Short waist is a common body feature, especially among petite women. However, it is quite possible for you to be tall and still have a short waist. Whether your waist is long or short is relative to your own body, it has little to do with your height. In this detailed guide, you’ll learn everything about what it means to have a short waist and what type of clothing you should stay away from in order to de-emphasize it.
How to tell if you are short-waisted
If you are not quite sure, below are the body traits commonly associated with women who have a short waist. If most of these apply to you, it is highly likely your waist is short.
- The distance between your shoulders and natural waist is short. It also means that your natural waist sits higher on your body compared to other usual body shapes.
- Being short-waisted doesn’t always mean you have a short torso. This is a common misconception since the terms “short-waist” and “short torso” are often used interchangeably so they are more often confused with each other.
- You may not have a waist definition. It’s very common among short-waisted girls to have an undefined waist because there’s simply not enough space for the transition line connecting your waist and hips to show up.
- You have long, slender legs. Since your proportions are in favor of your lower body, this also means that your legs take more space, hence looking quite long and slim.
These are just some of the most common traits short-waisted women possess. Also, it’s quite important to know whether you’re a short-waisted girl who has a short torso or a long torso (because you can either be one of the two!) because there will be styling differences as well.
In this article, we’ll cover the pieces that should not be worn for short-waisted women in general.
High Neck Tops
One of the key style goals short-waisted women would strive for is to keep their frames elongated – and well, high-neck tops do the exact opposite of that! High-neck tops can visually shorten the look of your neck and torso and this can exaggerate the short-waisted appearance even further.
In addition to this, wearing high-neck tops or dresses can lead to a more compact and compressed look in the upper body, which can definitely look quite awkward. It may even make you look stubbier even if you’re petite and skinny!
So as an ideal style alternative, go for elongating open necklines such as the V-neck. The V shape of this neckline helps create a continuous vertical line that draws the eyes up and down to counteract your short-waisted feature.
Non Adjustable Straps (Dresses and Tops)
Since you are short-waisted, clothing details such as straps, particularly spaghetti straps, will not really fit that well and you might even find them constantly sliding on the sides of your shoulders. This is because non-adjustable straps are designed with a standard length, which may not be proportionate to your short-waisted figure so this can lead to straps that are too long, causing the neckline to sag and the overall fit to be less flattering.
Also, straps that are too long may not provide adequate support for your bust, regardless if you have a small or large bust. This can be very uncomfortable as you may feel more prone to exposure and may even visually make your bust appear lower than it should.
So when looking for sleeveless tops or dresses, like spaghetti straps, look for those that feature sliders or adjusters as these will give you full control of the right fit. This way, you can customize the proper length that will accommodate your upper body, without worries of slip-offs.
Crop Tops
Crop tops feature a hem that hits right at the midsection, which can obviously draw more attention. Since this is the very area where you might already feel less confident, you surely wouldn’t want to expose and highlight this part of your body because it can only make the perceived disproportion even more apparent.
Short-waisted women usually don’t have a waist definition so they would need certain clothing styles that can define the waistline – and guess what? Crop tops are simply not that! Crop tops, by design, cut off at or above the natural waist so this will make it harder to create the illusion of a longer and more defined waist.
In addition to this, crop tops have a shorter length so they sometimes tend to give the impression of “squeezing” the torso, making it seem more compact and compressed. So instead, look at more tops that are much longer in length such as hip-length or tunic tops.
Tops with Boning (Corsets)
I know what you’re thinking – you may feel like corsets or tops with boning should look great because technically, they are designed to cinch the waist and elongate the torso, right? However, since you most likely have a shorter distance between your ribcage and your hips, wearing boning tops or corsets may visually compress your torso and therefore make it appear even shorter.
Many boning and corset tops are designed to cinch in at the natural waist, but since you’re short-waisted, your natural waistline will fall higher than where the natural waistline is for most body types. This can lead to an unbalanced look, with the waistline sitting too high on the body and this can totally throw off the overall proportions of your body.
Instead, go for those that offer an adjustable waist cinch, such as wrap tops. They are one of your safest style options as you can have better control over the fit that you want for your body.
High-Contrast Ensembles
High-contrasting ensembles sharply divide the upper and lower halves of the body so this effect can visually accentuate the shortness of your torso. Because the colors are too polar, this will surely create a stark contrast that draws more attention to your shorter waist.
Strong color contrasts, like black white, or purple and yellow, can create a visual “break” in the body especially when they occur at the waist. This can definitely lead to a disjointed or chopped-up appearance for short-waisted women.
