Character Body Size

[ClintonBrooks]

I've been reading here for three-ish years now, writing for 1 1/2 years.

One thing I've noted in some of the stories I've read is those writers describing the women by body height and weight. I admit that, while I don't use the numbers, it still defines the characters that I work up in the character worksheets I create for a story. But they never seemed right. Some authors use figures like "5’4” and 120 lbs". I want to say I see 120 lbs a lot.

I recently started googling these figures - "what does a 5'4" 120 lb woman look like". The images weren't the ones in my head. So I played them, pushing them up to 5'4" and 150 lbs and got something I - at least - am more interested in seeing.
View attachment 2693892


This website offers a more realistic view of what a woman's body looks like. https://mybodygallery.com/what-does-150-lbs-look-like-at-5-4
it also shows there is no such thing as a uniform body, as even when the height and weight are equal, a womans (and I'm sure the same thing goes for men) body isn't always the same as the woman next to her.

As I said, I don't put these figures, other than maybe height, in my stories. It just helps me visualize them as I create the character and write the story. Plus, gave me a lesson in more accurate body portrayals.

 

[FromManyOne]

As I said, I don't put these figures, other than maybe height, in my stories. It just helps me visualize them as I create the character and write the story. Plus, gave me a lesson in more accurate body portrayals.

I think the only number I've ever included in a story when describing a character's appearance was height, and I think that's because it's one totally objective number that almost everyone knows about their own appearance.

I described Maureen as fat, but her exact weight wasn't the point. The point was that she thinks of herself as fat. Therefore, no number required.

 

[Writer61]

I hate stories that specify dimensions. You can use plenty of adjectives instead: tall, short, thin, fat, buxom, voluptuous, slim, medium, average, skinny, and a thousand others.

 

[TheLobster]

I want to say I see 120 lbs a lot.

I don't really see any poundage pertaining to body weight, to be honest. Height yes, that's pretty common, but I'd sooner see the perennial 42DD, or whatever the cup size fans go with these days, than authors describing woman's figure by weight.

Which makes sense, given how different people can look at the same weight, in terms of fat distribution, muscle tone, etc.

Like @Writer61 above, it's better to use descriptive words, and in particular words than describe what kind of impression the character makes on the PoV narrator. Personally, in most stories I only vaguely refer to five or six feet as height breakpoints, if that.

 

[Britva415]

Shapes and sizes can be conveyed with adjectives.

The only “absolute” thing that I consider important enough to spell out is if/when two people’s sizes relative to each other becomes narratively relevant. No numbers needed for that.

 

[Callum_M]

I hate stories that specify dimensions. You can use plenty of adjectives instead: tall, short, thin, fat, buxom, voluptuous, slim, medium, average, skinny, and a thousand others.

This exactly. I fell into the hole early of identifying the height, weight, and dimensions because I thought I was supposed to. Got out of it a couple stories later and I find it’s a much better way to write. Plus it allows the reader to picture the character their way.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

It isn't surprising to see that I'm alright, or at least to me. My fiction at the very beginning was intended to be illustrated, so I drew a lot of my characters from the era, and "casted" actors into those roles, like how they casted Sting to be drawn for Constantine. I just change their likeness enough to create a completely new person. While I don't draw my characters anymore (yet; I've drawn Tanya once while practicing anatomy, and when I saw the reference I just felt like I should put her face and uniform to it, looking like she's taking it off), I still fall for this. It's gotten to the point I'm able to memorize the way people look, so I put some estimated measurements on the site, and I wasn't at all off when it came to knowing that I actually had the visual.

To those who are jumping on the bandwagon of specific descriptions, the challenge for us is to translate the numbers to words, yes. But for artists, or people who use visual anchors, or references, like me, this is actually helpful. Honestly, I'm thinking about adding this to my toolbox when it comes to drawing. What a cool site.

Hikaku Sitatter is also another one I used to compare character heights.

 

[Writer61]

Plus it allows the reader to picture the character their way.

