Flower power

For diet and exercise purposes, our bodies are often compared to fruits. Who hasn’t heard of the dreaded “pear” shape, or the less-than-flattering “apple”? Now women’s apparel cataloger Newport News has a much more flowery way to describe women’s figures with its Botanical Body types. Customers can choose from five body types: lily (broad, full-busted figure), begonia (full, round), tulip (hourglass), daffodil (full-bottom), and gladiola (slender, curveless). The cataloger uses a flower symbol in a circle to key certain outfits that work well with specific body types. Body typing may still be an unpleasant reality for those of us with less-than-perfect figures, but at least Newport News gives us a rosier outlook.