A Complete Guide to the Pear Body Shape: What It Is & How to Dress It

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Expert styling tips to flatter your beautiful shape

Co-authored by Kalee Hewlett and Devin McSween

Last Updated: October 4, 2025 Fact Checked

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• What is a pear body shape?
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• Balancing Your Shape
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• Emphasizing Your Shape
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• Exercises
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• Is it attractive?
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• Other Body Shapes
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

The pear-shaped body is a common and beautiful body shape defined by shoulders that are narrower than the hips. If you think you might have a pear-shaped body but aren’t quite sure how best to flatter it, we’re here to help! We spoke with professional stylists and image consultants to learn the best ways to balance your shape, as well as how to flaunt your natural curves. We’ll go over some great exercises for people with a pear body shape, too. Keep reading to learn more!

All About the Pear-shaped Body

Image consultant Kalee Hewlett says the pear body shape is narrower across the shoulders and wider at the hips. To balance your shape, wear wide-neck tops, cinch in your waist, and choose high-waisted and flared bottoms that skim over your hips. To flaunt your shape, wear figure-hugging bottoms, skirts, and dresses.

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Section 1 of 6:

What is a pear body shape?

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1. 
   A pear body shape is widest at the hips and narrower at the shoulders. According to Hewlett, “the reason why they call it pear shape is because the shape of a pear is more narrow on top and wider on the bottom.” So, somebody with this body shape has narrow and sloped shoulders, a smaller bust, a defined waist, and full hips and thighs.

   • To determine your body shape, measure your bust, waist, and hips. If your hips are the largest measurement, while your bust and waist are smaller, you most likely have a pear-shaped body type.
   • People with pear-shaped bodies may notice that they gain weight around their hips and thighs before anywhere else.
   • Celebrity examples: Beyoncé, America Ferrera, Kristin Davis, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Camila Cabello, Kim Kardashian

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Kalee Hewlett is a fashion stylist, image consultant, and confidence coach with over 20 years of experience.

   Elle Monus is an image consultant and co-founder of True Image Group with over 11 years of experience in the fashion industry.

   Dina Scherer is a wardrobe stylist, personal shopper, and founder of Modnitsa Styling with over 10 years of experience.

   Candace Hanna is a professional stylist and owner of Style by Candace, with over 16 years of experience in the fashion and personal styling world.

   Veronica Tharmalingam is a professional stylist and owner of the fashion consulting business, SOS Fashion, with over 10 years of experience.
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Section 2 of 6:

Styling Tips to Balance a Pear Body Shape

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   Balance your shape by drawing attention to your upper half. Image consultant Elle Monus says balancing your figure is all about creating an hourglass shape, which you do by “finding items that nip in at the smallest part of your natural waist and adding volume…to the smaller half of your body.” For pear shapes, this means adding width to your shoulders, emphasizing your defined waist, and opting for plain and slimming styles along your hips.

   • Note: These are just tips that can help balance out your shape—it’s not a rulebook that you have to follow. Feel free to experiment and wear whatever makes you feel and look good. Confidence is more important than any fit or style!
   • Of course, feel free to flaunt your shape, if you prefer! We’ll provide some styling tips in the section below to emphasize your pear shape and flatter your curves.
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   Wear tops with wide necks, embellished shoulders, and bold prints. Hewlett definitely recommends accentuating the shoulders to help balance out the hips. Some tips to do this include:

