# Casting bias against busty actresses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253 "2010-04-07T07:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/81 "2010-12-14T02:32:14Z")
Kristin Chenoweth, who’s been a regular or semi-regular on several TV series, and won an Emmy for _Pushing Daisies_, is a skinny little thing (only 4’11"), but quite busty: [![](https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/upload/37375/-3.jpg) ](https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/upload/37375/-3.jpg) [http://www.bybenjamin.com/blogger/2009-01-27Kristin\_Chenoweth\_1\_Pushing\_Daisies.jpg](http://www.bybenjamin.com/blogger/2009-01-27Kristin_Chenoweth_1_Pushing_Daisies.jpg) [http://beautifulwomen.blogsome.com/images/KristinChenowethFHMMaro2006.jpg](http://beautifulwomen.blogsome.com/images/KristinChenowethFHMMaro2006.jpg) When she appeared on _Late Night with David Letterman_ a few years back (around the time she was leaving the cast of _Wicked_ on Broadway), Dave jokingly invited her to participate in their “Will It Float?” sketch. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/82 "2010-12-14T02:52:05Z")
Erica Durance (Lois Lane on _Smallville_) seems like a well-nourished young lady: [![](https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/4121523413_5fea09473a.jpg) ](https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/4121523413_5fea09473a.jpg) [![](https://media.photobucket.com/image/erica%20durance%20breasts/Syphercell/EricaDurance39.jpg) ](https://media.photobucket.com/image/erica%20durance%20breasts/Syphercell/EricaDurance39.jpg) [http://images.tvrage.com/people/13/37638.gif](http://images.tvrage.com/people/13/37638.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/83 "2010-12-14T03:30:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Erica Durance (Lois Lane on _Smallville_) seems like a well-nourished young lady: > > [http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/4121523413\_5fea09473a.jpg](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/4121523413_5fea09473a.jpg) > [Photo Storage](http://media.photobucket.com/image/erica%20durance%20breasts/Syphercell/EricaDurance39.jpg) > [http://images.tvrage.com/people/13/37638.gif](http://images.tvrage.com/people/13/37638.gif) She is fantastic, but she is in fact augmented… ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/84 "2010-12-14T04:56:47Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Right, exactly. My point was that you can’t point to big-boobed women not getting respect as some kind of sexist crime against women, since the exact same thing happens to overly-muscled men. It’s not a sexist thing, it’s an appearance-ist thing. > > And there’s really nothing wrong with either, IMO. Nothing wrong with dismissing women as incapable of intellectual achievement because of their breast size? How do you feel about skin color? It’s the EXACT SAME THING! ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/85 "2010-12-14T05:16:02Z")
Try re-reading my posts for comprehension. ---
**Author:** ![Therabel6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@Therabel6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Therabel6)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/86 "2010-12-14T06:06:17Z")
“They may have made a gag out of her breasts, and played them up in the dialogue (and thus the entertainment news), but I don’t think they’re particularly large.” You must not have seen them lately. Julia is a 34D, and there are many pics of her just bursting through her bra: [http://img844.imageshack.us/i/picture8m.png/](http://img844.imageshack.us/i/picture8m.png/) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1662982981941&set=o.119809074717270](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1662982981941&set=o.119809074717270) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1662982981941&set=o.119809074717270#!/photo.php?fbid=1653380941896&set=o.119809074717270&pid=31638367&id=1458210028](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1662982981941&set=o.119809074717270#!/photo.php?fbid=1653380941896&set=o.119809074717270&pid=31638367&id=1458210028) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1633798252341&set=o.119809074717270](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1633798252341&set=o.119809074717270) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1634871959183&set=o.119809074717270](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1634871959183&set=o.119809074717270) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1634871959183&set=o.119809074717270#!/photo.php?fbid=1633701289917&set=o.119809074717270&pid=31600739&id=1458210028](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1634871959183&set=o.119809074717270#!/photo.php?fbid=1633701289917&set=o.119809074717270&pid=31600739&id=1458210028) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1634871959183&set=o.119809074717270#!/photo.php?fbid=1633702169939&set=o.119809074717270&pid=31600742&id=1458210028](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1634871959183&set=o.119809074717270#!