Wishlist: A breast size website

My characters are discussing breast size (and feeling each other up in the process), and in my ever vigilant quest for the truth, I was hoping there might be some easy way for me to get a reasonable sense of the various sizes. Nothing necessarily perverse, mind you, it might even be good for women's body image. I'm imagining maybe a collection of photographs, where I might type in a number; say 34 and then select a cup size in a drop down, and I would see pictures of women of that size -- not even necessarily topless.

It might be cool to also have some illustration that sized appropriately as I moved a slider up and down (and up and down).

And no, let's not even talk about an equivalent site for women.

But my google-fu is apparently insufficient, and I barely get a useful hit if I type in a particular bra size.

Chime in if you've ever encountered this clearly necessary writers resource.

The ladies of Literotica have come to your rescue - http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1373796

ausfet said:

The ladies of Literotica have come to your rescue - http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1373796

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Many don't show up

Handley_Page said:

Many don't show up

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Keep clicking, I'm sure you'll find something worth looking at LOL

shivadancer said:

My characters are discussing breast size (and feeling each other up in the process), and in my ever vigilant quest for the truth, I was hoping there might be some easy way for me to get a reasonable sense of the various sizes. Nothing necessarily perverse, mind you, it might even be good for women's body image. I'm imagining maybe a collection of photographs, where I might type in a number; say 34 and then select a cup size in a drop down, and I would see pictures of women of that size -- not even necessarily topless.

It might be cool to also have some illustration that sized appropriately as I moved a slider up and down (and up and down).

And no, let's not even talk about an equivalent site for women.

But my google-fu is apparently insufficient, and I barely get a useful hit if I type in a particular bra size.

Chime in if you've ever encountered this clearly necessary writers resource.

Click to expand...

My suggestion is to not use bra sizes. Bra sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so a woman might be a 34C if she buys from one company, and a 36D if she buys from another. Woman frequently wear the wrong bra size. Boutique stores that help women find the right bra size are an actual thing. Good bras are expensive, so when a woman gains or loses weight, she's not going to rush out and buy a new bra. Lastly, most guys (apparently including you) don't know how a bra size translates to what a woman looks like and vice versa.

When I describe my female characters, I use broad brush strokes and let my readers fill in the rest with their imagination. In the story I'm currently writing, the woman is curvy with an ample bust. I'm letting my readers decide how big of tits that translates to.

Edit: And I think the site you are looking for is here

shivadancer said:

My characters are discussing breast size (and feeling each other up in the process), and in my ever vigilant quest for the truth, I was hoping there might be some easy way for me to get a reasonable sense of the various sizes.

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While there's some value in using this to get a sense of various sizes, I think your comment shows why using bra sizes is less than helpful in a story: I think most people are probably fuzzy on how a woman with a 34D bra compares to one with a 36C, which means that just giving those numbers is of little value to the reader in painting a mental picture.

Personally, I prefer when authors paint with broad brush strokes. Saying someone is tall or buxom is more useful to me than their precise measurements.

There is this thing called imagination. Use it, and let your readers use theirs.

I guess it's a fetish thing but unless you're writing specifically to that interest my only comment would be don't. If you are, end of story but if not, it's not actually realistic in any way. Nobody but nobody in my experience talks bra sizes unless they want to buy you one and that's a different story.

Grapefruit good.

Lemon or Watermelon, bad.

http://www.007b.com/breast_gallery.php

Could this work?

I agree 100% with those who say in general it's better to steer clear of bra size, and numerical measurements generally (no ten inch cocks, please), HOWEVER . . .

It depends on the story, and in particular on the characters. If the characters are fetishy, or measurement obsessed, or if there's some facet of the plot that is advanced by having a 34C size breast, then go ahead. Otherwise, use descriptive words and leave the reader to fill in the cup size (this is a good thing, too, because different readers have different ideas about what they regard as "big" breasts).

jaF0 said:

Grapefruit good.

Lemon or Watermelon, bad.

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Omg. When I was at high school and on vacation I went emergency bra shopping in South Africa and watermelons reminded me. I could not believe the size of some of those bras. My mind boggled. But then I saw .... and believed.... and I was stunned that such sizes existed in reality. Oh the shattered youthful innocence. Now where's that floss for my brain.....

SimonDoom said:

I agree 100% with those who say in general it's better to steer clear of bra size, and numerical measurements generally (no ten inch cocks, please), HOWEVER . . .

It depends on the story, and in particular on the characters. If the characters are fetishy, or measurement obsessed, or if there's some facet of the plot that is advanced by having a 34C size breast, then go ahead. Otherwise, use descriptive words and leave the reader to fill in the cup size (this is a good thing, too, because different readers have different ideas about what they regard as "big" breasts).