The best way to keep a streamlined and elongated look is by wearing monochromatic or low-contrast outfit ensembles. By going for these, you are creating an uninterrupted visual line that makes it hard to determine where your waist begins and ends.
Smocked Dresses
Smocked dresses, especially when they fit too tightly, can sometimes make the upper body appear shorter due to the intricately gathered fabric. For short-waisted women whose goal is to visually lengthen the torso, this can be counterproductive.
So depending on the design and how the smocking is executed in the clothing, it can lead to extra fabric around the waist area. This can create a bulky or bunchy look, which can also attract more attention and might not be the most flattering for short-waisted figures.
Short-waisted girls will find dresses with flowy silhouettes that can be more flattering style options. Those that come in flowy, draping fabrics can create a sense of movement and the illusion of a longer frame, resulting in more balanced proportions.
Low-rise Jeans
It’s true that you may find low-rise jeans more comfortable to wear because of how they may possibly land at a more flattering point in your torso. However, the way it sits way lower than your natural waistline can disrupt your proportions.
Low-rise jeans are not just super outdated, but they also shift the visual focus away from your natural waistline in a way that makes the waist appear lower than it actually is. This will make your overall frame look more awkward and disproportionate.
Also, wearing low-rise jeans can lead to a “muffin top” effect, where the waistband digs deep into your belly and therefore creates a bulging appearance. The best option for short-waisted women is mid-rise jeans because it hits just the perfect point of your waist.
Short Jackets
Short jackets are generally not considered a good choice for short-waisted women because they can visually emphasize the shortness of your waist, hence making it appear even shorter. When you wear a short jacket, it significantly reduces the visual length of your upper body even further, resulting in an unbalanced look.
Their length often ends at or above the natural waistline and this can visually cut off the appearance of your waist. This can lead to an unflattering and disproportionate silhouette overall.
In addition to this, they can sometimes create a boxy appearance as well, especially if they’re not tailored or designed to flatter a specific body type, such as a short waist. A better alternative would be longer jackets or those that end at the hip as these can create a more balanced and elongated look
Large or Bulky Pockets
Large pockets may look trendy and edgy, but having them placed on your tops or jackets will only draw more attention to your midsection. Because of the visual distraction large pockets make, this can create the impression of even less torso length, as the pockets break up the vertical line of your clothing.
If the pockets are placed lower on the garment or if they are too bulky, they can visually lower the appearance of the waistline, which is definitely not ideal for short-waisted women. It’s generally more flattering to go for tops and jackets that emphasize the natural waist.
Belts in Contrasting Colors
If you’re short-waisted and you wear a belt that comes in a very contrasting color with your outfit, you are creating an unflattering horizontal line across the waist. This visual effect can visually cut the torso in half, making it appear even shorter and this will absolutely disrupt the vertical line and proportions of the body.
While belts are often used to highlight your waist, a contrasting color draws extra attention to this area. This can be counterintuitive for short-waisted girls because how it can make the waist look even higher and the torso shorter.
This is why it’s important to think about the overall outfit when choosing a belt because it can drastically change how your overall outfit looks. Belts in a similar color to your clothing are the ideal choice as they can create a more streamlined and elongated look, as they don’t interrupt the vertical line.
Wide Belts
Just like belts that come in contrasting colors, wide belts attract extra attention as well. This will cause an obvious division in your torso and will further emphasize your short waist.
A wide belt can visually “cut off” the torso and this stark horizontal line can disrupt the natural vertical flow of the body. This will make your upper body look even shorter in comparison to the legs.
Bottoms with Wide Waistbands
Bottoms with wide waistbands are horizontally oriented bands of fabric at the waist found in jeans, skirts, pants, or shorts. This particular type of wide or thick waistband is usually wider than the average, so it covers a larger area of the midsection.
Because of this fact, bottoms with wide waistbands can further shorten the distance between the bust and the hips. This will result in the appearance of an even shorter waist, which can look very imbalanced.
Extremely Voluminous Skirts
Extremely voluminous skirts can overwhelm a shorter upper body, which is a typical characteristic of short-waisted beauties. The excess fabric that creates the puffy volume can cause a visual imbalance that will make the upper body look even shorter in comparison.
Voluminous skirts, especially those that flare out significantly, are surely extravagant and dainty, but they can also elongate the legs. This can make the already short waist appear even shorter in contrast.
