Hi everyone, it's Justine.
David Kibbe is an image consultant who developed another method to categorize body types.
For each of the types that he defines, that he sees, he's also giving recommendations
on which clothes are gonna suit you well, which shapes, which colors, etc.
So his point is to provide you with, basically, practical guidelines.
Many of you have asked what I think about his methods, so here is what we are gonna
discuss in today's video: First, the method.
The system.
How it’s built.
What are we looking at?
What are the parameters?
And the principles behind the whole thing.
Then the test.
And I will give you a link if you want to take the test to find out which Kibbe type
you are.
Then the categories.
And I will try to explain what I understand the differences to be, between all the types,
and how they relate to each other.
Point four…
My test results, and you can tell me if you think that I'm the same type as I think I
am.
And then the limitations to that system.
First, how it works.
On this channel, you know, I usually I use 5 different types for the body types: pear,
apple, rectangle, inverted triangle, and hourglass.
Those are the five types.
They’re very easy to use.
That’s why I like them.
They’re only based on three parameters.
Your bust, your waist and your hip measurement are taken in 3D.
But actually, it's only three parameters, and it's a subjective assessment, and I think
it's very flexible.
That's why I took this one when I'm working, and as a designer when I design.
What Kibbe does, is that he says “There are more parameters to take in to consideration.”
For instance, not just the three measurements that I’m using, but also facial features,
the shape of your shoulders, your hands, your bone structure, etc.
So his approach is more holistic, is more detailed, and more complex.
Then he says "We are, as humans, a mix of different things.
So he says yin and yang.
You could also say a mix of plus and minus, a mix of two extremes.
We’re always somewhere in between.
"So for each parameter that he’s looking at, he says, "Are you rather yin or rather
yang?”Yin means, for instance, rounded, curvy, soft, feminine, etc.Yang means: sharp,
angular, prominent features, masculine, etc.
We are looking at tendencies here, so these adjectives are just to give you the overall
idea of which side you are more leaning towards.
Number two: The Kibbe test.
The test that you have to take to find out which type you are in this system is a series
of questions, through which you assess yourself qualitatively through adjectives.
For instance, “Would you say that your shoulders are rather narrow and sharp, broad and blunt,
symmetrical, sloped and tapered, or sloped and rounded?”
You probably have the feeling that it’s not so easy to judge yourself.
So here I'd say, if I could give you a piece of advice, ask a friend to give you their
neutral opinions, or take a photo of you, frontal, holding the camera in your center,
not too high because it will play up the angle, and not too low.
Frontal picture.
And then compare that photo with other people to help you get a feeling for where you’re
standing.
I feel that this can help you tremendously, to just get through the questionnaire more
accurately, I would say.
Then, I found a great article on Reddit, from a person, I think it's a she...
She took the time and researched examples for all the possible answers.
I find that super helpful, to say “Am I looking more like her, or more like her?”
So she shared that publicly...
Thank you so much.
I love people who share.
That's a great attitude.
I will link to her version of the test, with the photo examples, down below in the description,
and I suggest that you take that test instead of just the questions with no photos.
If you want to take the test, you should do it now, before watching the rest of the video,
because I’m going to describe the different categories, and they’re very transparent,
once you’ve heard the name, so if you watch the video and then take the test, I think
you might get biased…
Then, the 5 main types and the 13 body types…
Kibbe defines 5 main types.
Here is how I understand them, shown in a visual way.
Dramatic and Romantic are the two extremes, so to speak.
Dramatic is long and thin, with angular features, with a straight body (no curves) – it’s
very “yang”.
Romantic is at the other side of the spectrum, it’s very “yin”… so, small, soft,
rounded, curvy.
Tilda Swinton is dramatic.
Marilyn Monroe is romantic.
So, you get the idea.
They are completely different women.
Then, in between, we have the Classic and Gamine types.
Classic means that all your features are moderate, neither really yin nor really yang, just balanced,
somewhere in between, whereas gamine means that some of your features are clearly yin,
while others are clearly yang – which means that you have more contrast.
You’re in between, on average, but your features are further apart from each other,
if that makes sense.
Classic beauties are for instance, Catherine Deneuve or Grace Kelly, typically, while Emma
Watson or Audrey Tautou (I hope you know her) are Gamine.
And then the fifth type is Natural.
It’s somewhere between Classic and Dramatic, so it’s more on the yang side; that’s
why I placed it there.
You’ll see clear features, but not as angular as on a Dramatic person.
