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Categories: Fashion Tips
Tags: Athletes, Athletic, Body Image, Broad shoulders, Clothing, dress for your body, Fashion Tips, feminine, Maxi Dress, Michelle Obama, Missy Franklin, Muscles, olympics, peplum trend, Shoulders, Swimming, Tips, Trends
Is it too late to still be thinking about the Olympics? Because I’m still thinking about the Olympics.
Here’s what I’m thinking: In the Olympics (and other athletic pursuits), bodies are appreciated for what they can do, not their aesthetic qualities. I heard a few people grumbling about how so-and-so didn’t look “feminine” and all of that, but for the most part we put aside our societal expectations and let ourselves just be impressed with what these athletes could do.
That said, I imagine it’s pretty hard to dress yourself if you’re, say, Missy Franklin. First of all, she’s 6’1″, which must make buying jeans somewhat problematic. (By the way, post in the comments if you’d like a column on dressing your mega-tall body!) But as a byproduct of her sport, she’s got killer shoulders. Her arms are the kind that win gold medals, guys. They’re awesome. But they’re probably sort of tricky to outfit.
This post is for all you athletes out there who want to show off your muscular back and arms, and it’s also for all of y’all who were just born this way, with your hips narrow and your shoulders broad.
Michelle Obama is a pro at this (and, in my opinion, a fashion icon in her own right). If you can just look at what she wears and try to adapt it for the college girl, you will always look put together and your best features will stand out in the best possible way. Below I’ll show a couple of my favorite types of tops that flatter your arms and shoulders.
Styles that emphasize your lower curves just a little bit will make your shoulders look more proportional and flatter your natural shape. Luckily for you, the peplum trend is still raging on, and it’s the perfect way to add volume to your hips without trying to hide your actual shape. Also, when you widen your hips and your shoulders are already wide, you end up magically developing a defined waist. Look at that!
For a more dramatic effect, you’re going to need some arm candy. Immediately start dating Ryan Lochte. Or, if that’s not an option for some reason, stock up on bracelets and bangles. Anything that draws attention to your arms is a good thing, and people tend to look at shiny objects. We’re sort of like birds, really.
Jeans – H&M, Top – ASOS, Shoes – Charlotte Russe, Bow – Debenhams, Bag – Warehouse, Nail Polish – Essie
This outfit showcases how girly a broad-shouldered look can be. The peplum top and slightly shiny jeans balance out your body, while still showing off your narrow hips. (The coated denim trend was pretty much made for you!) This top’s neckline and slightly thicker straps are mega-flattering as well. A studded clutch is the perfect way to draw attention to your arms and add sparkle. Finally, I love this nail polish so much that I found coordinating shoes and a hair bow – the intersection of red, orange, and pink is the place I want to spend the rest of my days.
Dress – Quiksilver, Sunglasses – Zappos, Bracelets – Miss Selfridge, Bag – UO, Sandals – DSW
This outfit is ideal for those last days of warm weather, sitting outside while the sun is setting, feeling just chilly enough that you’re glad there’s fabric on your lower half. (I’m convinced that the maxi dress is best suited for early fall). The neckline of this dress is also super flattering to broad shoulders, and the fact that the dress goes all the way to the floor keeps things balanced. These bracelets serve a dual purpose: they draw attention to your arms, and they push this look a little closer to the fashion-forward side of things. (Edge is in right now, guys! I might just start listening to The Academy Is… again.)
How do you dress your muscular upper half? What topic should I cover next? Let us know with a comment.
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35 Responses
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I’d love an article on tall people
Yes for tall edition!!
Can you please do a post about short legs?
I absolutely love this post! I am built athletically, broad shoulders, über tall, and small boobs…*sigh* But the title of this post makes me feel great, honestly! I adore it! So since you’ve covered all my body parts besides my super long legs, a post like that would be great! Thanks :)
Sasha, she did do a long legs post. It was a long time ago, so it was easy to miss :)
Me? I’d like a straight-up-and-down post. One about girls built like boys.
Thanks!
I would also like to see a post on dressing a tall body, I’m 6 feet tall and I often feel I look ridiculous in some pieces :(
Thank you! The athletic shape is hard to work, especially when you’re not actually that athletic :/ But do you think you could add a going-out outfit to this post? It’s hard to dress for parties when the standard bandage skirt only emphasizes my weird upper half-lower half proportions.
Yes! I’d love tips on my tall body!
Yay! Also as Kristin said, a post on short legs would be amazing.
