Find your body shape: apple, pear, hourglass or rectangle
The common body shape categories — apple, pear, hourglass, rectangle, and inverted triangle — are descriptive labels derived from the geometric similarity between body silhouettes and those shapes. They emerge from the relationship between three key measurements: bust/chest, waist, and hips. They carry no inherent health valuation and no implication about attractiveness or worth.
Apple (or round): waist measurement similar to or larger than bust and hip measurements. Associated with higher waist-to-hip ratio. Pear (or triangle): hips notably wider than bust, waist narrowing above hips. Common female body distribution in many ethnic groups. Hourglass: bust and hip measurements similar, with significantly narrower waist. Rectangle (or straight): bust, waist, and hip measurements relatively similar, with limited waist definition. Inverted triangle: shoulders and bust notably wider than hips, tapering downward.
Of these shapes, the apple (or android fat distribution — fat carried around the abdomen) is the one most associated with metabolic health risk in the research literature. This is not about body shape as aesthetics but about the distinct metabolic activity of visceral fat compared to subcutaneous fat. Apple-shaped fat distribution is independently associated with elevated cardiovascular and metabolic risk at equivalent BMI levels. This tool does not make health claims and the body type result carries no health verdict.
Body shape tools can be triggering for people with complex relationships to body image and eating. This tool is framed purely descriptively and presents all body types neutrally. If you find this kind of content distressing, that is a reasonable response and a sign that this tool is not for you today.
Related: BMI Calculator · Healthy Weight Range · Biological Age Estimator