was.

I understand that there is some controversy about labeling body types, i.e. I’m a person not an object! Nevertheless, I personally find the four often sited body types of Banana, Apple, Pear, and Hourglass to be helpful, particularly now that I’m shopping for clothes again and enjoying it. Relating to a body type as opposed to that pumpkin on sausage legs image helps me to heal years of a distorted, negative self-image.

According to my measurements, I’m a banana. My hips and bust are the same circumference; my waist is three inches smaller. My fat tends to be fairly evenly distributed throughout my body which means that I typically don’t look as heavy to other people as I actually am. Being a banana body shape is actually a good thing! I can wear a lot of different styles of clothing and if I do say so myself, I have rather shapely calves, a nice rear end and my breasts are neither too big nor too small.

However, the lack of a defined waist can be a problem when I shop for clothes. Even though the banana body shape is the most common (46% of women), clothes manufacturers tend to lean towards making clothing for hourglass shapes (8% of women). As a result, pants that fit me in the waist tend to be too big in the hips and thighs. Tailored style blouses are also problematic for me because if they fit my shoulders, they tend to be too small in the waist. Oh and forget about catalog size charts for pretty much any body style! Those are also supposedly based on an hourglass figure but I've learned that they simply are not at all accurate. For example, most catalog/online size charts put me in a size 24 or 26 for my waist size. Um, no, I’m comfortably wearing a size 18.

Regardless, I am learning to embrace the banana. I am beginning to understand what kinds of clothing look good on the new me. I’m a bit in awe of the fact that slimmer cuts, particularly in pants, look much better on me than loose or wide leg cuts. I tried on a pair of skinny jeans last month and holy moly! They looked good! Skinny jeans would definitely not look good if I really was a pumpkin waddling about on sausage legs. But a banana? Well, you know, that’s just all right.