   • Necklines: Choose tops with a square, boatneck, sweetheart, cowl, or scoop neckline, or off-the-shoulder tops. These necklines add width to the shoulders.
   • Embellishments: Hewlett suggests wearing tops with structured shoulders, like ones that have shoulder pads. Collared shirts are flattering, as well as tops with ruffles or pleats around the bust and shoulders.
   • Lengths: Choose tops that end at or above the hipline to keep the attention off your bottom half. Tucking in your tops and wearing cropped tops is a great choice, as they naturally accentuate your waist, too.
   • Sleeves: Choose wide and embellished short sleeves, like flutter, cap, puff, bell, and batwing. When choosing long-sleeves, opt for straight or tapered styles that don’t add volume to the hips.
   • Colors: Go for bold, brightly colored tops to draw the eye up and take the attention away from your bottom half.
   • Patterns: Wear large and eye-catching prints to put the emphasis on your upper half. Horizontal stripes along the shoulders and bust are also helpful for adding width.
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   Choose bottoms in relaxed, high-rise fits and dark washes. To balance out your wider bottom half, choose jeans, trousers, and shorts that skim over your hips and thighs without drawing attention to them. Some styling tips for choosing bottoms include:

   • Rises: Wardrobe stylist Dina Scherer suggests wearing high-rise bottoms to create more waist definition. Mid-rise bottoms are a great option, too.
   • Cuts: “If you're [a] bit heavier on the bottom,” says professional stylist Candace Hanna, “you're going to need something that's a little bit more boot cut” to balance out your shape. Cuts that widen at the calf and ankle, like flare, wide-leg, and straight-leg bottoms, are flattering choices that help draw attention away from the hips.
   • Fit: Opt for relaxed fits that skim over your hips and thighs rather than hugging them tightly. Curvy fit jeans, trousers, and shorts are a great option, as they provide more space in the hips while still cinching in your waist.
   • Colors: Choosing bottoms in dark, muted colors tends to have an elongating and slimming effect, says Scherer, which can draw attention away from your bottom half. For instance, look for jeans in dark washes, and trousers and shorts in black, gray, brown, navy blue, and olive green.
   • Embellishments: Stick to bottoms with clean, straight lines and very little embellishments to keep your shape balanced. Large pleats, big pockets and belt loops, and other eye-catching designs can add extra width to the hips.
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   Wear skirts with high waists that add volume below the hips. When styling curvy ladies, professional stylist Veronica Tharmalingam highly recommends choosing high-waisted skirts that highlight your defined waist. Opt for styles that add volume around your mid-thigh or knees, like A-line, full, and bias skirts. If you want to keep your shape balanced, avoid figure-hugging skirts and skirts with embellishments like pleats, pockets, and frills.

   • What about length? The best skirt length largely comes down to your height. Knee-length skirts are universally flattering on pear shapes, while mid-calf and ankle-length might look best on taller people. If you’re petite, Tharmalingam says knee level or higher is the most flattering.
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   Opt for dresses that cinch the waist and flare out from the hips. To balance out your narrower top and wider bottom, wear dresses that accentuate your waist while skimming over your hips. This includes A-line, wrap, fit-and-flare, and empire dresses. These dresses also flare out at the hem, which helps even out your hips.

   • Choose necklines that widen your shoulders, like square, boat, sweetheart, scoop, and off-the-shoulder. Structured shoulders and ruffled designs are also flattering.
   • If the top and bottom have different designs, opt for a top with brighter colors and bolder patterns than the bottom.
   • For even more waist definition, Scherer suggests adding a belt to your dress.
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   Wear structured jackets that hit at the waist or mid-thigh. To keep your shape balanced, avoid wearing jackets or coats that end at the hips, as this can make them look wider. Instead, choose a cropped jacket to highlight your waist, or a coat that ends at the mid-thigh to slim your hips. Opt for styles that add structure to the shoulder and volume to the bust, like padded shoulders, collars, and pockets.

   • Some great styles include: Cropped denim jackets, cropped bomber jackets, long trench coats, long princess coats, and long A-line coats.
   • If you’re choosing a longer style, ensure it cinches in at the waist. This makes belted coats a great option.
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   Opt for shoes with pointed toes or bold styles. According to Kathi Burns, CPO® board-certified professional organizer, pointed-toe shoes help elongate your legs and frame, whether they’re flats, heels, boots, or sneakers, which is universally flattering. Bold shoes can add visual weight to your feet, which helps balance out your hips. For instance, wear platform sneakers, ankle boots, chunky heels, and wedges.

