office chair issue

A reader writes in with a question:

"Everyone always envy's my body for the tiny waist and womanly curves, but its because I hide my short legs with long boot leg pants and high heels."

However she continues: "My biggest issue is that I have a desk job in which I sit at a computer for 8-10 hours a day.  My head towers over my coworkers if I sit up straight because of my long back. That causes me to slouch down and now I have neck and back issues. I tried to lower my seat all the way down but it doesn't go down far enough. I was wondering what other people that are built like me do when they have desk jobs?"

Having your office chair lowered all the way down is certainly your best step, however slouching is not good for your health, as you said, and sitting up straight is always elegant regardless of how long your back is. If it really bothers you, you could look into office chairs that can go down even lower then your present one, however I am sure your co-workers don't take notice these things, and besides siting up high is nice, sort of regal like.  

What are your thoughts?

Update: A kneeling chair is one of the better options for our body type, as it keeps the spine in proper alignment, and helps you to sit up straight. A good source for such chairs is: ErgoDepot.

Jodie Foster

Here is Jodie Foster in a number of dresses and we can see how short legged she is, especially in the photo from behind. When looking at the image of when she was a young teen she appears to be quite long legged, making me wonder how it is that her proportions changed.

Does it have to do with how our buttocks sag with age, making the back appear longer and legs shorter? I am not saying Jodie has a saggy butt (well its normal for her age), but I can certainly say that about myself. When I look at myself in full length in profile (from the side), it's my butt that separates the back from the legs, and my butt being flat and not perky it does bring down the length of the back. However when I flex my butt, thus brining it up, my torso is suddenly shorter. In conclusion I think it can do wonders to work on your buttocks to make them perky and raised.
I will perhaps include a photo of myself from the side as evidence.

more elongating tips

Here is a video I found with tips to elongate legs, it's was made this past summer, but the tips are timeless. Here is the link.

measurements & proportions

Quite a number of you have asked me whether you are proportioned or if your legs are short. Here is an optimal at home method for measuring your trunk and leg proportions (Anthropometric).


This method is called The Cormic Index (Sitting Height):
1. Sit on the floor by a wall, with legs straight out and flat.
2. Have your bottom, back, shoulders and head straight and touching the wall, and your eyes gaze forward, and sit as high as you can.
3. With a hard book, or box placed on the top of your head, have someone make a small marking with a pencil underneath the book/box, or just keep holding the book/box. It is best to have someone assist.
4. Measure the distance from the floor (where you were sitting) to the pencil marking on the wall or to where the book/box is still being held. This is your sitting height, in other words the length of your body.
5. You can measure your total height as well if you are not aware of it.

With these measurements you can determine how long your legs are, by subtracting the sitting height from the total height.

My measurements are:
Height: 175cm  (69 inches)
Torso: 90cm      (35.5 inches)
Legs: 85cm        (33.5 inches)

Leg ratio 48%
Sitting height ratio: 51%

Apparently the average woman has legs that are at least 45% of her total height. 48% and up is considered aesthetic and preferred. You can figure this out by dividing your leg length over total height. (You multiply this by 100 to have a whole number if you wish)

To determine your torso proportions do the same as above but with the sitting height

One knowledgeable commenter went into great detail in this post here.
" If your torso ratio is .52 or .53, you are completely within the normal range, and also very average too by the way. You should have a longer torso than your legs by the way, most humans do. If you're below .52, then you have very long legs for your torso. Usually, only some select Africans and Aborigines from Australia have ratios below .52. Africans and aborigines can have averages of .49 to .50 although the range of their ratios will follow other human populations."

I also found this quote in one study: "The mean Cormic Index for European and Indo-Mediterranean populations is about 0.52. Africans have proportionally longer legs, in general, with ratios around 0.51. Asian and Far Eastern populations have proportionally shorter legs and means of 0.53-0.54 (Pheasant, 1986)."

However I do not entirely understand how the sitting height can be used as a torso height, as it includes the neck and head as well? And according to all of this my proportions are in fact normalish. However I am not entirely convinced.
How are you all proportioned?

Lastly, legs which are 1.4 % (Nicole Kidman ) of the total height are regarded as perfect.




More info:
Valdosta University Georgia USA sitting height data
Another measuring method video
Feminine Beauty site

AnnaLynne McCord

AnnaLynne McCord is a young Television starlet, who I know form her role in Nip/Tuck, and is currently one of the leads in the new 90201 series, prior to acting she was a model. AnnaLynne has a feminine long torso, with a beautiful waistline.

