Thursday, September 24, 2015

Curves

I don't have curves. None. My body is a perfect cylinder: 44-44-44. No hourglass here.

Most women's bodies, due to anatomy, have natural curves. Slopes that society has turned into cultural representation. The traditional S-shape curve of a female body is a common cultural symbol for women.

I desire that or at least the illusion of it. A few years ago I noticed women wearing dresses that make their bodies look very curvy. I realized the dresses create an optical illusion -- an emphasized curvy area is surrounded by negative space. Our eyes see the curves and reject the rest of the image (which are, in fact, other parts of the woman's body).

I wondered if this illusion could work for me. I've been on the lookout for a dress like this for a few months. Most are expensive and available only in tony boutiques. Finally, I spotted one at a thrift-store for $8. It isn't as exaggerated with curves as others are, but it's better than nothing. What do you think?


 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

16 comments:

  1. You are so much tinier than you think you are, Ally! This absolutely looks SMASHING on you! Va-va-voom! Love the boa too - every girl needs a boa.

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  2. Well I think you have a pretty awesome figure! That dress looks great and I love the boa.
    xo
    styleontheside.com

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  3. Oh wow! Can't believe you found such a fabulous one for $8! Great shopping, and you look terrific. xo

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  4. It does look good! You're right about the curve-highlighting nature of the dress. And that boa is the perfect touch... you should go out on the town in that outfit right now, at 8 am on a Friday morning :)

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  5. Dang, I'd say it worked. Also, I need to start working out...you're looking FIT!

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  6. Super cute! I love dresses like that--they're somehow capable of both slimming AND curve-inducing.

    As for your specific figure, have you considered shapewear? It might suck in your middle a bit, giving you more of an hourglass shape in your bust and hips. It won't be the slightest bit comfortable, but I've never been disappointed with the look that Spanx gives. (I have a pretty boyish figure myself--no real hips whatsoever!)

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    1. I have Spanx and it helps a little, but what I really need are wider hips. There's no way to create them except by using pads and I feel that's too artificial. I've seen TGs use them and dislike the level of artifice.

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    2. And then us girls with wider hips want them gone!!!!

      This dress looks amazing on you my friend.

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  7. I have also been looking for a dress like this and I think it does make you look curvier. Well done!

    bisous
    Suzanne

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  8. You can achieve a lot with clothes. This most definitely creates the illusion of curves- great job!

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  9. I can certainly relate to this dilemma! I always say I have the figure of a young boy LOL. No hips or chest for that matter. Thank God for padded bras! We can't compare ourselves to the generation of photo shopped beauties we see on TV and magazines. You are perfect as God intended lady!

    www.dressed2dnines.com

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  10. You look gorgeous, my mermaid friend! One of the things about being a woman is that we are all told our body shape just isn't quite what it should be, and we all look at someone else and thing what they have is better than what we have. I suppose not all women are like that but it's very common and I think it's more typical that some learn to overcome that rather than that they never feel that way in the first place. In the body shape guidelines for dressing, the ones where we are all compared to a piece of fruit or some geometric shape, I generally miss out on hourglass by a few inches and am relegated to something called variously, brick, banana (which seems to me would be a case of scoliosis) ruler or rectangle. It has been a challenge learning how to dress this shape even though when naked I have curves, they disappear easily in clothes. When I look at you I see narrow hips and great legs-amazing legs! This is an attribute of the shape they often call apple and perhaps some of the dressing guidelines for that shape would work for you. Broad shoulders are desirable and what models have-they make you a natural clothes hanger. Women are taught that only two options are good for us. Either we are a sexy bombshell and must dress in figure hugging things all the time so as to show off the curves and not look fat and empahsise the waist-yada yada yada. Or we must be a tall, skinny coat hanger shape with shoulders broader than everything else so that we make the clothes look good as they hang there.

    All this use of the alphabet above is just my way of saying that I think you should consider yourself to have one of the many types of female bodies out there. Your beautiful curves are in your legs, and they eye zooms back and forth between those legs and your pretty face. Seriously! xoxo

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  11. Love this dress, it does add the illusion of curves and there are scores of them out there, so never you mind about your build. What can not be faked, its your gorgeous legs!!!! Fabulous, and I love the Boa thrown in!!
    xx, Elle
    http://mydailycostume.com

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  12. Yes, it does create a curvy illusion and I like it… you can always wear shoulder pads to create broader shudders, a thick belt to define the waist and a puffy skirt to create a more voluptuous bottom :)

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  13. It definitely does create the look of a more curvaceous figure, Ally. Great find! Another fun way to help achieve that is with a cinch belt (or any medium or tall er belt that can be done up quite tightly) and an a-line, circle, midi, or maxi skirt with a bit of flare to it. A fitted shirt/blouse also helps in this equation, as (often) does wearing heels.

    ♥ Jessica

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