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Kibbe body type test

A test — or quiz, if you prefer — for the 13 types from 1987, with all 13 questions visible before you start. Get your five-dimension yin/yang profile, the exact scoring rules and the answers that could change your result.

This independent tool uses our own scoring model. It is not an official Kibbe assessment.

13 questions. All visible before you start.

Choose the closest description at your current weight, standing naturally. Use a mirror if helpful; no photo is needed. These are observations, not measurements of attractiveness, gender or health. If two choices fit, try both and compare the boundary note.

Height ranges are this site’s bins; they are not Kibbe’s height limits. Use centimetres at a boundary; feet and inches are approximate. No single answer excludes a type.

Answer key: A → E runs from yang toward yin. The five categories stay separate in the calculation; sharp and blunt yang are not interchangeable, and a mixture of extremes is not treated as balance.

A · Sharp / elongated yang
B · Blunt / broad yang
C · Moderate / balanced
D · Slight / delicate yin
E · Rounded / compact yin

Answers stay in this browser tab. No photos, uploads or saved answers.

The complete reference profiles

These are this site’s reference answer patterns, not a scoring key published by Kibbe. Letters are grouped by dimension; their order within a group does not affect the score. Each dimension has equal weight (20%). The displayed row order also breaks exact ties.

Reference answers by dimension (A–E)
1987 name	Vertical line	Bone structure	Body flesh	Facial bones	Facial flesh
Dramatic	`AA`	`AAA`	`AAA`	`AA`	`AAA`
Soft Dramatic	`AA`	`AAA`	`EEE`	`AA`	`EEE`
Flamboyant Natural	`AB`	`BBB`	`ABB`	`BB`	`BBB`
Natural	`BC`	`BBB`	`BBB`	`BB`	`BBC`
Soft Natural	`CD`	`BBB`	`DEE`	`BB`	`DEE`
Dramatic Classic	`CC`	`ACC`	`BCC`	`AC`	`CCC`
Classic	`CC`	`CCC`	`CCC`	`CC`	`CCC`
Soft Classic	`CC`	`CCC`	`CDD`	`CC`	`CDD`
Flamboyant Gamine	`DD`	`AAB`	`AAC`	`AB`	`AEE`
Gamine	`DD`	`AAD`	`ACE`	`AD`	`AEE`
Soft Gamine	`DE`	`AAD`	`DEE`	`AD`	`EEE`
Theatrical Romantic	`DD`	`ADD`	`DEE`	`AD`	`DEE`
Romantic	`DE`	`EEE`	`EEE`	`EE`	`EEE`

Which Kibbe system is this?

The vocabulary comes from the 1987 edition. David Kibbe’s Metamorphosis (Atheneum) describes 13 Image Identities. We keep all 13 so this tool addresses the historical system readers mean when looking for a thirteen-type quiz.

Power of Style was published by Rodale Books on January 7, 2025, not in 2022. The publisher describes an updated system; the cited comparative book review documents 10 identities, without standalone Natural, Classic or Gamine. Its retained type names and revised descriptive style titles are different things. We do not mix its identification method into this quiz.

What belongs to Kibbe, and what belongs to this site?

The historical names and yin/yang relationships belong to Kibbe’s framework. The 13 questions, height bins, reference answer patterns, equal dimension weights and distance formula are our editorial choices. They have not been validated as a way to identify a person’s Kibbe type.

Vertical line is grouped separately for clarity; the other dimensions distinguish body bones, body flesh, facial bones and facial flesh. We retain each answer category instead of averaging everything onto one number: sharp and blunt structure differ, and contrasting features are not the same as moderate features throughout. The percentages count your answers, not the physical percentage of yin or yang in your body.

The 13 historical types

Brief paraphrases of the historical yin/yang relationships, not quotations or numerical definitions from the book. Every name stays in English in both language versions.

Dramatic

Elongated, angular structure with predominantly sharp yang.

Composition: Sharp yang

Nearby types: Soft Dramatic adds pronounced softness; Flamboyant Natural has broader, blunter structure.

Soft Dramatic

Strong yang structure with a pronounced yin undercurrent.

Composition: Yang frame + yin flesh

Nearby types: Dramatic has less softness; Theatrical Romantic starts from a smaller, yin-dominant foundation.

Flamboyant Natural

Blunt yang structure with added length and angularity.

Composition: Blunt yang + sharp yang

Nearby types: Natural has less elongation; Dramatic is narrower and sharper.

Natural

Moderately angular structure with blunt rather than sharp edges.

Composition: Blunt yang

Nearby types: Flamboyant Natural adds length; Soft Natural adds rounded softness.

Soft Natural

Blunt yang structure softened by a yin undercurrent.