This is absolutely the point. I have an image of a character in my head, but I don't want to impose it on a reader. Q.V. the recent thread about describing a character as looking like [insert celeb here].

 

[anthrodisiac]

Weight in particular is such a variable thing. People wear it different, muscle vs. fat, where it's placed, how compact it is, etc. The only measurement I tend to describe in absolute terms is height, but even then, it's very rare for me to do so, only when I feel it's necessary to help visualize the characters and give a better sense of them.

 

[Writer61]

Weight in particular is such a variable thing.

Especially since the US is only one of three countries where imperial measures are standard.

I happen to be fluent in both metric and imperial, but I am probably in the minority.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Especially since the US is only one of three countries where imperial measures are standard.

I happen to be fluent in both metric and imperial, but I am probably in the minority.

I'm fluent in metric and imperial, but American units of pounds weight rather than stones and pounds always confuse me (ditto quarts and US gallons and the like). But as OP says, small cute women are described as 120 pounds whether that's realistic or not, same as you get '200lb gorillas'.

Height is something people have a pretty good idea on, weight can look incredibly different depending on whether it's muscle or fat, male or female, and where on the body it is. I tend to decide how tall my various characters are even if it's not mentioned, and visualise their shape, but describe them only as 'lanky' 'short and curvy', 'the huge Viking', or for one called 'majestic', "I think majestic means tall with big tits, which I can't really argue with."

And writing a story about a short woman involved a lot of bending down to see what she could reach, could she kiss a tall man's chin, reach up to the top of his head, etc.

 

[TheLobster]

I'm fluent in metric and imperial, but American units of pounds weight rather than stones and pounds always confuse me

The British system gotta be the most prose-friendly, I feel, because it lends itself so easily to small numbers.

Height is already easy to throw in offhandedly, no matter which (English-speaking) side of the pond you're writing towards. But the British stones seem to give you the same convenience for weight as feet do for height. Normally, in US measurements, you cannot really speak of hundred-something pounds without the same clumsiness that hundred-something centimeters elicit when using metric; but when a character can be said to weigh ten stones and change, it's feels like it'd be very smooth to just throw it in.

Whether or not you should is of course another matter. It's nonetheless nice to have such a possibility.

 

[SyleusSnow]

Thanks for that reference site, @ClintonBrooks. I'll add it to my collection.

Yeah, I don't use numbers. Short, tall, shapely, skinny, built... and only when relevant. I always have my own idea of each character's appearance, but as @Callum_M and others have said, it's best to let the reader picture the characters themselves.

Usually, if I mention height it's only relative to another character e.g. "She stood a head taller than me". Lately I've even tried to avoid mention of skin color. Sometimes, though, I'll slip in a description of hair style, ideally only when it helps define the character ("He had long greasy hair", "her short messy haircut made her seem even more defiant" etc.)

 

[Bramblethorn]

I've linked before to Howard Schatz's photo series "Athletes":

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/107i26v/body_variations_of_olympic_and_professional

Key point being that the same height and weight can look radically different on different people, and the mental image I get from a set of numbers doesn't necessarily look much like the reality. Hence why I agree with the advice to use descriptors like "plump" or "skinny" or whatever, rather than relying on readers to interpret numbers as the author intended.

 

[Britva415]

To those who are jumping on the bandwagon of specific descriptions, the challenge for us is to translate the numbers to words, yes. But for artists, or people who use visual anchors, or references, like me, this is actually helpful. Honestly, I'm thinking about adding this to my toolbox when it comes to drawing.

This is such a relevant comment. Nobody paints a portrait or draws a sketch with a visible tape-measure in the scene so the viewer can read off the hip circumference or the height. Why would something like that be the norm in writing?

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Tall, trim, fit.


I've made refence to an athletic body, or a dancer's physique.


You know what I would mean by the story, but hey, Olympic Heavy Weight Lifters have 'athletic' bodies too,




I still want to use 'neat, sweet, petite' somewhere though.


