Once upon a time, I was just like you! Searching google and anywhere else I could find for a name of what my belly looked like. It started with "stomach with two rolls"- nothing. "Two humps stomach" - photos of camels. "Tummy with indent" - not quite it. Finally, "Belly shaped like a B" and BAM! There it was, someone that looked like me...well, sorta. Because she was pregnant. All I could find was pages upon pages of what a B Belly was in pregnancy, but no one talking about it any other time.
I have had this shape almost my entire life. Size 2- B Belly, size 00- B Belly, size 14 - B Belly, size 22- B Belly...it was always there. The real kicker is my mom and my sister both have it too. And now that she's an adult, even at a size 4/6 my daughter has just the slightest distinction between her upper and lower stomach. So what gives? WHAT is a B Belly, where does it come from, and most importantly, are there others out there like me? (spoiler alert - the answer is YES, a TON!)
Now before we get into where THIS page came from, let's talk about what a B Belly actually is. A B Belly is where your stomach, if turned to the side, is in the shape of a capitol B. Some people have a larger hump or shelf on the top, some people its on the bottom, but regardless they are all B Bellies. Lots of people feel like they have a permanent "muffin top" of sorts. There are many reasons you could have a B Belly such as, but not limited to:
Heredity
Insulin Resistance
Lipedema
restriction of the connective tissue, or fascia, underneath the skin
Hormone Imbalance
So now you know what a B Belly IS, let me back up and tell you about the first time I saw someone with a B Belly that I wasn't related to. After I found the term, I went to TikTok and searched "B Belly", and a sweet girl with the screen name "thats_for_shaw". She said she needed help from the plus size community and wanted to know if anyone looked like her. The video was posted in April of 2021 - It currently is sitting at 24.4K likes and 1855 comments of women saying, "YES! Thats me!!!" And I was one of them! I couldn't believe it. But after watching her for a while, she never really addressed it much or tried to relate to anyone again. Once again, I felt alone, wondering where my community was.
There were lots of women on TikTok talking about B Bellies but it would be a one off video and that was it, they moved on. In January of 2021, I had already started BShapedBody on instagram, but wasn't putting much time into it. I would get a follower here or there, but I wasn't posting content that really drew anyone in. In February of 2022, I posted a silly video I filmed in my bedroom one afternoon after work showing off my B Belly - saying it wasn't your fupa. I would have been happy if 100 people saw it. Turns out, it hit a nerve, and over 6 MILLION people saw it on instagram alone - almost 2 MILLON on TikTok! My follower count started going through the roof. Thousands of women saying "YES, THATS ME!" and realizing they weren't alone...I realized I wasn't alone.
And from there, B Shaped Body really came to life. Over the next year, I've worked tirelessly to not only represent women that have always felt alone, left out, or different, but we have formed one of the most incredible communities I've ever seen online. Over 70,000 strong women, showing off their B Bellies in outfits, joining private groups to encourage each other over saving money, words of the year, and even sharing a ghost story or two! Women from all walks of life, straight sized, mid sized, and plus sized, B Belly, no B Belly, all over the world have joined our movement. They tune in for confidence chats, empowerment card pulls, capsule wardrobe challenges, all things that are helping them find who they are in this world that tells them they don't belong.
If you have read this far and feel like that is the place for you, we welcome you with open arms. B Shaped Body is more than two humps on the stomach, its the place you find the confidence to truly be who you always were meant to be. Will you join us?
