Latest news with #Kibbe
Refinery29
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
What Is My Kibbe Body Type & Can It Help Me Dress Better?
If you were asked to describe your body type, what would you say? You'd probably turn to words like 'curvy' or 'slim' or maybe, a fruit (pear, apple) or an object (cello?). What's less likely is that you'd describe yourself as 'flamboyant gamine' or 'theatrical romantic'. That is, unless you subscribe to the Kibbe body type system. The Kibbe system is an array of 13 different body types based on physical characteristics and, according to this explainer, 'personality traits'. It was popularised by David Kibbe in his 1987 book, Metamorphosis: Discover Your Image Identity And Dazzle As Only You Can. Despite the book being out of print, it has recently found an increasing number of followers in groups on reddit, Facebook and in YouTube communities, with fans of the Kibbe body type system saying that it has helped them understand their body/frame and consequently how to dress for it. As YouTube commenter Savana King put it: "Kibbe encourages you to embrace and emphasise your features, not counteract them. Realising my type has also been extremely helpful in becoming a more sustainable shopper. I can finally shop online and not be tricked into buying clothes that look chic on the thin models but ultimately make me look like a Victorian baby." But what exactly are the body types? The answer to that question is complex and more than a bit confusing. That's because the system aims to go beyond simplifying bodies down to different fruits, for example. Instead of purporting to focus on symmetry, Kibbe focuses on 'harmony' and understanding your natural lines. Consequently the variations within body types aim to be far more reflective of human diversity. To understand them you need to understand two main Kibbe principles: yin and yang, and contrast and blend. In the context of body types, yin and yang are feminine and masculine energy — this doesn't mean a body type looks more masculine or feminine per se but that the lines of your body are categorised by curves, round edges and circles (yin) or by strong vertical lines, sharp edges, elongated outlines and geometric shapes (yang). Marilyn Monroe has lines native to yin, for example, while Keira Knightley has lines native to yang. Contrast versus blend is more complicated and refers to how yin and yang are mixed together in a body. If you have a mix of distinctly yin and yang features, you would be classed as high contrast. However if you have a mix of features that are neither strongly yin nor strongly yang, you would be classed as blended. For example, Marion Cotillard is said to have blended features as she is somewhere between a 'straight figure' and an 'hourglass'. On the other hand, Mia Farrow has contrasted features: while she has a very straight (or yang) body, she has other features that are very rounded and therefore yin (like her eyes). The types fall broadly into five categories: dramatic, natural, classic, gamine and romantic. Examples given for each are Tilda Swinton, Jennifer Aniston, Grace Kelly, Audrey Tautou and Drew Barrymore respectively. There are a further eight types which are mixtures of these pure types, bringing the total to 13. Looking at the key components of bone structure, body flesh and facial features, native lines of the body are defined along the yin/yang and contrast/blend spectrum to determine your final type. You can find your type by taking the very in-depth quiz here. …I did say it was complicated. @bodyandstyle POV: you finally learn how to dress for your body type! Follow to learn more about Kibbe body typing #bodytypes #confidence #selflove ♬ original sound - TikTok user @bodyandstyle explains the Kibbe system in a more simplified way. "Dramatics have long and sharp bones so they need tailored pieces... Soft naturals either have shorter limbs or added curves so they look really great with a little bit of waist emphasis; sparkles, flowers, romantic details... Dramatic classics have extra sharpness, so they need their pieces to be more structured and fitted," she says. While the Kibbe body type system is far from simple, it has a dedicated (if relatively small) fanbase who are drawn to the level of detail and purported body positivity of the system. With a focus on line and bone structure, every body type is understood irrespective of size and celebrated for what it is, as opposed to how closely it fits the dominant aesthetic of the time. When a particular body type is so fetishised, particularly on Instagram (tiny waist, big hips and butt, bigger bust), it can be a relief for some to understand how they look beyond the loose terms of ' body positivity '. David Kibbe saw this type of theory as a way to style people and celebrate difference rather than putting forward an aspirational, homogenous vision where everyone looks the same. The Concept Wardrobe is a style blog and one of the major proponents of the system. They write that "Kibbe encourages seeking true balance by embracing and emphasising one's natural body type. Additionally, Kibbe suggests taking a holistic approach to appearance instead of following random fashion trends." On top of that, there's the psychological draw of using intricate quizzes to analyse and understand yourself. Whether it's establishing your Myers-Briggs personality type or reading your birth chart, quizzes give you a sense of place and understanding of yourself. It's fun, self-indulgent and almost comforting. The Kibbe body type test is no different and has the added appeal of answering questions about the parts of ourselves we're taught to have the most anxiety about — the way we look and why. But for everyone who advocates the system, there are those who question it. In her video " Deep Dive Into The Kibbe Body Types", YouTuber Tiffany Ferguson points out the lack of women of colour among the examples given for the different body types, almost all of which focus on white women. This is not to say that the system itself is exclusionary but that the community and movement is not as inclusive (at least in its promotional material) as it claims