Although I typically wear skirts and dresses, jeans are one of my favorite articles of clothing. Skinny jeans are wonderful and are probably the most wanted style of jean for teens, but I think many people don’t realize how awful skinny jeans can make you look.

Let’s be honest, super skinny jeans are not made for any body type.. they are really only meant to be worn by tall, extremely slender girls. If you literally cannot walk up stairs without fearing your jeans will rip, they are too tight. I’ve struggled for years to find jeans that I feel comfortable in – and I just found that real “skinny jeans” weren’t the right jeans for my body.

So, let’s go through some alternatives to skinny jeans that may be more aesthetically pleasing on your body.

The boot-cut: For someone who has some curves, this jean really balances out the entire body. Don’t be confused, boot-cut does not mean flared. Boot-cut jeans are more a-line, simply keeping the same leg size all the way down. Skinny-jeans can make someone seem very top heavy, while boot cut elongates legs – see these boot-cut jeans from target.com. Skinny jeans with that same outfit would make her legs look short and stocky.

The flare: For those with full hips and thighs, a flare is extremely slimming. This jean accentuates the curves in a good way, rather than making curves look like a bad thing. Just make sure that with a flare jean, the waist isn’t too low cut—this can make a fuller body seem extremely stocky. These hipster flare jeans from American Eagle create a beautiful hour-glass curve.

The boyfriend jean: My favorite kind of jean. They’re not skinny jeans, but they’re not boot cut or flare either. They are the perfect jean for anyone with a not-stick-skinny-but-not-fully-curvy body. This jean has a flare just big enough that it is a perfect balance to any person’s mid-section. I believe these will forever be my jean of choice – especially these boyfriend jeans from American Eagle.

So, basically.. if you are sick of having to dance your way into skinny jeans … next time try some of these more comfortable, more fitting, jeans.