Give your full-figure definition by emphasizing what you want emphasized

Not every woman is a tiny slip of a thing (e.g., Kate Moss) nor do they want to be. A womanly, full-figured female is a lot more likely to part the Red Sea than a skinny little wisp. Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Elizabeth Taylor, Mae West and Jane Mansfield, all the legendary beauties of the past were far from rail thin. Had they been, they never would have reached iconic levels. In today?s world, actress Kate Winslet is doing quite well, thank you, in her career as a movie star, and she?s certainly no skinny Minnie, but she?s one of the few that can get away with an ample physique in Hollywood.

Rail thin is not cool, and it doesn?t look good.

All hail to the curvaceous woman

The trick is to give your full figure definition. You may be packing extra pounds in places where you wish you weren?t but that can be disguised or de-emphasized.

Color, fabric, texture and shapewear all play a part in defining the figure and putting the focus on the area of your body where you want it to be and disguising that which you don?t want to broadcast. This means giving the illusion that the waist is narrower than what it is, the legs longer, the breasts higher, the buttock not quite as big. This can be achieved by wearing certain foundation garments called shape wear. These items hold you in and give definition to your shape. Curves will show but the less than desirable parts of your body won?t.   

Songtress Adele is definitely a full-figured woman who has figured out that trying to hide her girth ends up making her look bigger than she already is. She wears fitted clothing and doesn?t hide under a caftan or other tent-like ensemble.   

She wears fitted clothing. Fit is not the same as tight. A fitted dress fits like a glove and may have been tailored to achieve that result.  When clothing fits well, it flatters curves and defines certain areas of the body but does not reveal parts that are not your favorite.   

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Wearing a belt is not out of the question for full-figured women. Worn in the right spot it gives good definition and pulls attention away from other areas that you don?t want the focus to be on.   

Consider the length of your clothing: Avoid going too short or too long. If you have great legs, show them off.

Study your body. Is it pear shaped? If so, you are bigger on the bottom, then on the top so you need to wear clothing that minimizes the size on the bottom (dark colors, an A-line skirt) and tops that draw attention to the upper part of your body. Pants that have wide or flared legs make legs appear longer and hips smaller.   

If you have an hourglass figure, even one that is ample, make a point of defining your waist, using belts or by wearing high waist pants. A wrap dress that accentuates your breasts, shoulders and waist line is a great way to define your full figure.   

Those who have boxy, rectangular bodies need to figure out a way to define their waist and bust while making their hips look smaller. Boot cut pants generally work well on a woman with this type of body as do jackets that cinch at the waist and are fitted.

You do not have to be a small or skinny woman to look drop-dead gorgeous. If you ever watch the TV show “What Not to Wear,” you already know that there are ways to use clothing to define your full-figured body and ways to disguise those parts that don?t thrill you.

Clothing can be a miracle worker and take you from drab to ?Shut the front door!? as Stacy London is apt to say on this TV show.