This is bugging me: How is Waist length defined?!

[Arianwen]

I always think of waist being where my torso dips in, sort of in the vicinity of my navel. IE: When I measure my waist circumference, that's where I measure it at, ergo, I consider waist length hair to be at this point, not down lower. Seems to me I've seen WL hair defined as well below the navel/dip in torso in several places.
:confused:

[Debra83]

I think of it just below the belly button, and that's my goal!

[spidermom]

Some people define waist as where the waist-band of their jeans sit, even if they wear low-risers. In general, though, waist is where you are narrowest between bottom of rib cage and flare of hips, which sounds like the place you are talking about, so you're right. (PS - my waist is a little above my belly button.)

[tinti]

Where your body is slimest is where your waist is, that's what I've b een told.

[Arianwen]

Thanks! I've been puzzled over this for quite awhile! My waist is rapidly disappearing (used to be 28" or so, now it's like 34") cause I'm knocked up. :P

[In2wishin]

I have always been told it is where your torso bends when you bend it side-to-side. The easiest way to find your natural waist is to put a measuring tape around you and then rotate your upper body in a circle, letting the tape settle at the bends.

[pepperminttea]

I measure it by the slimmest point of my torso - between the hips and the ribcage.

[enfys]

Other people who aren't so accurate about hair length as we like to be often consider anything past BSL to be waist; magazines often to it if they are reffering to a celebrity's extensions for example.

I consider it to be the narrowest part of my torso, and it falls a bit above my belly button.

[MissManda]

I also think that waist-length is where the hair falls at the narrowest part of the torso. ^^ My waist is about an inch or so above my bellybutton. I have also observed people referring to waist-length as a little above or a little below the waist. It still falls into the general "waist length" vicinity, but I can understand why it would be confusing.

[JenniferNoel]

I generally call waist length when most of the hair solidly falls, when dry and in it's natural state (i.e. no styling, product, brushing/combing), at the narrowest part of your body between the ribs and hips. Tie an elastic band around your suspected waist, move around a little bit, with some stretches and bends, and it should naturally fall to your natural waist.

[McFearless]

Thanks! I've been puzzled over this for quite awhile! My waist is rapidly disappearing (used to be 28" or so, now it's like 34") cause I'm knocked up. :P

haha this made me laugh. congrats on your pregnancy! :D

[luxepiggy]

I define it as the level where I measure my waist circumference for the standard bust/waist/hips stats.

[Arianwen]

haha this made me laugh. congrats on your pregnancy! :D

hehehe :D Thanks...

[KittyLost]

I've been told it is the smallest part of your torso? Between your hips and ribs.

My waist is a bit above my belly button. Hope that helps.

[Joliebaby]

My natural waist (thinnest part) is also above my belly button. That's where I consider WL to be.

[Jenn of Pence]

Thanks! I've been puzzled over this for quite awhile! My waist is rapidly disappearing (used to be 28" or so, now it's like 34") cause I'm knocked up. :P

Too funny. :) Congrats on that! I think some people like to use "elbow length" as roughly equivalent to waist. It's at least in the general area, depending on one's stature, and it's a bit easier to see, especially if one is, as you say, knocked up. ;)

[Fairlight63]

Also when do you count it at waist length - when it looks waist length without pulling down a strand of hair (if your hair is curly) or can you count it waist length when you pull down a strand of hair & it is at waist length?

When I look at my hair it looks like it is between BSL & waist - but if I pull down a strand it is getting close to waist length.

So which is it?

[Qwackie]

I think waist is the thinnest part between the ribcage and hips. Like my waist is just an inch or two below my ribs.

[Arianwen]

Also when do you count it at waist length - when it looks waist length without pulling down a strand of hair (if your hair is curly) or can you count it waist length when you pull down a strand of hair & it is at waist length?

When I look at my hair it looks like it is between BSL & waist - but if I pull down a strand it is getting close to waist length.

So which is it?

That, I think, is preference. I measure went and stretched just 'cuz. My dry and wurly length is much shorter lol.

[swivelhop]

I wish elbows not waist was the standard measure. It would be so much easier everyone knows where their elbows are, and noone has "high" or "low" elbows. It would also take out the gender discrepancy.

[Carolyn]

I agree with everyone who said the narrowest part or where you bend. Does no one have to take home ec family and consumer science or whatever your school system calls it) in school anymore and have to measure your body to make a garment? I'm totally astounded that so many don't know where their own waist is.