Maybe a Halloween story featuring an older woman.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Specific numbers are a sin I've tried to put behind me, but I think people might be takig things a little too literally.

A man can be the same height and weight and look radically different, as muscle is denser than fat. But what it conveys to the typical reader is something different.
Saying a woman is 5ft 2in 105 lbs tells a reader "she's petite".
Just like saying "34DD" tells the reader "she's got big tatas".
Are there a million more artful ways to say it?
Absolutely.

As far as height goes, if it's important at all I try to express it in relative terms. In one WIP a character notices the FMC is rather tall, as she's only a little shorter than his own 6ft 3in.

 

[JGittes]

My story universe revolves around life drawing modeling. Height, especially height differences between two characters posing as a couple, is important. I'll usually give an explicit height to one character and then relative height differences to others. Height differences matter for the final look of their poses.

Other than height or relative height differences (6 inches shorter, 3 inches taller), I never quantify physical characteristics. I use descriptors like lithe, curvy, hourglass figure, swimmer's body, or plus-sized.

 

[Levorotatory]

The British system gotta be the most prose-friendly, I feel, because it lends itself so easily to small numbers.

Is it? You could say "5 ft 4 in, 120 lb" or "5 ft 4 in, 8 st 8 lb" or "1.63 m, 55 kg". The metric version that doesn't make you add multiple units for the same measured quantity seems cleaner to me.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

This is such a relevant comment. Nobody paints a portrait or draws a sketch with a visible tape-measure in the scene so the viewer can read off the hip circumference or the height. Why would something like that be the norm in writing?

Imagine the challenge of having to draw a football* field using the same exact measurements on an A4 piece of paper. I don't want to go around making math, but I know it'll require more reams of paper than I can accurately estimate, for it won't fit unless it's scaled down. Easier to do without math.

*Whichever football you like; both require large fields anyway!

 

[Actingup]

Nice thread! Imagine a scene where the characters got to hear the author’s descriptions of them…

“How did you just describe me? 120 pounds? I don’t even know what the fuck that is.”

“Er, 54 kilograms.”

“Right, right. And you’ve just said my girls are DD. As if you knew anything about breasts. And no doubt I’ve got a wasp waist and a curvaceous butt, yeah?”

“Well…”

“Oh, just fuck off. Guess who’s not getting laid tonight.”

 

[TheLobster]

Is it? You could say "5 ft 4 in, 120 lb" or "5 ft 4 in, 8 st 8 lb" or "1.63 m, 55 kg". The metric version that doesn't make you add multiple units for the same measured quantity seems cleaner to me.

If you start dropping literal numbers and unit symbols, then it doesn't really matter. The whole point is not to do that, though, and still convey information in a way that paints a mental picture for a reader without looking like a character stat window in a video game.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Height, especially height differences between two characters posing as a couple, is important.

I have no idea why, but the first image that popped into my head was Boris and Natasha.

 

[Jada59]

I've been reading here for three-ish years now, writing for 1 1/2 years.

One thing I've noted in some of the stories I've read is those writers describing the women by body height and weight. I admit that, while I don't use the numbers, it still defines the characters that I work up in the character worksheets I create for a story. But they never seemed right. Some authors use figures like "5’4” and 120 lbs". I want to say I see 120 lbs a lot.

I recently started googling these figures - "what does a 5'4" 120 lb woman look like". The images weren't the ones in my head. So I played them, pushing them up to 5'4" and 150 lbs and got something I - at least - am more interested in seeing.
View attachment 2693892


This website offers a more realistic view of what a woman's body looks like. https://mybodygallery.com/what-does-150-lbs-look-like-at-5-4
it also shows there is no such thing as a uniform body, as even when the height and weight are equal, a womans (and I'm sure the same thing goes for men) body isn't always the same as the woman next to her.

As I said, I don't put these figures, other than maybe height, in my stories. It just helps me visualize them as I create the character and write the story. Plus, gave me a lesson in more accurate body portrayals.

Cool. Thanks!