Body frustrations... Warning, Rant!

image from here

Warning! Not a 'for boys' post. Just skip this one, fellas...

OK. So there are all these 'helpful' people out there on the web who have these names for body shapes and once you determine what your shape is, you can do some 'helpful' exercises that are more tailored for your body. Right? Riiiiiight.

Here's the list: which I borrowed from other sites. (I made bold the things that describe me.)

Ruler (or Banana):
Tend to be waif-like and slim.
Shoulders, hips, waist almost same size.
Very little indentation at waist.
Tend to put on weight in stomach and bottom, while maintaining slender arms and legs.

Hourglass:
Well-proportioned upper and lower body.
Shoulders and hips (almost) same size
Dramatic indentation (> 6") at waistline
Tend to gain weight all over your body, especially hip and chest area.
Strictly female shape.

Spoon (or Pear):
Larger lower bodies and smaller upper bodies.
Shoulders narrower than hips (commonly found in women).
Tend to gain weight below your waist.
Small chests and flat stomachs.

Apple:
Inverted triangular shaped body
The bust measurement is larger than the hip measurement.
Large chest and bust for your frame.
You carry most(or a lot, more now than ever post baby) of your weight around your midsection.
Usually have slim legs, hips, and bottom. (this doesn't fit me at all though!)

Cone:
Wider shoulders than hips (usually found in men) (awesome :( ).
Bigger on the top half of their bodies than on the bottom half.
Slim hips and a large chest and stomach.
Tend to gain weight above the waist or bottom.


I am NONE of these! And it's not just that I'm a big girl (and I know I am). My little sister (who is a size 2) has the same body type as me and fits in none of these categories either.

Our shape? Same all over. We put on weight all over our body equally (well, I do. She looks fabulous and is a personal trainer!) Arms, legs, butt, stomach, but oddly enough, never boobs. (Go figure.) We are muscular all over with shoulders like football players and not terribly wide hips (unless we gain weight then we get wide in the front and back first) and big legs. Very strange. In the past when I have been in shape (lets face it, that was high school), I still had large muscular arms and legs, and no waist or breasts to speak of.

Why is this body type not mentioned? I know other girls like this! It makes shopping horrible because anything that is made in 'women's' size (what is that about anyway? I'm only a 'woman' if I'm fat?! What are the size 0-12 people? Girls? I mean really...I digress) are made for big women with curves and by curves I mean boobs and butt. So I am left with these fabulous dresses for girls my size with saggy little pockets of fabric where alleged breasts should be, but never are. It always looks weird! I've almost decided to just make my own clothes. Mostly it's dresses that frustrate me, so when I want to look nice, it's harder.

As I struggle with all of this, I am reminded of what the pastor said recently...
"I look at myself and all of my flaws and say 'I will work harder to fix them'. This is tremendous pride."
My weight issues are not just 'over-eating' or not working out. They are deeper and I know it, a symptom rather than the problem. I need healing in this area first and to think I can heal myself is laughable. So one day at a time, one prayer, one better choice, on a journey, but still...can I just look cute in a dress while I journey?

OK. End Rant.