Take notice how the position of the camera has some effect on body proportions, if a photo is taken from higher up, her legs appear even shorter (striped bikini), whereas if the camera is positioned lower to the ground, the torso is shortened by way of perspective. Therefor if you would like your legs to appear longer have the person photographing you crouch on the ground

good vs bad clothing

The clothes we chose to wear can hide our faults and greatly enhance our good features, stylist and costume designers have been saying this forever, and it really is true. Here is long torso/short legs Christina Ricci showcasing three great and three poor fashion choices.

-The first black dress elongates her total height making her seem less petite thanks to those yellow and white stripes, and that very important black horizontal stripe under her breasts gives the optical illusion that this is where her legs begin making them appear supermodel length. Her top half is beautiful with nice arms and cleavage.
-The second more casual look, is good because her dark denim jeans are matched by the pointy toed shoes and the dark under shirt, creating a good long line from where the white jacket ends all the way down to the floor. (Although the jeans could have been a little longer to avoid the little stripes of skin.) The jacket itself is cute with its shorter sleeves focusing the attention upward.
-The blue dress has a bit of a high neckline, however the black stripe at the waist (or perhaps above the waist) has the same effect as the stripe in the first yellow and black dress, creating a lovely high waist and masking where the legs actually begin, making them appear quite lengthy. It is also good that the dress is not tight.

-The red dress in the bottom row is too tight, showing us where her butt is, and therefore her long long back, and together with that awfully high neckline it really looks as though her torso is the length of that large expanse of red fabric. If the neckline was lower like in the first "good" dress, and the heels were skin colored then it would be better, (but still too tight).
-The look with the skin tight jeans and the long shirt is clearly quite unflattering, her legs are not long enough to pull of this look. If the shirt was shorter it would be a little better. But it would really be better for her, and us to not wear skinny jeans unless paired with tall boots.
-The last look with the black dress, is similar to the red dress, but with an even higher neckline. It's a turtle neck, the biggest taboo for us Lady Short Legs! Once again, the entire dress looks like one long torso.

In conclusion ladies,  as one of our readers said "almost anyone can look bad with the right clothes", we really can mask our flaws and insecurities, all we need is to be aware of them and consequently make the right fashion choices.

comments

I have had this blog only for a short while, and you my lovey readers have given me great tips, and wonderful words to strengtheng my body-image self-esteem, and for everyone reading too. Thanks!
Here are some particularly splendid comments:

"Come to think of it, no one - neither man nor woman - has ever commented on my short legs. However, they do see the slender waist. I guess that's what we get instead. No one is perfect, but everyone is beautiful."

"I don't think we're screwed if others have slightly shorter legs.... We should feel empowered as they are more people we can relate to that successfully conceal their disproportion. It doesn't really matter how long are legs are! It seems that short legged girls are everywhere and we're ruling! :)"

"Maybe we short legged ladies are more normal than we think and that no one really cares as much as we think they do."

"In a tall woman, a long waist is, I believe even perceived as being sexy and elegant, as the torso is the focus of most attention. Often, a very short waisted person looks rather unattractive and dumpy. "

"I just read about a woman who was lamenting her short torso/long legs. A body type similar to Bette Midler for instance. Where the breasts almost seem to start and end where the waist/pants begin. She said that long slender female torsos were frequently objects of art/sculptures in museums and almost all notably sexy Hollywood actresses/stars have that feature. Upon thinking about it, I think that this is true. There's always something good and bad about our bodies all around, don't you think?"

bathing suit advice

Summer is upon us and the wonderful joy of going to the beach can sometimes be harmed by a bathing suit dilemma. This is when your body is totally out in the open with no dresses or winter coats to mask any insecurities, but there are choices to make your body appear more proportionate and make you feel better about yourself.
To begin with I do not recommend one piece bathing suits (there are many available for tall and long torsoed females), these just draw attention to one long expansive piece of body. However the kind with most of the material being cut out would be fine.

For the top half, a bandeau with or without straps is good, another option is a halter and generally anything with a plunging V neckline. Also two-tone suits, one color on top and another on the bottom, counteract the length of the torso and make the waist look shorter. Make sure the lighter color is on top, and the patterns must go on top as well, to draw the attention upward. Up top you can have the polka dots, the horizontal stripes, the ornaments and embellishments but keep the bottom simple. Tankini's are also fine, but don't have them meet the bottom half, as it looks like a one piece, anyway if you buy your tankini  from a regular place (not designated for tall ladies) it will show a nice strip of bare skin, which is good.