[Jenn of Pence]

I agree with everyone who said the narrowest part or where you bend. Does no one have to take home ec family and consumer science or whatever your school system calls it) in school anymore and have to measure your body to make a garment? I'm totally astounded that so many don't know where their own waist is.

Along with this, the "waist band" on most girls' jeans these days sit a lot lower than actual waist.

[Carolyn]

Along with this, the "waist band" on most girls' jeans these days sit a lot lower than actual waist.Yeah with the current jeans, "waist" could be confusing. It's more of a "hip" band.

[melikai]

I wish elbows not waist was the standard measure. It would be so much easier everyone knows where their elbows are, and noone has "high" or "low" elbows. It would also take out the gender discrepancy.

Both men and women have a waist. :confused:

My true waist, which is also LHC waist, actually falls quite above my bellybutton, and is right below my ribcage. Maybe I have an abnormal torso though.


Yeah with the current jeans, "waist" could be confusing. It's more of a "hip" band.

Haha! Or even a BCL band sometimes! :eek: shudder:

[PrincessBob]

I theorize that waist may be their last available measurement "body part." They haven't reached hip yet, and their waist can be anywhere from 1-4 hand spans below their waist. But waist was the last milestone they hit, so they cling to that label.

[Thinthondiel]

My true waist, which is also LHC waist, actually falls quite above my bellybutton, and is right below my ribcage. Maybe I have an abnormal torso though.


Mine is also quite a bit above my bellybutton. In the front it's right below my ribcage, and at the sides my ribcage extends a bit past my waist (to just a couple of inches above my hips, actually - I swear I'm not as weird-looking as I sound).

[Arianwen]

I theorize that waist may be their last available measurement "body part." They haven't reached hip yet, and their waist can be anywhere from 1-4 hand spans below their waist. But waist was the last milestone they hit, so they cling to that label.

vertebrae? :D

[swivelhop]

Both men and women have a waist. :confused:

True, but its usually much lower on men. Isn't it? Still elbows are so easy to find.

[Oskimosa]

I theorize that waist may be their last available measurement "body part." They haven't reached hip yet, and their waist can be anywhere from 1-4 hand spans below their waist. But waist was the last milestone they hit, so they cling to that label.

I agree with you. I'm below waist, grazing hip, but I haven't really solidly hit it yet so I won't update my length.

That, and the super-low pants these days as mentioned before. I think alot of people think their waist is really where their hips are because of that. I've seen many an anniversary thread where someone says "hey I'm finally at waist!!" and they're practically at hip instead. But I see lots of members agree with them, so I hardly ever go against the tide and speak up, assuming I'm the wrong one...

[Jenn of Pence]

I've always wanted my hair to hit the waistband (or "hipband" ;)) of my jeans, so I was calling that "waist length" when I got to LHC. I learned that waist was defined actually at waist, so my definition was more like hip length. Of course, this makes a lot more sense, since the waistband of my pants could vary from pair to pair.

[HikerTrash]

Ooh. I guess my hair is hip-length now instead of waist-length! Or I suppose I could say it's at man-waist-length since I prefer to wear my waists where a man's waist would be.

[sibiryachka]

Other people who aren't so accurate about hair length as we like to be often consider anything past BSL to be waist; magazines often to it if they are reffering to a celebrity's extensions for example.

This drives me nuts sometimes! My former hairdresser, when I told her my goal was to grow to waist, said "But it is waist-length!" even though it patently was not - it was barely BSL then. I tried to clarify by saying I wanted it to reach my elbows, and even then she insisted that I was already there. :confused:
I was just recalling that episode last week, when DBF pointed out that my wet, stretched hair now reaches the fold of my elbow. There's a good 4 inches to go before it will reach the tip of my elbow, which is what I mean by elbow-length. Now I see that she may have meant it reached the fold. It was oddly comforting to have that years-ago misunderstanding resolved.

[Anje]

I think part of the problem is that pants don't usually sit at the waist these days, and waists tend to be in different places on different people, depending on body structure and personal pudginess....

Mine is a few inches above my elbows, and actually over the lower part of my ribcage, a couple inches below my bottom bra band. That's partly because I have a short torso and only an inch or two of clearance between my ribs and the top of my pelvis, and partly because I've got more padding than I'd like, which tends to skew the narrowest area north a bit. My bellybutton is actually below the level of my hip bones, so I'd call it "hip", not waist. The point of my elbow is actually an inch or so below my hip bones, which makes me sound really weirdly-proportioned! (I'm 5'7", but I'm as tall as my 5'2" friends when sitting. All the height is in my legs!)