An Introduction to the Kibbe Body Types

II. Underlying Principles

Before we dive into the 13 body types, we need to understand their underlying principles. Without this understanding, there is a very high chance of getting your type wrong.

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Yin & Yang

The principle of Yin and Yang is that everything exists in inseparable and contradictory opposites, for instance, female-male, dark-light, and old-young. Yin is considered feminine energy, and yang is masculine energy.

However, this is not to be confused with femininity and masculinity per se. A strongly yang influenced body does not mean you look like a man. Understanding the terms themselves and how they apply to physical features is critical to understanding how they apply to clothing, accessories, makeup and hair.

Translated into body types, yin and yang manifest as:

Yin [Feminine Energy]: Curved lines, round edges, flowing silhouettes, hourglass figures, fitted waists, rounded shapes, swirls, curves, circles

Yang [Masculine Energy]: Strong vertical lines, sharp edges, stiff, smooth silhouettes, elongated outlines, geometric shapes, rectangles, triangles

While the main characteristic of yin is softness and roundness, this can be expressed through both youthfulness and sexuality. Hence we can discern two different types of yin:

Petite yin is characterised by small hands and feet, small noses and delicate bone structure etc. Features that are lush yin are large eyes, full lips, and hourglass silhouettes etc.

Yang, on the other hand, manifests as angularity and sharpness. While yin has plenty of organic shapes and curved lines, yang is all about angles and geometric shapes. Again, there are different types of yang:

Sharp yang is seen in vertical lines, narrowness, pointed edges, long and lean bodies, and prominent jawlines. Soft yang refers to horizontal lines, broadness, blunt edges, square silhouettes, a tendency towards muscularity and wider noses.In the picture above, you can see how the principle of yin and yang takes shape in the archetypes. And this is key to determining the Kibbe archetypes. We need to understand the lines that are native to yin and yang.

Yin is defined by roundness and curves. And this is perfectly demonstrated by Marilyn Monroe on the left. Her body type is rounded and curvy, and there are no sharp edges or angles. She has an hourglass figure, a full, round bustline and rounded hips. Even her shoulders are rounded. Her body is also very soft and fleshy. If we look at her face, we can see more roundness. She has round eyes, a rounded nose and full, round lips. Her jawline and cheekbones appear soft and round. They are covered by lots of flesh, giving her a soft appearance. Marilyn is an example of lush yin.

Let's now compare her to Keira Knightley on the right. Remember, yang is defined by angles and sharpness. Keira's figure is long and straight with no waist emphasis. Her body flesh is very taut with no signs of fleshiness. Similarly, her face is constructed of angles. Her eyes are straight, her cheekbones are prominent, her nose is sharp, her lips are straight and thin, and her jawline is very pronounced and angular. Her facial flesh is also very taut, making the bones underneath very visible. Keira is an example of Sharp Yang.

Note that the principles of yin and yang are not related to body weight. Marilyn Monroe is not overweight in this picture. Yin body flesh is always soft and fleshy, even if underweight.

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Contrast & Blend

The terms contrast and blend refer to the way Yin and Yang are mixed within a body.

If a body consists of a combination of physical features that are distinctly yin or distinctly yang, this would result in a contrasting body type. For example, a person with a large forehead (yang), big and round eyes (yin), a small and delicate nose (yin), thin lips (yang), and a small chin (yin) would be considered contrasted.

Blended features, in contrast, are those that are neither distinctly yin or yang; they are a mix of both. For example, instead of either large and round (yin) or small and straight (yang) eyes, a person may have moderate, almond-shaped eyes. Or a person may have neither a very small (yin) nor a very straight waist (yang), but a softly defined waist. Again, this feature would fall someone in the middle of the yin/yang scale and would be a blend of the two energies.

You can see in the picture above that Marion Cotillard has blended features. She doesn't have a full hourglass figure, but neither does she have a very straight figure like Keira Knightley above. She is somewhere in the middle, a blend between Yin and Yang. You can see the same principle in her face. Her eyes are neither very large and round, nor very small and straight. Instead, they are moderate in size and evenly spaced. The same with her lips: neither very full and round nor very thin and straight.

Mia Farrow on the right side demonstrates contrasting features. Her body is very Yang dominant - it looks much like Keira's body. Her face also shows signs of sharpness around her cheek and jaw area. However, her eyes are very large and round and therefore Yin features. This is a contrasting body type.

III. The 5 Type Families

Although there are 13 body types in total, there are five type families. These are pure types. The other 8 body types are mixtures of these pure types, and that's where things can get confusing. So before we can understand the mixed types, let’s first discuss the pure types or type families.