For the bottom half, boy-shorts are entirely taboo as they shorten the legs in the extreme, and low-rise bikini bottoms, the kind that only just cover your private region, are not good either as the torso appears even longer. Instead choose bottoms in a high-waist style, the waist band reaching the hip bones or higher, or somewhere in that region. Also bare in mind that a high-cut style in the leg holes, will lengthen as well, sort of like those crazy 1980s bathing suits pulled way up high, but don't quite wear them like that of course. If you are brave enough, go in a thong, that way the legs will reach even further up!
Another great tip is to simply wear a scarf type cover-up tied at the waist. When you are swimming or lying down do take it off, but when you are strolling about or playing beach games have the scarf tied around your bottom half, in particular at the waist (not at the hips) and that way, the true length of the torso is hidden.

Covering your body in self tanner, and in particular the legs, will make them appear slimmer, and consequently longer.

Shown above are varations with of the halter neck and high rise bikini style.
Check out these darling retro inspired two piece bathing suits at Mod Cloth.
Photos via Victoria's Secrete, JCrew, Lands End, and Target.

high waisted Keira

Here is our Lady Short Leg's duchess Keira Knightley looking incredible in high waisted trousers. Considering that she is aware of her proportions, it appears that she is choosing her fashion accordingly, and luckily for her and for us all high waisted jeans and trousers are quite in style. Those billowy trousers of hers paired with the nautical striped top or the deep V neck blouse is thoroughly a good outfit for us (besides a dress) and very chic too. I especially like the ones with the four buttons, however in some of the looks, it would have been better to match the shoe color to the trousers, for a more elongating look.  

A baggy/wide leg pant (like hers), as supposed to tight high rise one, is better as it does not draw attention to a long back. 

video advice

Here are three videos from an online show titled My Body, My Style.
The advice is quite valid in fact, and the transformation to the jeans and red blouse look is incredible! All of a sudden she looks very youthful, and long legged, take not that in all the after looks she is in heels and makeup, making the metamorphosis more noticeable. However I think the final pink dress is too tight in the bottom area, and it looks good in the video only because she is wearing insanely tall heels, which are unrealistic in normal life, with regular shoe-wear her butt would be too low down. I also think her proportions were quite close to normal, so she was not such a prime candidate to demonstrate the long torso/short leg situation. However it is all valid advice.
Casual look
Evening dress
Office look 

your opinion?

Hey, dear readers of Lady Short Legs, help me out give me your opinions.
I am sure all of you have ideas and observations on celebrities that would suite this blog, some of you have all ready given me your suggestions in the comments and I want to hear more.
What other celebrities have a long torso coupled with short legs?

Note: I am loving all your comments folks, thank you!

clothing advice - dresses

The greatest piece of clothing for us ladies is the dress, as it magically hides the exact place where the torso ends and the legs begin. However not all dresses do this, ones that are tight all over, particularly in the bottom area, only display how low down our butts really are. The best, most flattering dresses, are ones that are tight up top, drawing the attention up, showcasing good shoulders, arms, decollete, a small waist and so forth, but flowing and billowy and from the waist down. So empire waist dresses are perfect as well as those just at the waist, but never below. As for the hem of the dress, either at the knee or a just a little higher or lower, or a maxi dress reaching all the way down to the ground.

When the weather is cooler, pair your dress, with slimming solid-black tights and black heeled boots, or other such shoe-wear. When it is summery and you are bare legged, chose skin colored shoes.

Here's our Keira Knightley in a variety of appropriate dresses.

clothing advice - top half

The biggest taboo for us ladies, is the turtle neck, this item of clothing must never be worn, unless you are camping in cold weather, and with relatives. The only way it could possible be permitted would be if it were worn with a large scarf or poncho to mask the neck part. Basically all high  necklines are bad, as they enhance the length of torso, in fact even a basic tee-shirt is not so good, as it has a highish neck line. More feminine tee-shirt versions that have some buttons in the front to be left unbuttoned are a suitable alternative the regular tee. 

The optimal neck line, is a V neck, or other such low and open necklines, as these do not have a lengthening effect. If the weather is chilly you can wear other visible clothing underneath the V-neck but in a different color. In fact a tube-top is the ultimate torso shortening top, but one needs to have supple teenage breast to pull of this bra-less, no strap clothing item on its own. Otherwise wear a tube top over a shirt for example, sort of like a corset for a great all breasts type look. 

Layering is a very necessary practice for us, as many pretty tops are too short, thus equip yourself with basic tank tops in dark hues, that are long in length for layering under everything. This under shirt or tank should always be darker then the top layer shirt. This way it creates an illusion that your top half is shorter than it is, as the eye sees the end of the lightly colored top half clothing item as the end of the torso. Which brings me to one mistake some long torsoed females make, which is to wear just a long lengthed  top, or a tunic reaching the hips or thighs. Simply put, wherever your top clothing item touches your bottom clothing item is where the eye perceive the end of the torso and the beginning of the legs. So you want this important line to be relatively high, and if your trousers and your top do not meet then you bridge the gap those basic dark long tank tops.

