Bra sizes in our stories

[TheLobster]

Wait, are you saying that the global economy depends exclusively on tiddy size? Because if that's the case...

*Loads rifle in Spanish.* AUTHORS! IT'S PLOT BUNNY SEASON!

Yeah, well, the causation presumably goes from the economy to the titties, but I’m not sure anyone has proven it beyond reasonable doubt.

Which obviously means breasts enhancements should be subsidized by the state, just in case.

 

[Villainesse]

Not a writer, just a reader, but...

Personally I don't like it when stories go into very specific detail-by-detail descriptions of characters right at the beginning. Especially of women, and especially bra size.

It strikes me as amateurish and low quality.

There are more subtle ways to hint at the appearance that draw the reader into visualizing the character. That's the sign of a good writer, in my opinion.

 

[lovecraft68]

Men don't understand bra sizes enough to write about them. Some of us know this, most don't but never stop trying.

 

[MrPixel]

I think that small, average, and large are sufficient to paint a picture in the reader's mind.

"Fuller", "pleasant", "pert", and "modest" are my preferred adjectives, in the rare instance it helps describe the scene. I think I used "ample" once or twice.

I don't recall any time in five years I wrote a scene where cup size was mentioned. If I did, it had to be FCs trading insults.

Ah... I just flashed on the opening scene of the Barstow series, which is typical of how I paint the picture:

"Okay, how about this? Tie-up that shirt the way you do. They gotta see some skin. Unbutton it, too."
"What? So they can see my bodacious cleavage?"
"Oh you so funny. You have no cleavage."
"Thank you ever so much for reminding me, bastard. My small tits save us money on bras, okay?"
"They're adorable. They go perfect with the rest of your girlish figure."

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Precisely. This ‘no bra sizes’ prohibition that gets bandied about here is much like the rest of Lit writing ‘lore’ an occasionally useful guide which should be totally disregarded if something else serves your story better. For example, it’s not exactly abnormal for a new boyfriend to ask his new girlfriend about her measurements, particularly if he has a gift for her in mind.

YES! Must like everything else, it depends on if it serves your story better.

Appropriate usage of bra size, and/or cock size, is like defining Porn in the Supreme Court(thank you Justice Potter Stewart) "I know it when I see it."

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

But as far as readers are concerned it means "BIG ONES!!!".

It's the Big Ones Lamont!!

 

[TheRedChamber]

For example, it’s not exactly abnormal for a new boyfriend to ask his new girlfriend about her measurements, particularly if he has a gift for her in mind.

It isn't? Well, dang. I've always resorted to a sneeky look at the label while she snoozes.

 

[DEFCOM5]

It isn't? Well, dang. I've always resorted to a sneeky look at the label while she snoozes.

I did the same until I got sick of having to return lingerie that did not fit.

She buys what she wants and I have zero idea what her bra size is.

And we have been married for 37 years!

 

[Comshaw]

So I was poking around the Erotic stories, categories & more page.


I found this...

https://www.literotica.com/resources/writer-resources

Which lead me to this article from 2004.

https://www.literotica.com/s/26dd-vs-36b


Since it seems the prevaling practice is to get away from including specific bra sizes in our stories, perhaps this article should be modified/removed?

Why should it be removed or modified because the prevailing practice has changed? After reading the article, it seems to me it contained some good advice IF one was going to use bra size in a story. I will follow that with the question, where does the measurement for "prevailing practice" come from? Here on the AH? I know from prior discussions that many of the authors who frequent this place don't think it's a good thing to do, but I don't think that speaks for the other multitude of authors on this site, nor for me.

Men don't understand bra sizes enough to write about them. Some of us know this, most don't but never stop trying.

I must needs disagree. That's like saying one shouldn't write about motorcycles if one doesn't understand all about them. If that were true of everything, most authors would have huge gaps in their stories from things they barely understand.

I don't think we need to understand all about bra size to use it in a story. It's more about invoking an image in the reader's mind. I can guarantee, be it male or female who is reading, using bra size will cause an image to appear for them. Isn't that the aim of a story? To make the reader see those characters we so carefully tried to craft? While I'm not an advocate of describing characters to the smallest detail, some things need to be described to set the image of who they are. Since what we write is erotic in nature bra size is a convenient way to set that image in the reader's imagination.

While some are turned off by the use of the bra size convention, I do not believe that the majority of readers are or will be. I have never had a complaint about using it.

