Why should we care about if we’re long waisted or short waisted? And why should we care about body proportion?  Well, am going to tell you why, because body proportion tell us where to end tops, skirts, jackets, sleeves, and necklaces, it tells you were to end the length of your clothes! So, if you want your clothes to fit properly, you need to know your body proportion.

And do you wonder why some styles of clothing look good on others but not you? One reason is your body proportions might be different than others that look good in those styles, and one of the body proportions that affect which styles look good on you is your waist proportion. If you’re short waisted or long waisted, some styles will look better on you than others.

There’re different methods you can use to determine if you’re short or long waisted.

The first Method is to Measure from your underarm to your natural waist that is the narrowest part – above your naval. Then measure your waist to your hip bone. If the measurements are about the same, you’re evenly proportioned. If the first measurement is smaller, am talking about the measurement from your underarm to your natural waist, then you’re short waisted. If the second measurement is smaller, this is the measurement from your waist to the hip bone, then you’re long waisted.

Let’s look at the second Method, another way to tell if you’re short or long waisted is to measure from the top of your head to your crotch. And then measure from your crotch to the floor when you’re barefooted and standing flat footed, no shoes on and no flip flops. If the first measurement is shorter, you are short-waisted. If the second measurement is shorter, then you are long waisted.

The last Method is to measure your total height that is from head to toe. Write down this measurement. Now measure from your toes up to the widest part of your hip. Write this measurement down. Check where your HIP is in relation to your total height…if it’s 1/2 way up your body, it means your body proportion is balanced.

So, let’s assume my total height is 70 inches that is 5 feet 10 inches, and my hip measurement is at 35 inches which is the measurement from the toe to the widest part of the hip. This means my body is in the “balanced” category.
If the top half measurement is larger, you are long-waisted. If it’s smaller, you’re short-waisted.

Your tops should be the opposite of what you are. In other words, if you are long-waisted, wear shorter tops, to lengthen your legs. If you are short-waisted, wear longer tops to lengthen your torso.

What Does it Mean to be Short Waisted or Long Waisted?

Short waisted means you have a relatively short torso in relation to your leg length. And long waisted means you have a relatively long torso in relation to your legs. If you’re short waisted, you appear to have a short torso and long legs. If you’re long waisted, you appear to have a long torso and short legs.

Can You Visually Alter Your Proportions? Yes, you can if you want to

All bodies are beautiful no matter the proportions, but if you want to alter your body proportion visually, there are style tips and tricks to make a short waist look longer and a long waist look shorter.

For example, if you’re long waisted wearing high waisted pants or skirts will make your legs look longer and your torso shorter. If you’re short waisted, wearing low waisted trouser will visually lengthen your torso.