   • Colorful options can bring the focus away from your hips, too.
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   Put on statement earrings and necklaces. Accessories can also help to balance your pear shape. Monus suggests wearing a statement necklace or earrings, as they “draw attention upwards, creating the illusion of balance.” Circle scarves are another great option, as they can add width and volume to your shoulders.
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Section 3 of 6:

Styling Tips to Emphasize a Pear Body Shape

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1. 
   Emphasize your shape with fitted tops and bottoms. People with pear-shaped bodies have beautiful curves, so feel free to flaunt your natural shape instead of balancing it out! Some great ways to do this include:

   • Wearing cropped, fitted tops: Baby tees and fitted tops help define your waist. Plus, the figure-hugging shape emphasizes the narrowness of your shoulders compared to your curvy hips.
   • Wearing high-waisted, figure-hugging bottoms: High-waisted jeans, trousers, and shorts help define your waist, which is super flattering. Choosing a fit that hugs your hips and thighs can emphasize their curve, too.
   • Wearing figure-hugging skirts: For example, Tharmalingam says high-waisted pencil skirts look very flattering on people with fuller hips.
   • Wearing bodycon dresses: Bodycon dresses hug the hips, rather than skim over them, which celebrate your curvy figure and help highlight your waist-to-hip ratio.
   • Emphasizing your hips: Styles like peplum tops, barrel jeans, and ruffled skirts give you a curvy shape, which can highlight what you’ve already got.

Section 4 of 6:

Best Exercises a Pear Body Shape

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   Lower body exercises To accentuate your natural curves, exercise and wellness specialist Souad Gharib recommends doing exercises that target your glutes and thighs, like squats, lunges, hip thrusts, and deadlifts.

   • To do squats: Registered dietician and personal trainer Melody Sayers, MS, RD, NASM-CPT says to “take a nice wide stance with feet hip-width apart and toes pointed straight ahead.” Then, “sit your butt back as if you are about to sit in a chair, and keep all the weight heavy in the heels behind you.”
   • To do lunges: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and step one foot in front of you. Then, bend the leg behind you until your front leg is at a 90° angle.
   • To do hip thrusts: Lean against a bench with your legs straight in front of you. Place a barbell or dumbbell across your hips and bend your knees. Then, lift up your hips and squeeze your glutes together.
   • To do deadlifts: Stand behind a barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart. Get into a squat position and grab the barbell. Then, return to a standing position by lifting up the barbell.
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   Upper body exercises To tone your upper body and balance your shape, Gharib suggests exercises that target your arms and back. This includes bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises, and rows.

   • To do a bicep curl: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, with your palms facing up. Then, raise the dumbells up to your shoulders.
   • To do a tricep extension: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grip a dumbbell with both hands and lift it over your head. Then, bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head.
   • To do lateral raises: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and pull your shoulders back and down. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, keeping them at your sides with your elbows slightly bent. Then, raise the dumbbells out at your sides, stopping when they reach your shoulders.
   • To do bent-over rows: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grab a dumbbell in each hand so your palms are facing you. Bend your knees and push your hips back until your chest is almost parallel with the floor. Then, pull the dumbbells up to your chest while squeezing your shoulder blades.
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Section 5 of 6:

Is a pear body shape attractive?

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1. 
   Yes, a pear body shape is considered attractive. Lots of people agree that the pear-shaped body is beautiful! This body shape is celebrated for its defined waist and curvy hips, thighs, and rear. It can give someone a feminine and sensual figure, which many people love!

Section 6 of 6:

Other Body Shapes

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1. 
   There are other body shapes and ways to classify your figure. Not sure if you have a pear-shaped body, or are you looking for a different way to describe your shape? Check out the other general body shapes, which include the hourglass, apple, rectangle, and inverted triangle shapes. Or, check out our article on the Kibbe Body Types to find out where you fall in this system.

   • We also have quizzes to help you determine your body shape! For instance, check out our What is My Body Type? Quiz or our What is My Kibbe Body Type? Quiz.
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