Comshaw

 

[Kelliezgirl]

While some are turned off by the use of the bra size convention, I do not believe that the majority of readers are or will be. I have never had a complaint about using it.

Comshaw

Good point, if we removed every story that contained something that makes a member of the AH "nope" out of it, there wouldn't be much left on this site.

 

[BlueZen]

I agree with another poster on this thread that detailing the exact measurements seems amateurish. Are readers going to know the difference between a 32DD, a 30E or a 34D on one woman who is 5 ft tall vs another who is 5ft 10in? A framework is sufficient to describe the general shape and size of the character.

I think the reader will picture the characters how they like them anyway, so providing too much detail isn’t even necessary and might drag them out of their fantasy. (Trust your reader to fill in the blanks with whatever they think is hot.)

 

[ColtonWrites]

Remind me why should we care about the FMCs bra size?

This and a cock size are two of my automatic "move of to the next story" reflexes.

Same. Almost guarantees that I wont like the story, if the author does a "she had [size] breasts" kind of intro.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I think that's often true no matter what attribute of the character is described or how, because starting with an info-dump about what your characters look like without a reason to do so suggests a skill limitation.

Sometimes, too, people try to get too clever with how they describe things. Size is an obvious visual quality. We see it at first glance. There are stories where people try so hard not to just say how big the boobs are that they acquire a certain ambiguousness, where they're big and small and medium-sized depending on the needs of the scene. Call it Schrodinger's Titty, where a boob can be fully covered up by a normal-sized hand but also be big enough for titty-fucking.

 

[ColtonWrites]

I think that's often true no matter what attribute of the character is described or how, because starting with an info-dump about what your characters look like without a reason to do so suggests a skill limitation.

I think thats a large part of it. I have a very (possibly unreasonably) high bar for what I consider to be readable, let alone enjoyable. Unfortunately for me, that dramatically reduces the amount of free erotica I get to enjoy.

 

[Bamagan]

I think that's often true no matter what attribute of the character is described or how, because starting with an info-dump about what your characters look like without a reason to do so suggests a skill limitation.

Sometimes, too, people try to get too clever with how they describe things. Size is an obvious visual quality. We see it at first glance. There are stories where people try so hard not to just say how big the boobs are that they acquire a certain ambiguousness, where they're big and small and medium-sized depending on the needs of the scene. Call it Schrodinger's Titty, where a boob can be fully covered up by a normal-sized hand but also be big enough for titty-fucking.

Quantum boobies collide, wave function collapses.

Edit: Semi-seriously, though, most tits on Lit exist in a state of ambiguity which neither adjectives nor bra measurements can fully resolve. Big, small, etc. are understandable but vague enough to be highly subjective, not to mention context-dependent in some cases (size of boob relative to size of body). Cup sizes, even if the reader has a good grasp of what they mean (and in what country), have enough gradations that many women can comfortably wear more than one number/letter combo on any given day, even when the bazoombas themselves aren't actively changing size that week, so the mental picture produced by one reader is quite likely different from another's.

 

[dirk2024]

Choices can get interesting.

When I first started writing last spring, I followed the examples of most of the stories I had been reading for the previous year. Breast and cock sizes, although I only made limited use of minimal info dumps.

Since coming here to the AH and seeing a lot of posts not only against info dumps, but breast/cock sizes as well, I've limited/stopped using them. My stories I have in progress now infer a size, small, medium, modest, large.

I just finished writing my first demon story. I had decided to give her minimal descriptions, only once mentioning her raven colored hair. I write about her breasts in two different spots, but just activity, no physical description.

With the demon, he received physical descriptions. And of course, being a 7 foot tall demon, he has a large cock.

I made the choice due to his dominance and her submissiveness. I'll find out shortly whether it was a good decision or not.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Meanwhile I've just written 1197 words of physical description and it's one of my favorite things I've ever put down.

 

[Actingup]

Meanwhile I've just written 1197 words of physical description and it's one of my favorite things I've ever put down.

Let me see...

She bounced breezily into the room, her D-cup breasts saluting him jauntily. He was distracted, but quickly collected himself and looked up towards her shining, azure eyes. Sprung! She was staring down at his brown, finely textured 12-inch, Emily-ready manhood, which he had neglected to tuck back into his pants this morning after saluting his office-block neighbours from his balcony in his usual fashion.