/photo.php?fbid=1633702169939&set=o.119809074717270&pid=31600742&id=1458210028) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1633662368944&set=o.119809074717270](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1633662368944&set=o.119809074717270) [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=453896307255&set=o.119809074717270](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=453896307255&set=o.119809074717270) [http://image.skins.be/2684536/52463-jld02-122-366lo/](http://image.skins.be/2684536/52463-jld02-122-366lo/) [http://img227.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=80608\_julialouisdreyfus-waitingroomflash\_004\_122\_533lo.jpg#](http://img227.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=80608_julialouisdreyfus-waitingroomflash_004_122_533lo.jpg#) [http://www.imagebam.com/image/50943025457191](http://www.imagebam.com/image/50943025457191) There are many more on [superiorpics.com](http://superiorpics.com) if you type in “Julia Louis-Dreyfus” ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/87 "2010-12-14T10:48:46Z")
Jennifer Love Hewitt (who says she calls her breasts “Thelma” and “Louise”) got cast a few years ago to play Audrey Hepburn. They must have used enough tape to wrap a mummy to keep those in check (movie was fairly watchable too). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/88 "2010-12-14T11:21:40Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Right, exactly. My point was that you can’t point to big-boobed women not getting respect as some kind of sexist crime against women, since the exact same thing happens to overly-muscled men. It’s not a sexist thing, it’s an appearance-ist thing. > > And there’s really nothing wrong with either, IMO. I misread you, sorry. But my point was that people assume this even when it doesn’t make sense. Daniel Jackson is not just a scientist. He was judged fit enough to go on a military operation, and had to learn to live in a technologically primitive society. And now he’s in the main military division to visit other worlds. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with such a character being buff. In fact, I’d say there’s a bigger problem with bustier actors in similar roles. It seems that women in more athletic fields have smaller breasts, or at least have to keep them well supported, while, in movies, they are often very big and quite loose. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/89 "2010-12-14T12:37:41Z")
**Therabel6** , did you actually join this board and resurrect an old thread because you want to talk about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ breasts? Now, I can appreciate focus, but that feels a little on the obsessive-stalker side of the bell curve. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/90 "2010-12-14T13:18:15Z")
Some people consider Boardwalk Empire’s Paz de la Huerta to be busty, but I’d put her in the " simply has breasts" category. Modern Family’s Julie Bowen is actually enhanced and she still hasn’t achieved bustiness. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/91 "2010-12-14T15:34:34Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Judge for yourself (SFW). I think they’re lovely but only just above average. I looked at the previously supplied pictures and did judge for myself. Even when trying to emphasize them, it doesn’t say “busty” to me. YMMV. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Kristin Chenoweth, who’s been a regular or semi-regular on several TV series, and won an Emmy for _Pushing Daisies_, is a skinny little thing (only 4’11"), but quite busty. I wouldn’t qualify her as “quite busty”. She has breasts, but they aren’t that big. And that magazine cover photo does not match the prior images for her boob size. I strongly suspect photoshop. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Erica Durance (Lois Lane on _Smallville_) seems like a well-nourished young lady: She’s lovely, but I don’t think “well-nourished” is an adjective that describes her. > [@Therabel6](#): > > You must not have seen them lately. Julia is a 34D, and there are many pics of her just bursting through her bra: If she’s a D, she’s a small D. Even thrusting out her chest, I don’t register her as “busty”. She has breasts, yes, and the cut of her clothes emphasizes them, especially her cleavage, but even with that extra effort, they don’t seem that big. When she has to work at it to get you to notice they’re there, that isn’t “busty”. This from a guy who likes breasts of all sizes. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/92 "2010-12-14T15:57:52Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > **Therabel6** , did you actually join this board and resurrect an old thread because you want to talk about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ breasts? Have you considered the possibility that **Therabel6** _is_ Julia Louis-Dreyfus? :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/93 "2010-12-14T16:01:31Z")
