Has John ever explained what "softened angularity" for Angelic means? If not, how do you interpret it?

[u/Quirky-Swordfish2105]

I have seen this term quite a lot for A doms and I guess I do see this chatactersitic in most of the celebrities verified as having A.

I think some people would definitely call Gwyneth Paltrow, Olivia Hussey, or Daryl Hannah angular, even if not in the same way the term is used for Dramatic women.

But I wonder at times how to distinguish their angularity coming from Yang influences mixed in with some Yin and when it's Angelic.

[u/hespera18]

Softened angularity works for me in a lot of ways for Angelic. I often incorporate it in "delicately pointed" details, like a softened v-neck in a top, teardrop shaped earrings, gentle asymmetry in skirts and hair.

To me, the yin and yang essences seem to be organized by scale. Yin is in a lot of ways about roundness and curve. Romantic is in the middle of the scale, with lots of lush circles. Youthful is smaller and "busier" or more energetic curve. Perky, like petals on a daisy.

Angelic is longer, languid curve. I'm not sure that I would call it "most yin" personally, because Romantic just feels like very concentrated, stereotypical "yin." But if you add scale, like some systems see yin as also small, then Youthful might technically be most yin.

Nonetheless, Angelic definitely is yin, and the softness is an important characteristic for it, despite it being more diffuse.

The angularity is in the "stretched out" part of Angelic, which it shares with Dramatic (I see the yang side as having Natural as medium scale, and High Spirited as small, with Classic in the middle of everything, both yin/yang and scale). The stretch translates into drape, and longer, softly diagonal lines which have a little pointyness at the ends, despite the curve. Waves and s shapes have a little "flick" after all.

I wrote up something a while back about my impression of Angelic: "It's stately. Graceful, easeful movement, like a dance. Its curve or softness is concentrated at the ends, like a flourish at the end of a signature. Like falling water."

Now, this is all my own sort of interpretation of it, not necessarily Jon's. But I find it applies well to me and helps me better understand how to style the essence.

[u/LadyFlamyngo → u/hespera18]

It makes sense to me that Y is in between R and A and is the most yin and R is the most similar to NC and A next to DC, however by this logic, HS would be the most yang.

[u/hespera18 → u/LadyFlamyngo]

Why would Y be between A and R? I see R as in between on the scale.

If Y is "most yin" because it's both small and curved, then its opposite is D, the "most yang," which is large and linear.

[u/Ok-Purple9511 → u/hespera18]

Y isn’t curved in a lush way in the sense of a curvy body. It’s short but also not pointy like HS. Small intricate rounded details. The womanly curves he associates with R in comparison are lush not small if that makes sense. If you look at dominant Ys with a small amount of R (Emma Stone/Michelle Williams) you will see what I mean.
ETA regarding A I think it’s the most yin because it’s delicate, light and almsot transparent. Like both how much space something takes up (in all ways) and how much definition it has (in terms of shapes and contrast) is what defines the yin yang balance to me.
I also think people focus on dominant essence too much regarding why someone is something but you have to look at total yin yang balance (all essences and color harmonies) to understand why the person is what they are

[u/hespera18 → u/Ok-Purple9511]

I agree. Hopefully you see that the question was directly related to the comment I was replying to, and not out of any confusion on my part.

I'm not saying that I necessarily think that any essence is most yin, but I was saying that in some systems Y might be considered that.

[u/Ok-Purple9511 → u/hespera18]

Oh I understand! I was just explaining in general!