Swim wear for the plus size & curvy woman, part 1: Know your body type

The four basic body shapes.

 Even the most confident of full figured women can feel the momentary twinge of self angst when it comes to baring her body in public. But that savvy plus size woman who confidently overcomes her anxiety and struts her stuff by the pool while looking fabulous, has learned the two things that many full figured women have yet to learn or master.

Number one: There are a wide range of swim wear, from sexy one piece swimsuits to short and sassy swim dresses that are available to plus size and curvy women.

Number two: The importance of knowing body shape when choosing a swimsuit.

Finding the right swimsuit is as simple as learning your specific body shape and how clothing can either enhance or detract from that shape. With this understanding, full figured women equip themselves with the knowledge of how to choose the swim wear that compliments their curves.

There are generally four basic body shapes plus one body feature to consider when choosing a swimsuit for the full or curvy figure:

• The round/apple body: This type of body tends to be fuller in the stomach, chest and shoulders, while having a slimmer lower half of the body, such as hips, thighs and buttocks. The goal of the round body shape is to lessen the appearance of the stomach, bring attention upwards towards the chest and face.
• The triangle/pear body: This is the opposite of the round body shape. Generally the triangular shaped woman has a smaller upper body, but is larger in the hips, thighs and buttocks. She will generally have a smaller waist, bust and slimmer shoulders. The goal here is to again bring the attention upwards towards the face, minimizing the appearance of the hips and thighs and balancing the proportions of the body
• The hourglass: The woman with an hourglass figure has what some consider the ideal shape. She is equally curvy at the bust and the hips. She does not tend to carry her weight in the stomach area. The goal is not to overwhelm or overly enhance the hourglass womans curves.
• The rectangular/banana body: This woman's body is the same from top to bottom with no noticeable curves. The goal here is to create the illusion of such curves.
• The well endowed woman. This addition has been made for the woman who doesn't carry weight in her stomach and doesn't tend to be fuller in the hips or thighs. The well endowed woman's trouble spot is having larger than average breasts which represents its own unique set of problems when choosing a bathing suit. The goal for this woman is to divert attention from the breast area while providing support.

The next segment in this series will cover what to look for when choosing swim wear for the round/apple shaped body.