Composition: Blunt yang + yin softness

Nearby types: Natural has less softness; Romantic has a more delicate, rounded foundation.

Dramatic Classic

Balanced proportions with a slight yang influence.

Composition: Balance + yang

Nearby types: Classic stays balanced; Dramatic has stronger elongation and angularity.

Classic

An even blend of yin and yang in moderate proportions.

Composition: Blended yin and yang

Nearby types: Dramatic Classic adds angularity; Soft Classic adds softness. Gamine combines contrasting extremes.

Soft Classic

Balanced proportions with a slight yin influence.

Composition: Balance + yin

Nearby types: Classic has less softness; Romantic has stronger roundness rather than a balanced foundation.

Flamboyant Gamine

Contrasting yin and yang with additional yang.

Composition: Contrasting yin and yang + yang

Nearby types: Gamine has less yang emphasis; Flamboyant Natural has a larger, broader framework.

Gamine

A juxtaposition of yin smallness and yang angularity.

Composition: Contrasting yin and yang

Nearby types: Classic blends moderate features; Flamboyant Gamine adds yang, Soft Gamine adds yin.

Soft Gamine

Contrasting yin and yang with additional yin.

Composition: Contrasting yin and yang + yin

Nearby types: Gamine has less softness; Romantic has less contrasting angularity.

Theatrical Romantic

A yin-dominant foundation with a slight sharp yang undercurrent.

Composition: Yin + a little sharp yang

Nearby types: Romantic has less sharpness; Soft Dramatic begins with a stronger, elongated yang frame.

Romantic

Rounded softness and delicate structure dominated by yin.

Composition: Yin

Nearby types: Theatrical Romantic adds sharpness; Soft Natural has a broader, blunter framework.

Sources checked September 22, 2026. The edition comparison uses the publisher’s publication record and the explicitly identified secondary book review below.

References

The rules and figures on this page come from the sources below. Reference values are conventions from the literature, not targets.

David Kibbe (1987). David Kibbe’s Metamorphosis: Discover Your Image Identity and Dazzle as Only You CanAtheneum · ISBN 9780689118470Historical source of the 13 Image Identity names and yin/yang framework (chapters 3–4). Definitions here are brief paraphrases. This site’s new questions, numerical profiles and distance formula are not the book’s quiz or scoring key.
David Kibbe (2025). David Kibbe’s Power of Style: A Guided Journey to Help You Discover Your Authentic StyleRodale Books · ISBN 9780593581148The publisher dates this book January 7, 2025, not 2022, and describes an updated Image Identity system and a guided process. It is not the basis of this historical 13-type quiz.
Doctor T Designs (2025). Book Review: David Kibbe’s Power of StyleComparative book review, February 26 · Secondary source · Changes Since the 80sSecondary corroboration for the 13-to-10 comparison: Natural, Classic and Gamine are no longer standalone identities. Its comparison table separates the retained type names from the revised descriptive style titles. This review is not an official scoring source.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Which version of Kibbe does this quiz use?

The 13 Image Identity names from David Kibbe’s Metamorphosis (Atheneum, 1987). It retains Natural, Classic and Gamine so readers can explore the historical 13-type vocabulary. The questions and numerical scoring are this site’s interpretation, not a reproduction of Kibbe’s original quiz or an official assessment.

Was Power of Style published in 2022, and what changed?

No. Rodale Books published David Kibbe’s Power of Style on January 7, 2025. The comparative book review cited below documents 10 identities: Natural, Classic and Gamine are no longer standalone results; the other 10 type names remain. Descriptive style titles also changed, for example Dramatic’s “Regal Lady” became “The Deco Dynamo”. The newer guided approach is not this 13-type questionnaire.

How is the result calculated?

Answers form separate A–E distributions in five dimensions: vertical line, bone structure, body flesh, facial bones and facial flesh. Each dimension has 20% weight. The result is the nearest of 13 site-defined reference distributions. All profiles, the distance formula, competing scores and tie rule are printed beside the tool. Neither weights nor numerical profiles were published by Kibbe.

What does a small gap or a changed answer mean?

A small distance gap means two reference patterns fit similarly under this site’s rules; it is not a confidence percentage. We recalculate every single-question replacement and list those that switch the result, highlighting moves to an adjacent option. We do not search combinations of two or more changed answers.

Do I need a photo, measurements or an account?

No photo or account is needed. Only the height question uses a measurement; the others ask for observations. All answers are processed in this browser tab. They are not uploaded, saved in browser storage, or added to the URL. Reloading clears them.

Is a Kibbe result the same as an hourglass or a health assessment?

No. This is an independent style exploration using historical terminology. It is not a circumference-based shape classification, a health assessment, an attractiveness score, or a personal assessment by David Kibbe. A short questionnaire cannot establish your Image Identity with certainty.