Broad Shoulders

[Aly Cat]

So I know guys are build differently than women, but what do you all do about broad shoulders??? Ive got a wide back so my shoulders are pretty broad for my petite body. I weigh 160 and wear a size 6-8 but blouses just look wrong on me because of my shoulders. My friend from work suggested tunics because it draws attention away from the shoulders, but what tips and tricks have you guys found that help? Im pretty skinny and so wearing dresses and blouses and stuff just accentuate my shoulders which I hate. Any help?

[lucidique]

hi eva

jessica here<---- :)

umm i kinda know what your saying even though i dont go into the world just yet
i have the same problem and aside from surgery the only thing i have come up with
is wear really sparkley belt and shoes to draw attention away from your shoulders
sorry i dont have anymore help for you than that good luck!!!!

[Aly Cat]

hahaha. Hmm...ya, it does tend to be a problem. My sister said from like the elbows down, I am very feminine and from the elbows up, I am all masculine. Gah, there's gotta be a way to soften the shape.

[Diana Bain]

I'm 6'1" and 220 lbs...a little fat in the belly but not much, I have big linebacker type shoulders and arms. I wear a womans XL just fine....love cowl neck tops with 1/2 or 3/4 sleeves...hides alot.

[Julie Gaum]

Some more suggestions: tops should be V neck and not U or straight; necklaces should be long and not just around the neck; wear skirts that are wide or fluffy at the bottom and no pencil or straight line; tops should not have horizontal designs, vertical lines best; and finally
if you buy a blouse or jacket with shoulder pads - cut them out. That's all I can think of.
Julie

[Aly Cat]

Thanks for the help! I will try those suggestions and see how it goes. My wife has a lot of strait and U shaped necklined blouses so we'll see if I can dig one up that will work. I probably wont be able to try things out until the 28th. Thats when everyone will be at church and I can try stuff on before I go to work. Sundays are the only days I get for myself at the moment. The two hours between when everyone leaves for church and I go to work. Im off this upcoming Sunday though. :( Though on the plus side, I do get to go to church with them so family time is good too!

[Beverley Sims]

I must agree with Julie about stripes, V necks and big pouffe skirts help a lot.
Lighter colors can help too.

[Aly Cat]

Ive got some skirts I think would be good for this. Ive got a picture of one. Do I have to upload to flikr before I can put it here or can i upload it straight to the site?

[Angela Campbell]

Accentuate the hips. Wider hips will make the wider shoulders look better.

[Michelle (Oz)]

Some good suggestions above to mask the shoulders.

You should also aim for balance. Many GGs have broad shoulders but are proportional. Think hour glass. I use a bottom enhancer and additional padding on the hips to give me a more balanced figure.

[KimberlyJean]

I agree with Michelle, you have to find balance between your upper body and lower body.

[Cheryl T]

Padding is a must. Enhancing the hips and butt and accenting the waist will draw attention away from your shoulders. Also long hair helps as it cascades and softens the shoulders. Dark colors minimize and light colors maximize so wear the dark on top and the light on the bottom. Avoid horizontal anything on a blouse as it makes you look even wider. Vertical stripes (if you can find them) or a vertical design will help.

[Megan Thomas]

Wearing a handbag (purse) at waist or hip level also helps offset broad shoulders.

[RenneB]

I agree with all of the above and would add that dark colors like black work very well. The eye tends to travel from dark colors to light. So if you're wearing a dark top and a light skirt, the eyes will be directed towards the skirt....

There's a very popular CDr by the name of Eri*a Sc*tt. Check her out and you'll see that broad shoulders have nothing to do with the look as long as your wearing a short skirt, have great legs, great makeup and a perfect hairdo....

Renne......

[mikiSJ]

A good seamstress!!

I wear a Size 18 Jacket, Size 16 Dress w/o sleeves and a Size 12/14 Skirt.

Jackets need to have the waist taken in, dresses need the waist and hips taken and skirts need the hips taken in.

A good seamstress!!

[Wolfy]

I'm a drummer, so I've got pretty 'bulky' upper arms and shoulders I think. I haven't been outside my house in girl mode yet, but I imagine that you have to compensate a bit with your stance. If that doesn't work, there's all sorts of different clothes you can try?

[Lynn Marie]

A good seamstress!!

I wear a Size 18 Jacket, Size 16 Dress w/o sleeves and a Size 12/14 Skirt.

Jackets need to have the waist taken in, dresses need the waist and hips taken and skirts need the hips taken in.

A good seamstress!!

Don't know if you're aware of this or not, but it's quite normal for men to have tops that are 4 or 5 sizes bigger than their bottoms. I, like Miki, wear size 12 skirts and size 20 or larger tops. My dresses have to fit my shoulders so they have to be size 20 and get altered. Fortunately, I know which way my sewing machine runs.

[erickka]

Accentuate the hips. Wider hips will make the wider shoulders look better.

This is my method of curing this ailment. Home made padding is inexpensive and you can play around with it until you get the look you desire.
There are several threads on the forum dealing with the how to's and the like of hip and butt padding. just search them out...they're all good information.

[Michelle (Oz)]

This photo from an outing today might help illustate some of the suggestions. I'm 6 foot and 210 lb so no shrinking violet.

Hope it helps. Sure was a fun day.