Hairstyles for the Heavy-Set Woman

Heavy woman with long hair — Photo: Shutterstock

It is a common problem for many women, and a question asked of every stylist at some point in their careers: What is a good hairstyle for a heavy-set woman? You must understand, they do not just want a style that looks good. It should not just look "pretty". The hairstyle should make them look slimmer, or at least make them feel like they look slimmer. Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks that can make this a reality.

Nearly everything can have an impact on the way we look. From the clothes we wear to the way we cut and style our hair. The trick is to understand the needs of our particular look and how different styles can fulfill those needs. If we have features that are out of proportion to the rest of our face, we need a hairstyle that will divert the focus of attention away from the disproportionate features.

When it comes to the heavy-set woman, we have to remember not only to keep the proportion of the facial features in mind, but also the proportions of the whole body. The hair needs to find a balance between helping to create the ideal oval shape of the face and keeping an aesthetic balance with the body's dimensions. Let's discuss the two most common body shapes: apple and pear, to get some ideas on what we may need to consider.

Apples and Pears

The two common body types are called "apples" and "pears" because they most commonly resemble these fruits. Those individuals who are prone to gaining weight in the upper body and belly are generally referred to as "apples" because they evoke images of apples on sticks. The majority of the weight is carried in the upper body and abdominal areas, and the legs tend to be slimmer than expected. This effect is exaggerated in those individuals who are petite or have a shorter torso.

"Pears" are those individuals who are referred to as "full-figured". They tend to have a voluptuous build with exaggerated curviness. The weight they carry is usually concentrated in the lower body (in the hips and thighs). Many pear-shaped women tend to also be long-waisted and may be taller than average.

With these different body types, the needs they impose on the decision-making process for a new hairstyle are fairly specific. Because apple body types have a broader upper body structure, the head often appears smaller. Therefore, shorter hairstyles do not help this. However, a hairstyle that is too big will not be helpful either, when the style is so large that it adds to the already bulky upper body mass.

Pear shapes are often grouped with apples when it comes to hairstyle choices. They have the same needs for balance in the overall proportions of the hair to the body, but the upper body is usually smaller than in an "apple" body type of the same weight range. Because of this, pear-shaped figures generally appear less overweight from the mid-torso up. This means that hairstyle choices can be wider in range, and one can even go shorter than they would for an individual with an "apple" body shape.

With any overweight individual, you want to add volume and height to the top portions of the style and keep the horizontal volume low. This keeps the focus on the vertical and helps to make the face appear more oval. If an individual wants to have bangs, they should avoid a blunt-cut fringe and opt for angled or side-swept versions. The horizontal line of blunt-cut bangs makes faces seem wider, which defeats the purpose.

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