Regarding color and pattern, the top half of the body is where you can go all. Keep the bottom half entirely black or dark, and the top half light to draw the attention up to your face and not down to your legs. You can have fun with color and patterns here, horizontal lines the the obvious best, and jewelry is also a good idea, especially earrings. 

Coats are best long to the knee with an elegant high waist and an A line spanning from the waist down to mask where the butt ends. They should be figure hugging only in the top half. Regarding short jackets, well they look very good with a dress, however when it comes to wearing them with trousers or jeans be careful of the length, it should not be to the hip, but higher.


Another cool optical illusion is long hair, as it covers the back, hiding its true length. Say you have your hair out and it reaches half way down you back, this really mask everything going on back there! So very short hair while being good for petite females as it does enhance the neck and make them seem taller, it is not good for us as it showcases our long backs. 

Also check out clothing advice bottom half

Hayden Panettiere & Shorts

Hayden Panettiere, is quite petite, and has very short legs as well, as pointed out by one of our readers.  In these photos above, her disproportion is clearly visible, she almost looks like a little person/midget. However she is attractive and considered sexy by most people, who don't notice her disproportion.

Here is a link with advice on how to wear shorts, and a photo of Hayden's legs looking proportioned thanks to her choice of clothing.

alessandra ambrosio

This is our third Victoria's Secret model with a long torso, and this one is even an Angel!

Brazilian Alessandra Ambrosio's disproportion can be clearly seen in these photos. Interestingly I never noticed her long torso until yesterday, while I was searching for our mystery model in the previous post. However now that I am aware, I can't stop seeing it.

Therefor I can conclude this advice: don't ever tell anyone of your physical faults, as that will only draw attention to them, and then people will primarily focus on your problem area. People generally don't notice things on others, as much as they do on themselves. I am quite tall for example, and to everyone "tall" is synonymous with "long legs", however my height comes from my torso, not my legs, but most people don't notice that, so I don't tell them.

clothing advice - bottom half

I began this blog because I am afflicted with the short legs/long torso thing, and could not find a site specifically focused on our issue, so I thought to start one myself. Here is my best advice that I have gathered over the years and experienced and tested on myself:

BOTTOM HALF DO'S:
My greatest advice is to wear all black on the bottom half of your body as this color lengthens, and narrows and distracts. Thus your shoes, socks, tights, leggings, skirts, trousers and so forth should be ideally all black, or at least a similar color like navy, brown, gray etc...

Try to wear some sort of a high heel, obviously spiky four/five inch stilettos are unreasonable, who wears those, I certainly don't. But a wedge, or a sturdy stacked heel by a brand that focuses on comfort is a very good idea. During summer when your legs are bare choose shoes that are nude colored to match you skin town. During winter tall boots reaching your knee or higher and very flattering, however never buy boots that are lower than the knee, either mid calf or those cute looking ankle booties.

Never ever wear pedal pushers, or capris, or cropped pants as this drastically shortens you legs. Thus either wear short shorts, (never below the knee) or long pants/trousers that touch the ground. Regarding waist lines, those low waisted jeans that sit at the hips or lower are extremely unflattering for us girls, so higher waisted ones are much better, but be careful to not go too high in the waist as that can draw attention to the problematic long back area.

When it comes to skirts, don't choose pencil or narrow tight skirts as this shows how low your rear end really is, so it is better wear high waisted skirts (at your belly button) that are very puffy, almost like a ballerina tutu, or like skirts of the 1950's which become an almost complete circle when you spin around. This way people are tricked into thinking our legs are long, and our behind quite high up. Also regarding skirts, A-line skirts are fine too, but stay away from dropped waistlines, the ones that are tight through the waist and buttocks, but then fan out. These can make a woman's behind look voluptuously nice, but this style will only accentuate a long back, shorten the legs even further.

My primary outfit of this winter is high heeled black boots reaching the knee, black thick wool/nylon tights, and winter short shorts, in black.

kate hudson bikini and rear

Kate Hudson is an attractive female actress, with a leg to torso proportion that is close to equal, but upon closer inspection her torso does appear slightly longer. This is best observed in these bikini photos where you can see that from her shoulder to the beginning of her thighs the distance is quite long. In her favor is her good and shapely bottom which balances out this mild disproportion, and the fact that she is overall a cute girl.

Working on ones buttocks is in fact, one of the best things a girl like us can do, as this brings the buttocks up and thus shortens the back, and consequently lengthens the legs. Whereas as a bottom that is low and saggy really does make ones back appear even longer! I suppose an instant improvement would be to wear an undergarment that lifts the rear.