If you are bigger on the bottom with slender shoulders and a well defined waist, your body type is commonly referred to a being pear shaped. If you ask a woman who is shaped like a pear what her problem area is, most women will respond that it is their hips and tush. Many women who have a flatter bottom would trade problems in an instant, but women who have a naturally endowed bottom find it more of a curse than an asset.

This does not have to be the case. If you know how to dress for your body shape, it can make all the difference in the world in the way you look and more importantly how you feel about yourself.

Your biggest challenge will be finding bottoms that fit both your hips and your waist. You will more than likely be 1 to two sizes smaller on top than on the bottom, making your top look out of proportion. Your curves are great, but balance is our ultimate goal.

You will need to give the illusion of a smaller bottom and a balanced top. You will do this by keeping your darker colors below the waist and lighter brighter colors up on top.
Keep an open mind, dark on the bottom does not always have to be black. Try chocolate brown, navy, or dark grey, these are all dark and will help you appear slimmer where it counts most.

So let's focus on the types of pants you should be wearing. There are several things you will need to take into consideration, the rise of your pants, the cut of your jeans, and the fit.

- The Rise- This is the area from the crotch to the waist. There is ultra low rise, low-rise, mid-rise, then high waisted. You will want to find a mid rise jean. Please what ever you do stay way from high waisted jeans. Since there is more material to cover your bottom, this will make your bottom appear twice as big and this is the opposite goal of what you are trying to achieve.

- The Cut- This refers to the pant leg. The types you will have to choose from is flared leg, boot cut, straight leg, and skinny and tapered. The straight leg is the best look for you. These will give you longer looking legs. You will do okay with boot cut and flared legs, but avoid skinny and tapered jeans at all cost. Tapered jeans are wider at the thigh and get tighter at the ankle. Your smaller ankles will make your hips appear huge in comparison.

- The Fit-This refers to how your jeans "fit". The different fits are slim fit, regular fit, easy fit, and relaxed fit. Fit is a matter of personal preference, but you will have more room with the easy fit and relaxed fitting jeans.

For more information on dressing for your body shape, please visit http://www.shapeyourstyle.com where you will find more fashion tips for dressing a pear shaped body. Here is a list of do's and don'ts for pears that can be printed out to take shopping with you.