Below you will find an overview of the yin/yang spectrum. On the left side are the type families that are more yang influenced (Dramatic and Natural). On the right side are the yin influenced type families (Gamine and Romantic). And in the middle is the balanced yin/yang family (Classic).

Note that Kibbe differentiates between a body's bone structure, body flesh and facial features (facial bones + facial flesh). All three sections of your body can have a different yin/yang balance. But what makes the pure types pure is that all three areas of their bodies have the same yin/yang balance.

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Dramatic

The Dramatic family sits on the very left of the yin/yang spectrum and is defined by sharp yang. This type family has no yin influence. That means a Dramatic will appear very elongated with sharp edges. A Dramatic body type has the following physical characteristics:

Bone Structure:

• They appear very tall, narrow, and elongated
• Their shoulders are narrow with sharp edges
• They have long arms and legs
• Their hands and feet are large and narrow

Body Flesh:

• They have a flat bust line, straight waistline, and straight hips
• The flesh on their bodies is very taut

Facial Features:

• They have prominent, sharp, and angular facial features (nose, cheekbones, jawline)
• They have small, close-spaced eyes, straight, thin lips, and taut cheek flesh

All A answers on the Kibbe Body Type Test are Dramatic features.

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Natural

The Natural family is also yang dominant but to a slightly lesser degree (soft yang). There is a small amount of yin in the blended mix. That means that while they are still angular, their edges are less sharp and blunter. A Natural body type has the following physical characteristics:

Bone Structure:

• They appear tall but broad
• Their shoulders are wide with blunt edges
• They have long arms and legs
• Their hands and feet are large and wide

Body Flesh:

• They have a wide, flat-ish bust line, straight and wide waistline, and straight hips
• The flesh on their bodies is taut but muscular

Facial Features:

• They have wide, angular facial features (nose, cheekbones, jawline) with blunt edges
• They have wide-spaced eyes, straight, broad lips, and muscular cheek flesh

All B answers on the Kibbe Body Type test are Natural features.

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Classic

The Classic family is characterised by a balanced blend of yin and yang. They will appear very symmetrical with moderate features. A Classic body type has the following physical characteristics:

Bone Structure:

• They look their actual, moderate height
• Their shoulders are neither fully straight nor sloped
• They have moderate arms and legs
• Their hands and feet are moderately proportioned

Body Flesh:

• They have an evenly proportioned bust line, waistline, and hips with a slightly smaller waist
• The flesh on their bodies is neither very taut nor very curvy but evenly proportioned

Facial Features:

• They have very symmetrical and proportionate facial features (nose, cheekbones, jawline)
• They have moderate eyes, lips, and cheek flesh

All C answers on the Kibbe Body Type test are Classic features.

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Gamine

The Gamine family is characterised by a combination of yin and yang. This is different from Classics as a Gamine's features will not be blended but will be either (petite) yin or (sharp) yang. A Gamine body type has the following physical characteristics:

Bone Structure:

• They look petite, but their bones are angular and straight
• Their shoulders are sloped and tapered
• They have long arms and legs
• Their hands and feet are small and delicate

Body Flesh:

• They have a straight bust line, waistline, and hips
• The flesh on their bodies is quite lean

Facial Features:

• They have angular facial features (nose, cheekbones, jawline)
• They have large eyes, moderate to thin lips, and taut cheek flesh

Some D answers on the Kibbe Body Type test are Gamine features.

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Romantic

The Romantic family sits on the far right end of the Yin/Yang spectrum and is characterised by lush yin, with no yang influence. They will appear very soft with round edges. A Romantic body type has the following physical characteristics:

Bone Structure:

• They appear delicate and shorter than they are
• Their shoulders are sloped with round edges
• They have short arms and legs
• Their hands and feet are small

Body Flesh:

• They have a full bust line, a full hourglass figure, and curvy, rounded hips
• The flesh on their bodies is very soft, voluptuous, and fleshy (even when at ideal weight)

Facial Features:

• They have small, delicate facial features (nose, cheekbones, jawline) with round edges
• They have large, rounded eyes, full lips, and round cheekbones

All E answers on the Kibbe Body Type test are Romantic features.

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The remaining 8 body types are a combination of the pure types. Most people are one of the mixed types. Pure types are quite rare.

Below you will find each type family together with their subtypes. Each family - with the exceptions of Dramatic and Romantic - has two subtypes, one leaning more towards yang than the pure type and one leaning more towards yin than the pure type. Dramatic and Romantic only have one subtype because their pure types are already at the very end of the yin/yang spectrum, so there is nowhere else to go from there.

The following table shows the yin/yang distribution for each type and the type of yin/yang. For example, a Soft Dramatic has a sharp yang bone structure (as outlined under Dramatic above), but lush yin body flesh and facial flesh (as outlined under Romantic above).