Thread: where did my waist go?

I lost 7 or 8 pounds and also lost my waist in the process.
What are good ways to costume a straight torso to give the illusion of a waist?
Thanks!

Originally Posted by SandraDances

I lost 7 or 8 pounds and also lost my waist in the process.
What are good ways to costume a straight torso to give the illusion of a waist?
Thanks!

veil(s) or hankerchiefs tucked in at the hip?
Since you are losing weight you may want to make sure you put some extra focus on pulling your abs in towards your spine in your everyday routines... it helps in re-defining a waist through/after weight loss :)

A voice from the waistless and hipless here.

I wear fake hips and fake butt. Since I have the boobs on me, the padding below helps give me some small illusion of a more hourglass shape. The things are silicone and they wiggle and jiggle just like the real thing!

Souzan

Ask the Belly Dance Costume Goddess: Costuming Advice and How-To's from Dina Lydia

Shira's site has some tips from the Costume Goddess for all kinds of body types.

I know EXACTLY what you mean! I work so hard to lose weight, but when I get to a certain point, I just look like a hot dog. I lose boobs and hips. My hip scarfs fall off.

WTF???

Between the hot-dog shape and the loose skin on my lower belly, I usually give up and start gaining weight again. Of course, the better answer would be to *lose* more weight.. I hope to make it past that plateau someday to find out if that works. It's just sooo disheartening!

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I know EXACTLY what you mean! I work so hard to lose weight, but when I get to a certain point, I just look like a hot dog. I lose boobs and hips. My hip scarfs fall off.

WTF???

Between the hot-dog shape and the loose skin on my lower belly, I usually give up and start gaining weight again. Of course, the better answer would be to *lose* more weight.. I hope to make it past that plateau someday to find out if that works. It's just sooo disheartening!

I have been slowly but steadily losing weight since going off the medication that caused me to gain it to begin with plus some diet changes. But it is coming off everywhere but the mid section. I have lost some in my arms and back (needed to) but also in my legs and hips (didn't need to). Waist is about the same. You would think that after losing 22 lbs the waist would be a teensy weensy bit smaller, but noooooooooo.

Lauren, what you said. Need to loose more and hit some heavy weight training for the legs. Secret hip scarf tie to keep it from falling down--get a hold on the top edges of each side of the scarf and keep them facing up at the top as you tie the knot. That makes the scarf tight all around the top and loose all the way around the bottom.

Sandra, seriously you may need to work with tricking the eye a bit. Waist chains and bands, bedlah with chiffon skirts you can tuck in, etc. Also assymetrical accents move the eye around the body so that it doesn't linger at any one spot.

Souzan

LOL-Love the hot-dog image, Lauren! I'm a hot-dog, too-can't help it, though. Always have been.My ribs are wide and stop about 3 inches from my hip bones, so my waist doesn't even have a chance! ;-) For me, I think I looked better when my abs were clearly defined, and I was muscular. I'll never have an hourglass figure, but if I loo super-buff, at least I can pull off an athletic, maybe even "dancer" look?

Hope that helps. I was teeny tiny once, and looked more like a gymnast than a tradtional bellydancer. All shoulders, no hips.

Souzan, you're brave. I'd be a little nervous to add fake hips and a fake butt. I mean, I'm not ALL that tiny, and am not sure I want to add poundage anywhere!

Congrats on your weight loss!

Originally Posted by Elianae

Hope that helps. I was teeny tiny once, and looked more like a gymnast than a tradtional bellydancer. All shoulders, no hips.

Souzan, you're brave. I'd be a little nervous to add fake hips and a fake butt. I mean, I'm not ALL that tiny, and am not sure I want to add poundage anywhere!

Congrats on your weight loss!

Yep, I ws teeny once too. I think we must have similar structure. Wide shoulders, long arms and legs, wide ribcage, no hips. Like you I have very little space between my hip bones and my lower ribs. Makes upper body slides disappear! The padding doesn't really add a lot of "poundage" just more appearance of roundless to the flat butt and hips. Helps fill the skirts out a bit!

Tooth paste tube here, everything is big on the top! NO great hour glass here. I've just gotten used to it. At one time a had a butt BUT I shimmied it off someplace along the line and now it GONE!

Petite hot dog and proud! Actually - does this mean I'm a cocktail weenie? ..g.:

Scarves and skirts tucked into the hip just make me look goofy, like I'm obviously trying to fake something that's not there. So I've evolved to a point where I embrace and actually play up my long, skinny hot dog figure, with ultra slinky, sexy costumes that my curvier friends wish they could pull off

If you have any curves in your butt, or if you have shapely legs, play them up. I have great legs and a little round butt, so I just wear my skirts tight, low-slung, and slit gloriously high . Nobody would dare say that I don't look hot and womanly!