Also, sort of a tangent on athletic/ broad sholders- wide rib cage! It (surprisingly) happens to many runners like myself. I’m muscular except for a large waist, that couldn’t really be addressed with the curvy post since it’s the same size as what little curve i have. Like an apple shape but a bit different. Thanks :)
Nice article, I love how feminine both outfits are!
Yes, please, for short legs! (I know that’s not what you asked, but I affirm what others above me are saying)
Awesome, I love it!
I love how they’re sleeveless too… I’m an athlete and yes my shoulders and arms are big, but I want to show off the guns too ;)
Keep these articles coming, this is a great series! :)
Yes, please do one for tall people! :)
Yes! Please do a tall girl edition :)
I love the uber-feminine look! It is adorable!
I like these outfits, but im a swimmer myself and i tend to like to HIDE my man arms…. if I’m not flexing constantly they just look fat and bulgy! thus, these outfits do NOT work for me:(
I have broad shoulders, and I never see articles about them :) However, none of these outfits would work in Michigan right now – it’s a little too chilly to not have sleeves!
Ooh I love this!
A post about being tall would be AWESOME!
OH MY GOSH FINALLY no one ever does anything like this for broad shoulders thank you!!
I was really excited when I saw the title of this post, but not so much when I was actually reading the article. I have broad shoulders, but I don’t have narrow hips so a lot of what’s written here does not help me. I have both broad shoulders and wide hips. I’m not an hourglass though, because I have a smaller waist and a smaller chest. If I wore either of those outfits, it would just make my shoulders look wider and my chest smaller :(
I would love to see one for tall girls and it would be great if it is not only for tall girls who are like size 2, it always seems like that is what is considered tall but not all of us tall girls are super skinny. Also I would love to see this column more often….its one of my favorites!
THIS HAS HELPED SO MUCH. <33
and you /should/ start listening to TAI again. :-)
I love this series! but can you do one for big thighs? I just find after years of taekwondo and rowing they’re so big I can never find bottoms that fit properly
Nice post! Even if my shoulders aren’t super super broad it can be tricky to look good sometimes.
A post about either short stubby legs or short waists would really really, i mean REALLY help! lol
keep up the good word :)
The way I dress up my broad shoulders is showing off my beautiful long legs ;)
Thanks for you opinion on peplum styles. I always thought that it would make me look even wider in addition to my broad shoulders. Maybe I’ll try a peplum something next time I get the chance ;)
I agree with Rachel- tall girls with curves would be great!
Yesssss a tall girls’ post please!
I’d like to add to this that where your sleeveless shoulder hem hits is very, very, important. Too close to your neck and you get over-emphasized shoulders, too far out and you can lose muscle definition (and sometimes your boobs) in the fabric.
Unfortunately for me this post mostly addresses girls who have large shoulders combined with narrow hips. I have shoulders proportional to my 5’10, size six, life-long swimmer/dancer frame, which happens to mean wide and a little bony, but I have a nice hourglass figure underneath. I have trouble finding shirts that have a correct shoulder breadth for me, but I don’t need to create visual balance either. Anyone else like me out there?
Yes, please do the next one for tall girls! And maybe include some suggestions of places to buy long pants. The only place I have found that has good length pants for myself is Hollister, but I’d very much like to find some cute pants that maybe aren’t from there.
OMG YES! Please do a post for us tall girls! I dont know about all of you but I can have a very hard time picking out clothes for my body!
I have an athletic build, am uber tall with long legs and would definitely love to see a post about dressing for tall people with long legs. Love the post <3
Aw man, this is great, thanks! I’ve been feeling shy about my shoulders and arms lately; this helps!
A post for super tall people would be amazing!! I’m 6’4 and finding clothes is really difficult. Things like where waists hit and then flare out and the length of sleeves is hard.
Short legs or long waist, please! I never know how to balance outfits just right, and I can’t seem to classify my body type as anything (at least not anything Seventeen identifies as a type). I’m not tall or short, I just have mildly off-balance proportions.
I have the same body as Katie who was the 20th person who posted. Somewhat broad shoulders (genetic I guess?) combined wih wide hips, small waist, small breasts, and long legs. I’m 5″9 1/4 When I do body shape quizzes, I get the result pear but I don’t have small shoulders.
Can somebody help me on dressing my body to its best potential?
Thank you so much for this post! Tons of fashion articles forget about depicting those with athletic body types. As a swimmer, I know how hard it is to find long-sleeve shirts that fit around the shoulders! Although, it would have been nice to see an outfit for muscular legs and booty as well (you develop quite the butt in breaststroke!). Anyways, thank you so much for this series!