Female body shape is the cumulative product of a woman's skeletal structure (her build) and the quantity and distribution of muscle and fat on the body. There are and have been wide differences as to what should be considered an ideal or preferred body shape, both for attractiveness and health reasons. These have varied between cultures and at different times. As with most physical traits, there is a wide range of normality of female body shapes. Human beings and their cultures have perennially focused attention on the female body as a source of aesthetic pleasure, sexual attraction, fertility and reproductive appeal.

Shape

The female body occurs in a range of shapes. The female figure is typically narrower at the waist than at the bust and hips, and usually has one of four basic shapes: banana, pear, apple or hourglass. The bust, waist and hips are called inflection points, and the ratios of their circumferences define these basic shapes.

Inflection points

A woman's bust, waist and hips are her physical inflection points, and the ratios of their circumferences, are used to define her basic shape. These are sometimes described as banana, pear, apple or hourglass shapes.

The bust is measured across the fullest part of a woman's breasts, generally across the nipple line when wearing a properly-fitting brassiere (see: Brassiere measurements); the waist is measured at the smallest circumference of the abdomen; and the hips are measured at the largest circumference of the hips and buttocks.

The hourglass shape is the Western conception of the ideal or usual female shape, against which other shapes are compared. It is said that the female body usually inflects inward towards the waist around the middle of the abdomen between the costal margins and the pelvic crests. The waist is typically smaller than the bust and hips, unless there is a high proportion of body fat distributed around the waist. How much the bust or hips inflect inward, towards the waist determines the structural shape. In practice only about 8% of women have the hourglass shape.

Female shapes

thumb|right|The Source, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1856 Independent of fat percentage, weight or width, female body shapes are categorised into one of four elementary geometric shapes,McCormack, Helen. "The shape of things to wear: scientists identify how women's figures have changed in 50 years", The Independent. 21 November 2005.
(Desc: How female body shapes have changed over time) though there are very wide ranges of actual sizes within each shape:

Apple (triangle downward): Apple shaped women have broader shoulders and bust, and narrower hips. Apple shaped women have (much) higher androgen levels compared to women with other body types. Because of this high androgen level, the skeleton develops in a masculine pattern. Fat is mainly distributed in the abdomen, chest, and face.