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The problem with the OP's scenario is okay he wants to try and find some reference to help him write this. Thing is that is not going to help a reader at all and as many have pointed out, people don't know a 34d vs 36d in their mind. Never mind shape and other variables.

To me statistics are juvenile or a crutch for a writer lacking confidence in his descriptions.

I've been with my wife for 18 years and I can tell you that I have no idea what her bra size is because I've never asked or picked one up to look at the tag. I know they're impressive so....you can think on what that means as an example

ChloeTzang said:

Omg. When I was at high school and on vacation I went emergency bra shopping in South Africa and watermelons reminded me. I could not believe the size of some of those bras. My mind boggled. But then I saw .... and believed.... and I was stunned that such sizes existed in reality. Oh the shattered youthful innocence. Now where's that floss for my brain.....

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I went to Singapore, walked past a lingerie store and thought 'wow, look at those gorgeous bras!' Went inside to try some on and discovered what are small tits in Australia are fucking watermelons in Asia, and the only bras that fit me were ugly, ugly creations that were reminiscent of nursing bras.

The problem with using bra size as a descriptor is that too many people focus on the first component--the number--and not enough on the second. The number tells you very little about the breast size, while the letter is a generality. But that generality is more useful than many commenters will admit. The writer does not need to convey the size with the precision of cylinder displacement in an engine, most of us can tell the difference between an A cup and B, or a C and a DD. All other means of description are similarly general. Apple or orange? Not all the same size. Watermelons? They come in a variety of sizes. Cup size is no better or worse than any other descriptor.

And Lovecraft, I've been married to my wife for 30 years and I have always known her size. Panties and dresses, too. That information comes in handy when I'm shopping for birthday gifts.

lovecraft68 said:

The problem with the OP's scenario is okay he wants to try and find some reference to help him write this. Thing is that is not going to help a reader at all and as many have pointed out, people don't know a 34d vs 36d in their mind. Never mind shape and other variables.

To me statistics are juvenile or a crutch for a writer lacking confidence in his descriptions.

I've been with my wife for 18 years and I can tell you that I have no idea what her bra size is because I've never asked or picked one up to look at the tag. I know they're impressive so....you can think on what that means as an example

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But what if the story is about a guy with a thing for numbers and a bra fetish? You just never know how size may come into play. There are legitimate ways of doing so, but IMO it depends on the characters you create. What I don't like is feeling like the author is parading around his own bra size obsessions and intruding on the story.

How about a kinked-up version of Cinderella where Cinderella and the prince get it on at the ball, she loses her bra, and he has to search the kingdom for the woman who fits it perfectly? Bra size might matter in that case. It might be an unusual size, like 32 E or something.

ChloeTzang said:

Omg. When I was at high school and on vacation I went emergency bra shopping in South Africa and watermelons reminded me. I could not believe the size of some of those bras. My mind boggled. But then I saw .... and believed.... and I was stunned that such sizes existed in reality. Oh the shattered youthful innocence. Now where's that floss for my brain.....

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Correction: you're our sweet little small breasted Asian girl, Chloe. Watermelons, indeed not .

Loqui and I are putting the finishing touches on our Oz Anthology yarn, which features a very slender Asian dancer girl who, by the end of the story, seems to spend quite a bit of time topless. Aussie beaches seem to have that effect. There are no melons or cantaloupes anywhere in sight.

SimonDoom said:

But what if the story is about a guy with a thing for numbers and a bra fetish? You just never know how size may come into play. There are legitimate ways of doing so, but IMO it depends on the characters you create. What I don't like is feeling like the author is parading around his own bra size obsessions and intruding on the story.

How about a kinked-up version of Cinderella where Cinderella and the prince get it on at the ball, she loses her bra, and he has to search the kingdom for the woman who fits it perfectly? Bra size might matter in that case. It might be an unusual size, like 32 E or something.

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It works in the story telling sense as far as a plot that makes it necessary, but...erotica is a very visual genre for obvious reasons and you start saying Katie removed her bra revealing her 34 d breasts and Sally sighed while looking down at her 32b's and.,..well what do those look like?

Whenever you try to lock the reader into something exact it can be problematic.

Let me use another kink for example. I have a foot fetish, big time. I like to read those types of stories. In one the author is talking about her size 5 feet, and her size 7 feet etc...I like feet, but have no idea really as far as sizes go, but it made me stop and try to picture what that might be and it ended up annoying me when show size was brought up repeatedly. Describe her toes, her soles, the arch, toe rings, nail polish, type of shoe etc...don't start sounding like a shoe salesman.

lovecraft68 said:

It works in the story telling sense as far as a plot that makes it necessary, but...erotica is a very visual genre for obvious reasons and you start saying Katie removed her bra revealing her 34 d breasts and Sally sighed while looking down at her 32b's and.,..well what do those look like?

