Why have Kibbe body types gone viral on TikTok? Gen Z is embracing the 1980s body-typing system – even though it is outdated and not inclusive

Dramatic. Classic. Natural. Gamine. Romantic. Which are you? David Kibbe created a system in 1987 to determine body types and it has just gone viral online

The Kibbe system has been embraced by Gen Z on TikTok, even though a system created by a man to tell women how to dress seems at odds with their beliefs

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Kibbe’s body types system has been around since the 1980s and categorises a woman’s shape and most flattering fits. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:16pm, 6 Nov 2023Updated: 4:51pm, 15 Nov 2023

TikTok cannot seem to get enough of Kibbe’s body types, a system which helps categorise a woman’s shape and most flattering fits – and which has been around since the 1980s.

Despite falling off the radar in the early aughts, the topic has seen a resurgence on social media in recent years, with content creators picking up on it, posting videos and style suggestions for a fresh new audience.

In 1987, image consultant David Kibbe released his book Metamorphosis, which categorised women’s bodies into five main shapes: “dramatic”, “classic”, “natural”, “gamine” and “romantic”.

While the names are a step up from “pear-shaped” and “apple-shaped”, it seems strange in this day and age to embrace a man’s method for determining how women should dress.

David Kibbe is an image consultant. Photo: Facebook/David Kibbe

In today’s climate of gender-neutral fashion, body positivity and diversity, Kibbe’s ideas feel at odds with the strides that have been made by Gen Z to reframe how we view women’s bodies as a society and as individuals.