How I find people’s types (and how you can, too):
I use a three-fold process:
1) A series of outlines that I created from comparing the lines of Kibbe-verified celebrities for commonalities.
2) The flowchart typing system developed by the Freely Kibbe FB group.
3) The Kibbe typing quiz (with caveats).
If you’re typing yourself, your first mission is to get a great photo. No fancy lighting or slimming angles here, though! Squarely face the camera (propped on a level surface or on a tripod) with the lens lined up right around chest height. The lighting should be diffuse – a cloudy day is great – with no harsh angles. If this photo is just for yourself, go ahead and wear (non-compression, non-push up) undergarments, or just be naked! If you want to share them with others, just make sure that whatever you’re wearing still clearly shows the lines of your body (athletic wear, etc.).
Read up on yin and yang and try to really understand what is meant by terms like “softness”, “curve”, “width”, or “vertical”. They are defined somewhat differently in the Kibbe system than the usual associations we have with these words.
“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” -Rachel Zoe
Next, try to consider your most striking quality. If you have a trusted friend or family member around, you can ask for their help with this (it can be very difficult to be unbiased about our own figure, not to mention how easy it is for our perception to become distorted after so many years of looking at ourselves!) In my case, I’m really glad that I asked both my husband a good friend for their opinion. I did not see vertical line to be such an overwhelming aspect of my figure; apparently, I was wrong!
At this point, if you were working with me, I would create an outline from your photo because this helps me really focus in on the lines of your body without being influenced by anything else about your style. I compare it with the outline I have created for each type to see which fits best. This usually helps narrow the options down some, but is certainly not enough to type someone on its own.
If you are doing this on your own, I recommend you use digital tools or a simple pen and paper to quickly trace out the overall shapes you see in your body. Don’t get too caught up in little details here; we’re looking at the shape holistically. See below for examples:
What jumps out at you first?
Shoulder/upper back width?
A long vertical?
Curves?
Nothing!
Something else?
Review this flowchart developed by the Freely Kibbe Fb group. (Click here if you’re interested in joining the group on facebook.) I think this is a great tool to block out all the other confusing if-then-yes-but-maybe junk that can get stuck in your head while searching for your Kibbe type, and just boil it down to the essence of your lines.
Kibbe Quizzes
The last thing I use to check my typing is the quiz. The quiz is far from perfect but can be helpful.
My favorite is this version from The Concept Wardrobe. Score the Kibbe test as follows:
I score each section separately based on how many answers of each letter it received. For example:
Bone Structure: 2A, 2C = Dramatic Yang skeleton
Body Flesh: 4C, 1D = Light Yin flesh
Facial Features: 5A, 2D = Softened Dramatic face
(these are my answers, in case you’re curious!)
Then just add it up! Yin flesh on a dramatic skeleton is a Soft Dramatic. Facial features definitely don’t matter as much, but can be helpful as a tiebreaker. In this case, the facial features are a good match for the type.
Or, if you’d like a tool that will tabulate your answers for you, consider trying this Kibbe quiz from Reddit user witchycactus: https://www.quotev.com/quiz/12925213/Kibbe-Types-Quiz. I can’t vouch for its overall efficacy, but I can say that it typed me correctly :)
If you are wanting to have other people help type you, you might want to include photos of you wearing different styles and shapes in your outfits. I try not to look at outfit photos until I have finished typing and have a pretty good idea what I think the type is, because it can be misleading, but this can be a good way to confirm your ID.
I hope this is helpful for those of you who are still on your Kibbe-typing journey! If you’ve done all this and you’re still really confused, or if you would just like a second opinion, I offer Kibbe typing services. It can be very helpful to get an unbiased second opinion, but please remember that the only person who can truly, 100% determine your type is you, or David Kibbe himself.