How ladies can hide their 7 problem areas and look slimmer

Being slim with well-balanced proportions is out of reach for many. Some are born with genes from the Gods, while us mere mortals have to make do with what Mother Nature gave us. But no need to despair just yet. There is beauty in all of us. The trick is knowing how to show it off.

This article is going to give you simple tips on how to hide, or cover, your problem areas and appear slimmer in the process. Shifting the focus away from your problem areas will attract the eye to your best features.

The 7 main problem areas that many women have trouble with are:

Short, round neck
Large bust
Fat upper arms
No or 'straight up and down' waist
Round tummy
Large bottom and thighs
Cankles



The only thing you have to do now is pick the one problem area you have and read on for the dos and don'ts of dressing to your advantage.

Short, round neck
So, your neck in on the short side and rather round. The thing to do is not to accentuate its roundness but choose clothes and accessories that seem to elongate it.

Go for
V and Princess necklines
Long pendants and necklaces
Drop or chandelier earrings
Scarves worn long on the front of the body

Stay away from
High and/or round necklines
Chokers and other short, round necklaces
Short, round earrings

Large bust
Many women would love to have a larger bust, while some feel that their large bust visually spoils their look and wish to minimize its impact on their figure. If this is one of your problems,

Go for
A bra fitting: essential!
Good support bras
Minimizer bra
Low but not plunging necklines; V and princess necklines are best
Wrap dresses and tops
Thick straps
Vertical stripes
Dark colours on your top area

Stay away from
High and round necklines
T shirts
Double-breasted jackets
Padded bras
Low or no-support bras
Strapless tops and dresses
Narrow straps
Bright colours
Thick or bulky fabrics on your top area

Fat upper arms
If your upper arms carry too much weight, or have gone a bit flabby with age and lack of exercise, you can hide them with good effect.

Go for
Longer style sleeves, such as 3/4, or longer
Tunic style tops with fluted sleeves (at the hem)
Prints/florals

Stay away from
Cap sleeves or other styles of short sleeves
Sleeveless/strapless tops or dresses
Tight-fitted sleeves
Plain, bright colours

No/straight waist
Apple and rectangle shapes find that their waistline is too up and down. What you need to do when your waist lacks definition is create an illusion of one. Here is how:

Go for
Optical illusion dresses
Vertical stripes
Belted styles of tops/dresses/jackets
Higher waistlines with a belt
Fitted styles that go in at the waist

Stay away from
Straight up and down styles
Empire line
Loose styles of tops/dresses
Low slung trousers and jeans

Round tummy
Many women complain that a tubby tummy is their main problem area. There are a few ways to hide or camouflage it:

Go for
Ruching at the tummy area
Tops that are loose at the tummy area
Dresses (unbelted)
Darker colours on your top area
Prints/florals
Skirts with a wide waistband that holds the tummy in
High-waisted trousers and jeans

Stay away from
Tight-fitted tops
Bright, solid colours on your upper area
Low-waisted trousers and jeans
Belts

Large bottom and thighs
These are usually the areas that pear shaped women have a problem with and wish to minimize. Here's what to do:

Go for
A line skirts
Mid-rise trousers and jeans
Bootcut styles trousers and jeans
Dark colours or prints
Medium to high heels to balance out your shape

Stay away from
Tight pencil skirts
Low or high rise trousers and jeans
Skinny jeans as they will give you a 'funnel' look
Bright colours and prints
Tiny, flat shoes with rounded toes

Cankles
Some women complain that they lack definition in the lower leg.  A few things can be done to attenuate this problem:

Go for
Just below the knee hems
A line skirts
Bootcut trousers
Mid to high heels shoes
Pointed toes
Court shoes/pumps style

Stay away from
Above the knee hemlines
Tight pencil skirts
'Cargo' or 3/4 leg trousers
Skinny jeans
Shoes that cover most of the feet, with no cleavage
Ankle straps ( to be honest, unless you have the legs of an antelope, avoid this style as it will shorten your legs)
Flat ballet shoes

Here you have it. A quick and to the point list of dos and don'ts for your 7 main problem areas. Try them and let us know how you get on.

Image Credit: Sharecare.com