Body & Style

As my boredom with TikTok began to solidify, I bleakly concluded that I had been cured of short-form content addiction. The preachiness of ‘Corporate Girl TikTok’ was overbearing and I was kind-of over watching influencers prance around to noughties music and churn out the same five outfits. Just as I had resolved to close the app, I stumbled across Body & Style founder Ellie-Jean Royden’s viral ‘soft classic’ video – introducing me to the Kibbe Theory universe.

A futuristic ‘sound’ was attached to the video, suggesting that she come to some sort of divine epiphany. It worked, I wanted to know more and so did 6.2 million other people.

Discarding the infamous ‘shape theory’ that had young women identifying as apples and inverted rectangles, Gen Z have become enamoured with David Kibbe’s 13 Body Types – sold as the key to curating the perfect wardrobe.

A system first introduced in the 1980s and gift-wrapped in flowery titles such as ‘Flamboyant Gamine’ and ‘Theatrical Romantic’, the 13 body classifications guide you towards finding your personal yin/yang balance. The ‘yin’ element includes features which are “round edges, flowing silhouettes, hourglass figures and fitted waists”, according to The Concept Wardrobe – a resource favoured by Kibbe followers. Whereas the ‘yang’ counterpart exudes masculine energy with “strong vertical lines and geometric shapes.” This can be further broken down into the delicate ‘petite yin’ and the opposing ‘lush yin’. Old Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn has been cited as the aforementioned ‘Flamboyant Gamine’, with petite yet angular bone structure – those of this body type look best in tailored styles and short lengths.

The Kibbe world can seem complicated at first glance, which is how TikTok influencers such as Royden spotted a gap in the personal styling market. At just 20 years old, she boasts an eight-week waiting list of clients for her services and over 419.8K followers. Everyone wants to know their type and end the war with their wardrobes. When asked about the moment that she first joined the Kibbe universe, she humorously quipped: “My family members thought I was joining a cult. It was very intense and I think that’s how a lot of people get with it at the start. I was drawn to it because I’d never seen a body-shape or body-type system which was so inclusive.” The all-welcoming element of the theory is exactly what entices the zoomer generation who, according to a study by insights platform quantilope, feel “diversity and inclusion are important topics for brands to address.” Royden considers Kibbe fans to be “pioneers in a Gen Z counter-culture, creating ways to talk about things that we're not really allowed to talk about, such as the 2000s ‘skinny phase’, where bodies were criticised so heavily.” Discussing the 13 body types is therefore, “kind of like a breath of fresh air and no longer a forbidden sphere.”

Like any theory, blindly following every detail comes with drawbacks. A glaring negative is the potential for consumers of this content to try and fit within what they might deem a more ‘desirable’ body type. Supermodels Gisele Bündchen and Cindy Crawford have been verified as ‘Flamboyant Naturals’, for example, due to their ability to look effortlessly chic in lose fabrics, unconstructed lines and oversized shapes. Another issue with Kibbe Theory is how ironically non-inclusive it can become. The verified list of celebrities has only recently been updated to include more women of colour, previously underrepresenting an entire demographic. The list of celebrities also has significantly less examples for plus-sized lovers of the theory to reference, which is concerning considering the topic on TikTok has garnered over 38.7M views.

Members of the Kibbe online community seem to have recognised this disparity and are working to rectify it. Royden cited her recent Bridgerton video on characters Kate and Edwina Sharmer, played by Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran, as a project that she was very excited to make, gushing that “so many people will see it and get so much benefit out of it.”

Fans of Kibbe have also taken matters into their own hands by forming new lists, although ‘unverified’, and producing content that spotlights ethnic minority viewers such as Brenttany Sharraine's viral TikTok all about black female facial archetypes.

In true Gen Z spirit, it’s apparent that fans of this theory want to share it with others and give everyone the opportunity to participate. Although it’s not a closed off secret society, significant effort is required to reap the benefits that Kibbe claims to offer, popularising an entirely new language of styling tips.