"So..." she said. "The rumours are true!" She flicked her long, blonde hair over her well sculptured shoulder with a look of triumph. With her hair out of the way, her pointed, 95% percentile nose was even more obvious, although it wasn't completely unattractive. He wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to see that nose buried between the legs of their mutual co-worker, Jess, who had A-cup breasts but lovely, luscious thighs.

"You mean, about my size?" he asked, a faint pink flush rising across his white face, in stark contrast to his jet-black hair. Deep inside, he already knew that it wasn't about his size, or his prowess.

She stuck out her long prehensile tongue at him, its red, moist end flickering in amusement. His mental image of her and Jess together became almost unbearable, and his member started stiffening in response.

"No, about the tanning bed accident," she said. "That thing is so dark that it's almost black."

She gave a light giggle and, whipping off her top, shook her pendulous white globes at him. They were barely constrained by her sports bra.

"Let's take some selfies together," she said, "and accidently send them to our contacts lists."

-----

Nup, I just can't do it. I have no idea how to write anywhere near that much physical description and keep it sensible...

 

[Erozetta]

Unless your MC is being fitted by a tailor/costumer I have zero interest in measurements and sizing for the express reason that my closet is full of clothes that range from an 8 to a 16 and all of them fit me well. On my period, my measurements change up to an inch in places.

Measurements mean nothing to me as a writer or reader.

That's not to say zero physical description is desired. You can describe characters physically without giving numerical sizes. And not every reader is me, so my opinion is one of many. All that matters, ultimately, is that your narrative and descriptions work for you and your story. If you like it, use it. If you don't, don't.

Trying to force yourself to adhere to anyone's idea of "right" is gonna be a pain in the ass and not worth it. Write your story how you want it written, fuck the conventions and ideals of others.

 

[calmlikeabomb]

So is "her bouncy boobs boobered booberly" not kosher anymore...

 

[ADirtyPerv]

So is "her bouncy boobs boobered booberly" not kosher anymore...

I would love to see you work that line into your work. The things you write feel very careful, and that would be such an epic line in the middle of all that.

"A lonely Hindu man was busy ravishing a woman while her husband slept in the next room. She silenced herself with a hand over her own mouth, while her bouncy boobs boobered booberly for the man to enjoy."

Six stars, no notes.

 

[calmlikeabomb]

I would love to see you work that line into your work. The things you write feel very careful, and that would be such an epic line in the middle of all that.

"A lonely Hindu man was busy ravishing a woman while her husband slept in the next room. She silenced herself with a hand over her own mouth, while her bouncy boobs boobered booberly for the man to enjoy."

Six stars, no notes.

Firstly, thank you so much for the kind words you've made my day.

Secondly, you have now unleashed the plot bunny! I must work on this immediately!

 

[lovecraft68]

While some are turned off by the use of the bra size convention, I do not believe that the majority of readers are or will be. I have never had a complaint about using it.

Comshaw

Sure, matter of style, some people like the 38DD and 9" cock descriptions, some like to be more vague and let the reader figure visualize what they think large breasts or an impressive length would be.

I've always associated using the measurements with more 'porno' styles of stories, but that's my opinion. Some like it, some don't.

I still hold to most men in real life don't really know how bra sizes work because women themselves are so different, two women can have a 34B but appear to be different sizes. Fashion is finally catching onto this with men's jeans. Now they have a site that you use their app to measure yourself and they customize them as opposed to 33x32 should fit all men with that waist and roundabout leg length perfectly.

But then again, I've never seen a story where people get into jean sizes

 

[old_prof]

I think the only time I have mentioned a cup size was MMC evaluating FMC when he first saw her. That was intended to show how he thought about women at the time. I’m sure some of the readers missed that nuance, but I think of it as a mirror they never really looked in and wouldn’t understand what it showed if they did

 

[Comshaw]

Sure, matter of style, some people like the 38DD and 9" cock descriptions, some like to be more vague and let the reader figure visualize what they think large breasts or an impressive length would be.

I've always associated using the measurements with more 'porno' styles of stories, but that's my opinion. Some like it, some don't.

I still hold to most men in real life don't really know how bra sizes work because women themselves are so different, two women can have a 34B but appear to be different sizes. Fashion is finally catching onto this with men's jeans. Now they have a site that you use their app to measure yourself and they customize them as opposed to 33x32 should fit all men with that waist and roundabout leg length perfectly.

But then again, I've never seen a story where people get into jean sizes

I might use jeans size if it were relevant and described something of interest that enhanced the story. Thinking on it, I can't see that particular measurement doing either of those things.

Comshaw