Whenever you try to lock the reader into something exact it can be problematic.

Let me use another kink for example. I have a foot fetish, big time. I like to read those types of stories. In one the author is talking about her size 5 feet, and her size 7 feet etc...I like feet, but have no idea really as far as sizes go, but it made me stop and try to picture what that might be and it ended up annoying me when show size was brought up repeatedly. Describe her toes, her soles, the arch, toe rings, nail polish, type of shoe etc...don't start sounding like a shoe salesman.

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I completely agree with what you're saying. My point is that a way to make it work is by having a character, rather than the author/narrator, obsessed or concerned with these things, like a fetish. When it comes from the narrator it usually falls flat. But I can imagine a story with a character who's really into sizes and measurements.

I think this would be the minority of stories, but I can imagine doing it this way. I've generally moved in the opposite direction -- I don't use measurements for boobs or dicks. Stories with 10-inch dicks, in particular, just make me roll my eyes.

The whole discussion about measurements comes up over, and over, and over, and....

I have little idea what the readers want to read. I only know the preferences of the few readers who actually plod through my stories and favorite/vote/comment at the end. The OP could be super-successful writing about 34DD bras.

Maybe my stories would get more reaction if my characters had explicit bra sizes and fantastic cocks. That isn't how I want to write, so I'll probably never know.

This is actually a reversal of opinions I expressed a couple years ago. Experience, you know, sometimes opens your mind.

Ok, so... no one has actually explained how bras work and I feel like that'll actually help him.

So, bra measurements do mean something.

The band is how many inches around the underbust is at rest. So if someone is a 34C or whatever, that means that the underbust is 34inches around- using a tape measure. That's where the band sits- if you've never worn a bra or don't make clothes I don't really know how to explain to you what this is, but it's the most important part for garment construction because it's what bears the weight.

The letter after is how many inches you increase for the fullest part of the cups. So a 34A is a 35in bustline, a 34B is a 36in bustline and so on.

BUT the labels used for the letters aren't universal after "D" in the US. So, depending on the manufacturer, a 5in difference COULD be a "DD" or an "E". A 6in difference could be a "DDD", "E", or "F". I have NO FUCKING CLUE why this isn't standardized, because literally the only way to know if something is going to fit, because of the clothing labels being based on unicorn farts or whatever, is to try it on.

But if you don't know the band size, the cup size means nothing, because the cup size measures "#inches to increase fabric during production". Bras (like all clothing) was hand-made at one time, and these measurements were meant to aid in the production of a bra- of translating it from a sewing pattern onto fabric and making it- not in the wearing of one.

So... yeah, for a descriptor, unless someone is sewing, I don't know how often this would come up. People have gotten so far from home production that, as someone else already mentioned, a lot of people don't know their "real" bra size any more than most guys know their "real" inseam. People just don't make their own clothes like they used to. They buy off the rack now.

BTW, a bra won't maintain the same band size as you wear it and the elastic stretches. That's why there are multiple clasps on the band. You wear it on the last one and move inward as the fabric stretches. That'll make them last longer- and for what yhall pay for them I'd want them to last as long as they can. Elastic does better if you hand-wash it, too.

8letters said:

My suggestion is to not use bra sizes. Bra sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so a woman might be a 34C if she buys from one company, and a 36D if she buys from another. Woman frequently wear the wrong bra size. Boutique stores that help women find the right bra size are an actual thing. Good bras are expensive, so when a woman gains or loses weight, she's not going to rush out and buy a new bra. Lastly, most guys (apparently including you) don't know how a bra size translates to what a woman looks like and vice versa.

When I describe my female characters, I use broad brush strokes and let my readers fill in the rest with their imagination.

Edit: And I think the site you are looking for is here

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This subject is all-too-often raised.
Apparently, the re ARE some readers who desperately NEED to be assured of the bra size of the heroine; I don't. Anything more than an adequate handful (with the nipple of choice) is TMI.

lovecraft68 said:

There is this thing called imagination.
Use it, and let your readers use theirs.

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Exactly.

SimonDoom said:

Stories with 10-inch dicks, in particular, just make me roll my eyes.

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I read one recently where the protagonist claimed to be wielding an impressive yet unlikely 14 inch schlong. All I could think was that if my partner dropped their strides to reveal that sort of appendage, I'd be running away shrieking with fear.

ausfet said:

I read one recently where the protagonist claimed to be wielding an impressive yet unlikely 14 inch schlong. All I could think was that if my partner dropped their strides to reveal that sort of appendage, I'd be running away shrieking with fear.

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As one reviewer put it, "it was big enough to go on Disneyland rides by itself!"

Bramblethorn said:

As one reviewer put it, "it was big enough to go on Disneyland rides by itself!"

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I literally LOL'd.