Enter four body measurements to find your body shape for clothing ideas, and see your waist-hip ratio.
Bust is the distance around the fullest part of the chest, measured while wearing a well fitted bra. Waist is the smallest circumference of the natural waist, just above the belly button. High hip is the upper swell of the hip over the pelvis, about 7 inches, or 18 centimeters, below the natural waist. Hip is the widest circumference around the hips and buttocks. Stand upright with your arms relaxed, and keep the tape level and snug.
The calculator uses rules from a published study of body shapes in American and Korean women that sorted bodies into seven types: hourglass, bottom hourglass, top hourglass, spoon, triangle, inverted triangle and rectangle. Each type is defined by the differences between the bust, waist and hip measurements, and by the ratio of high hip to waist. Some measurements fit more than one shape, in which case the calculator lists each one. Others fit none, and the calculator will say so.
The waist-hip ratio is your waist divided by your hip measurement. It is a simple way to see where your body carries weight. The World Health Organization treats a ratio above 0.85 in women as a sign of abdominal obesity and higher health risk, and researchers have found it a better predictor of heart disease than weight alone. Body shape on its own says nothing about health or a goal to reach, and is mostly useful for choosing clothes that fit well.
This calculator uses seven shapes: hourglass, bottom hourglass, top hourglass, spoon, triangle, inverted triangle and rectangle. Each is defined by how the bust, waist and hips compare.
The rules for the shapes overlap, so some measurements match more than one. In that case the calculator lists each shape that fits.
The seven shapes do not cover every possible body. If your measurements fall outside all the rules, the calculator says so. It does not mean anything is wrong.
For women, a ratio of 0.85 or below is generally considered lower risk by the World Health Organization. Ratios above that point to more abdominal fat.
It is taken at the upper swell of the hip over the pelvis, around 7 inches or 18 centimeters below the natural waist.
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