Body Image Through the Decades
How to dress when you’re self-conscious about your tummy? Or any other body part?
When I was growing up in the 70s, I was so self-conscious about my legs that I wore jeans to the beach when it was 100 degrees outside. Can you imagine? I made my friends very uncomfortable. In this article, we’ll explore how design choices can create different effects for your tummy area, and why you might want to rethink everything you’ve been told about problem areas.
Looking back at how body ideals have shifted through the decades, it’s interesting how what’s considered “acceptable” or “preferable” keeps changing.
- In the 1950s, we had the hourglass figure ideal.
- In the 1960s, it was Twiggy.
- In the 1980s, we had the Supermodel Amazon.
Today, we’re seeing more inclusion, with natural curves gaining acceptance and being celebrated in popular culture.
Personal style work isn’t about “fixing” your body – it’s about making informed design choices that help you show up as authentically you. Today, we’re looking at design choices for the tummy area, but these principles apply to any part of your body you’ve been told needs “fixing.”
How to Dress a Tummy Artistically
Recently I’ve had several clients whose major concern was their tummy area. Now let’s look at some design choices that create different effects for your tummy. First, I’ll share seven strategies that can minimize this area, if that’s your preference.
How to dress to minimize a tummy:
- Create a diagonal line with a belt or waistband – this breaks up the horizontal space
- Bypass the waist entirely with pieces that skim over rather than hug this area
- Drop the waist with jackets, belts, or yokes
- Break up the space with design details that draw the eye in different directions
- Use pleats on each side to create vertical interest
- Create dimensional layers that give you more control over your silhouette
- Choose darker colors or matte finishes in this area if you want less emphasis
But here’s something to consider – what if you don’t need to minimize? What if your tummy could be part of your authentic self-expression?
When we choose to embrace our bodies as they are and dress them artistically rather than hiding them, we’re living the value that everyone gets to participate.
We’re actively resisting the idea that we must conform to some external standard to be acceptable.
How to dress a tummy to highlight artistically:
- Use a bias cut that gently follows the curved line of the tummy, creating fluid draping that celebrates rather than constricts the natural shape. Balance the tummy with more volume at the hem, such as flared pants or skirt.
- Choose diagonally draped or wrapped styles that artistically incorporate the tummy’s contours into the overall design, similar to how an artist would emphasize curved lines in a composition.
- Have something dramatic and ornamental just above the tummy and then loose fabric gently sweeping over the tummy.
How Your Personality Influences Your Approach
Your personality type might influence which approach feels most natural to you. For example,
- if you’re an ISFJ or ISTJ, you might feel more comfortable with approaches you’ve seen others wear successfully. Your Introverted Sensing (Si) as your dominant function means you tend to rely on proven, familiar patterns.
- On the other hand, if you have Introverted Feeling (Fi) in your first or second position – like INFPs, ISFPs, ENFPs, and ESFPs – you might feel more comfortable defying conventions to express your authentic self.
- And if you’re an ENTP or ENFP, you might actually enjoy experimenting with different approaches, trying both minimizing and highlighting strategies to see what feels right in different contexts.
The key is this: if you like the look of an outfit that highlights your tummy using good principles of design, you make the world a more accepting place by choosing to wear it.
How to Dress to Make the World a Better Place
Here’s your journaling prompt for this week: Explore the relationship between your personal values and your style choices. What message does hiding or highlighting different parts of your body send about your values? How might your style choices contribute to creating the kind of world you want to live in?
Some questions to consider:
- When do you dress to meet others’ expectations versus expressing your authentic self?
- What would it feel like to dress your body artistically rather than focusing on “fixing” parts of it?
- How might your clothing choices help create more acceptance for others?
By dressing according to your values, you make the world a better place.
If you want to learn more about dressing like yourself, check out my programs. I recommend starting with The Essential Signature Style Guide where we discover the aesthetic of your soul.