to be. Moreover, the quiz encourages a hyper-focus on the body, in particular on your 'flesh'. Whether or not that word makes you shudder, it can be discomfiting to analyse yourself so frankly and in such detail. This is only more true if you have a history of body dysmorphia, body image issues or eating disorders. Unlearning fixation on your body is a common part of recovery for people who have dealt with disordered eating and body image issues; reintroducing it, even if the gaze on your body is not judgemental, could be triggering. By the same token, the end purpose of the Kibbe test is to learn how to dress for your type, in a way that's 'flattering'. There is a whole page outlining which patterns, dress shapes, colours and fabric weights you should and should not wear depending on your type. By Kibbe's estimation, your type should shape your entire wardrobe. Some might find that framework a useful guiding hand but there are others who will find it unnecessarily restrictive. Plus, it's hard to disentangle the culturally dominant idea that to dress in a way that is 'flattering' is to dress in a way that's 'slimming' and introducing these restrictions can feed into a narrative that fat people should not wear shapeless dresses or suits. Is this something you need to know about yourself? It really depends on what kind of person you are, and your existing relationship with your body. If it helps you feel at peace with your shape and more confident in the way you dress, it's a great thing. Equally, if it could become a triggering form of restriction, be kind to yourself and steer clear. And if you sit somewhere in between those two poles, measuring yourself and doing maths is a fine way to spend an hour.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Steering Circularity Amid Not-So-Sustainable Policy Shifts
While industry-wide efforts to drive environmental legislation—positioning circularity as a solution to climate change—have accelerated in recent years, the new administration in the White House has the federal government shifting priorities with different dynamics emerging. One of those dynamic differences considers the regulatory role that the states and private sector may be forced to play if sustainability is to stick. Suppose the less eco-focused executive and legislative branches do, in fact, place more onus on the states to drive regulation forward. In that case, they will need more capital to successfully execute at a local level. More from Sourcing Journal Supporting Supplier Relationships to Achieve Traceability Meet Puma's Latest Recycled Polyester Partner Coach and Gen Phoenix Talk Circularity and Partnership During SJ's Sustainability Summit, Chelsea Murtha of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and Rachel Kibbe of the Circular Services Group (CSG) and American Circular Textiles (ACT) discussed how local and national legislation can tackle the hurdles hindering sustainability strategies in the face of a less sympathetic federal government. 'I don't think it's a surprise to anyone in this room that you're not going to get very far on Capitol Hill or with the White House right now by saying, 'This is a great sustainability initiative,'' Murtha, the AAFA's senior director of sustainability, said. 'But that doesn't mean there aren't [other] things you can talk about; things they've indicated are very important to them: U.S. manufacturing.' Giving 'a lot of credit' to her co-panelist—the founder and CEO of CSG and ACT—Murtha discussed the power of flipping the script to position sustainability initiatives as U.S. manufacturing and conservation efforts to gain traction. 'I've watched [Kibbe] in rooms with Republican legislators who are all very excited about her circularity initiative because that's not how she's talking about it,' she continued. 'There are ways to talk about this and get through to folks who would dismiss a sustainability initiative. You can just have a manufacturing initiative that happens to have sustainability impacts [by] starting to lean on things that connect conservation to affordability.' It's true: Kibbe has talked about the Americas Act, for instance, taking a bipartisan lens to emphasize U.S. manufacturing—such as investing in its systems and infrastructures as well as supporting its trade partners—to ultimately underscore the environment's business case instead of its morality clause. 'Narrative is always critical; I mean, that's how you communicate things to each other,' Kibbe said before referencing a few 'horrifying' discoveries when working on the aforementioned bill. 'That made me really start to reframe the way I look at and listen to narratives—not to say that narratives can't be dangerous; we're seeing that play out as well, but I think that's critical.' While Kibbe is focused on securing the industry's seat at the federally-funded table, Murtha is working to 'galvanize' the private sector to advocate for itself—so it can be both 'heard and represented as a squeaky wheel to the federal government' and to ensure the textile sector isn't 'left out of those types of opportunities,' Kibbe said. 'There's a lot of areas where this can go wrong,' she added. 'The devil is going to be in the rule writing process.' Both panelists, however, stressed the importance of revamping existing trade policies that hinder sustainable practices as well as the value in advocating for strategic, incremental changes to achieve longer-term goals. 'There are these sort of wonky, Draconian trade policies that were established eons ago to support domestic manufacturing that haven't been fixed or updated and are now working against us,' Kibbe said, referencing recycled cotton and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). 'These sort of little things, like death by 1,000 cuts, are big issues that, I think, can brush us aside as an industry if we don't coalesce and come together.' Murtha, too, paused to remind attendees of reality. 'I don't want to overstate, though, the ability to achieve things; it's not as if these are magic words that will fix all the problems,' Murtha said. 'But they are a good place to start when having conversations.'
