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Your Body Shape
Enter measurements above
Body shape based on your proportions
Understanding Body Shape Classifications
Body shape (or body type) classifications are based on the proportional relationship between bust, waist, and hip measurements. These shapes help understand fat distribution patterns, which have implications for both fashion choices and health risk assessment.
How Body Type Is Calculated
Key Measurements: Bust (B), Waist (W), High Hip (HH), Hip (H)
Hourglass: |B − H| < 3.6 cm AND W/H < 0.75 AND W/B < 0.75
Top Hourglass: B > H AND |B − H| < 3.6% of H AND W < 0.75×B
Pear/Triangle: H > B by 5+ cm AND W < 0.75×H
Apple/Oval: W ≥ H × 0.80 (waist-dominant)
Inverted Tri: B > H by 5+ cm AND shoulders dominate
Rectangle: |B − H| < 5 cm AND W > 0.75×H
Health Insights by Body Type
Beyond aesthetics, body shape has health implications. Apple/android distribution (weight in the midsection) correlates with higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Pear/gynoid distribution (weight in hips and thighs) carries lower cardiovascular risk. Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio are more clinically meaningful than body shape classification alone.
Can body type change over time?
Yes — body shape can change significantly with age, hormonal shifts (pregnancy, menopause, andropause), weight gain or loss, and muscle development. Women often transition from pear/hourglass to more apple-like distribution after menopause due to reduced estrogen, which shifts fat from hips to the abdomen. Strength training can add width to shoulders and reduce the relative waist-to-hip ratio over time.
What is a healthy waist-to-hip ratio?
WHO guidelines: Women with WHR above 0.85 and men above 0.90 are at substantially increased metabolic risk. Ideal WHR is below 0.80 for women and below 0.90 for men. WHR is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than BMI alone, as it specifically measures central adiposity. However, absolute waist circumference (>88cm women / >102cm men) is also important to monitor independently.
Is there a body type calculator for men?
Male body types are commonly classified as: Ectomorph (lean, narrow frame), Mesomorph (muscular, proportional), and Endomorph (rounder, softer), or by shape as rectangle, triangle (wider shoulders), inverted triangle (wider hips), or oval (apple-shaped). These classifications use different measurements — typically chest, waist, and hips for shape, or body fat percentage and muscle distribution for somatotype. This calculator uses the female proportion-based system.