Sandra Bullock is an example of a Natural woman.
If you think about these 5 main types in terms of beauty ideal, I’d say that many actresses
today are natural in type…
Think feminine but with more angles…
We say with more personality, but it’s totally the wrong word.
It means more yang features.
So sporty, a bit muscular, why not?
They can be rectangles or slightly inverted triangles.
Think of the Victoria’s Secret models.
They’re pretty much all… almost all Natural types.
And then in the forties/fifties, actresses were very often Romantic or Classic.
So, there is not one type that is better, or prettier than the others, not at all.
But I think there are society trends as to which types are more fashionable in a given
decade, which is super interesting, isn’t it?
Ok, so now, how do we go from 5 types to 13?
That’s super easy, we multiply.
If you’re, let’s say, gamine, that’s your main type, you can still be tending towards
“yang”, “yin” or “pure”…
True Gamine.
So within the five main types, you have three sub-types.
Except for Dramatic (cause that one is already very yang) and except for Romantic (because
this one is already very yin), so 15 minus 2…
13 body types.
And of course, they have different names so that we can recognize them.
Again here, we’re looking at tendencies.
I’m that thing with a bit of something else.
So what’s my test result?
I took the test.
And here’s my first objection…
I could tell which profile, which type, is hiding behind each answer…
So I think my test is biased.
Cause I could…
I could see through it, and I think some of you will be able to do the same.
Which is why I hope you took the test before watching this now.
Then, my answers.
I have exactly the same amount of answers for Dramatic and Classic.
So technically, a fifty-fifty type does not exist.
My type does not exist.
While I’m flattered that I don’t fit into a box… it flatters my Frenchness… you
know what I mean if you’ve been watching my French series.
While I feel flattered, actually, it’s just because each question has the same weight
in the assessment.
And I think that’s not a smart way of doing it.
Because, take in my case, for instance, I have long fingers, I’m very tall.
That would make me Dramatic.
But then my body is not angular enough, it’s too rounded.
My body is more classic.
So for clothing purposes, I would go with Classic rather than with Dramatic.
And then comes the make-up…
I have prominent cheekbones; you can see my jaw.
I have a fine, straight nose line.
You can see my eyebrows and everything here.
I would take the advice for Natural, or maybe even for Dramatic people, but not for Classic.
So it depends, and in the end, you still have to take your result with a bit of distance,
depending on what you’re doing with it.
Unfortunately, you will not get the one and final answer that works forever for you and
for everything.
Further limitations…
When you gain weight, your silhouette and your features will seem more rounded and softer
then they would be at your previous weight.
So it will make you think that you're leaning more towards the Romantic type than you actually
are.
So you need to be aware of that when you take the test.
Also when you get older, it's a natural process, but your shoulders, your facial features,
your hands, will look more angular, let's say, than in your twenties and thirties.
So you need to have that in mind too.
See Meryl Streep.
She used to be very, very soft and round.
She was categorized as gamine.
Now today, you see her cheekbones a lot more, which is even a characteristic of hers now.
She didn't have that before.
You see her nose.
A lot more present than before.
So would she be dramatic now?
Has she changed times between here and there?
Right?
Age is not taken in to consideration in the Kibbe system, and I think it should be.
And then there are exceptions to the system.
Audrey Hepburn, who anyway can't be categorized anywhere because she’s in another league…
But she has a child’s face and big eyes.
Typical gamine.
But she’s also quite tall, and very lean and very narrow?
So is she Dramatic?
Where would you put her?
I’m not sure where I would categorize her.
The Kibbe system is a good system to spend time thinking about your body, to better understand
it, but I think the test is a bit tricky to use… correctly?
So to speak…
And it’s a system.
So it standardizes us, which will always leave room for discussions, misinterpretations and
error… and disagreements.
So I suggest you take the test a couple of times, until you feel really comfortable with
the answers, and what the difference between each answer is.
Your result might vary a little bit, until you find the one that seems right for you.
Did you find that that system is easier to use than apple / pear (the system that I use
otherwise)?
If you don’t know what I am talking about, I will link a playlist of my previous videos
on that topic here, in the i card, and down below, in the description below this video.
Did you recognize yourself in these types?
Did you agree with the type that I think I have, according to this test, or did you say
"She’s a totally different type!"
I’m curious.
Let me know in the comments.
Thumbs up if you found this review useful, thank you you very much.
I will see you next week for a new video.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel so that you get all the updates.
Take care.
Bye bye!