I can’t see most of the Julia L-D pics because I’m at work, but she did much of one episode with her shirt off, affording a lengthy appraisal of her upper torso. She has an attractive chest, certainly, but those are B-cups (on the small side) if I ever saw them. ETA: from where I sit, JLD wears about the same size as my girlfriend. One day, my GF accidentally purchased a bra with some…enhancing features. My GF looks much more bosomy than JLD when undergirded by this serendipitous garment. One series where the dearth of bosomy women is actually distracting is _Dexter_. With the exception of Lauren Vélez (whose figure is more blocky than hourglass), every featured actress I can remember has been flat-chested almost to a fault. Jaime Murray was perhaps a B-cup; most other actresses on the show could probably run very comfortably in just a t-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/94 "2010-12-14T16:05:35Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Have you considered the possibility that **Therabel6** _is_ Julia Louis-Dreyfus? :eek: 😃 You’re not the only one to think that! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/95 "2010-12-14T16:08:23Z")
😃 Look, Julia, we know you’re proud of your enhancements, but… ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/96 "2010-12-14T16:13:30Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Jessica Simpson is “busty”. Whether she’s an “actress” is another issue. > > [This no makeup pic of her](http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36276868/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty/)is actually much hotter than any other pic of her I’ve ever seen. No kidding! Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/97 "2010-12-14T16:16:34Z")
Yes, that Simpson picture, definitely busty, definitely gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Therabel6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@Therabel6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Therabel6)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/98 "2010-12-14T17:36:50Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > I can’t see most of the Julia L-D pics because I’m at work, but she did much of one episode with her shirt off, affording a lengthy appraisal of her upper torso. She has an attractive chest, certainly, but those are B-cups (on the small side) if I ever saw them. > > ETA: from where I sit, JLD wears about the same size as my girlfriend. One day, my GF accidentally purchased a bra with some…enhancing features. My GF looks much more bosomy than JLD when undergirded by this serendipitous garment. > > One series where the dearth of bosomy women is actually distracting is _Dexter_. With the exception of Lauren Vélez (whose figure is more blocky than hourglass), every featured actress I can remember has been flat-chested almost to a fault. Jaime Murray was perhaps a B-cup; most other actresses on the show could probably run very comfortably in just a t-shirt. Julia does wear a 34-D bra. I think she is a smaller D, but clearly much bigger than a C. [noparse][URL=“[http://www.lazygirls.info/Julia\_Louis\_Dreyfus/Julia\_Louis\_Dreyfus\_Jay\_Leno\_2007\_04\_12\_003\_\_8NqyDjS](http://www.lazygirls.info/Julia_Louis_Dreyfus/Julia_Louis_Dreyfus_Jay_Leno_2007_04_12_003__8NqyDjS)”][/noparse] ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/99 "2010-12-14T17:37:50Z")
Complicating this discussion is the fact that there is no clear system for describing breast size. Bra sizing is a hodge-podge if incoherency. > **[Bra size](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassiere_measurement)** > > Bra size (also known as brassiere measurement or bust size) indicates the characteristics of a bra to accurately fit the breasts. While there are multiple bra sizing systems in use around the world, the bra size usually consists of a number indicating the size of the band around the torso, and one or more letters that indicate the breast cup size. Bra cup sizes were invented in 1932 while band sizes became popular in the 1940s. For convenience, because of the impracticality of determining the ... In particular, note: > [@](#): > > Most women assume that a B cup on a 34 band is the same size as a B cup on a 36 band. In fact, bra cup size is relative to the band size, as the actual volume of a cup size changes as the band size changes. Because manufacturer’s standards vary so widely, women cannot rely on a single measuring system. The volume of a brassiere cup is the same for 30D, 32C, 34B, and 36A. These related bra sizes of the same cup volume are called _sister sizes_. This is because the method of determining cup size is based upon the circumference around the chest, comparing a measurement around the breasts to a measurement around the ribcage. This is **not** an effective way to consistently measure breast _volume_, which is what most people intent when they use cup sizes (D cup vs B cup). The effect of this is that a woman with a 27" ribcage wearing a D cup will have a lot smaller breasts than a woman with a 36" ribcage wearing a D cup. **StusBlues** said: > [@](#): > > I can’t see most of the Julia L-D pics because I’m at work, but she did much of one episode with her shirt off, affording a lengthy appraisal of her upper torso. She has an attractive chest, certainly, but those are B-cups (on the small side) if I ever saw them. Case in point - she may well be a D cup on a small ribcage, and you expect D to match a larger ribcage. Hey, I don’t know what her cup size is. I just know when I look at those they don’t look that big. “Busty” is a relative measure of breast size appearance, so one person’s “busty” may be another’s “meh”, or whatever. Personally, I measure by how much fits in my mouth. 😃 Or should that be :o ? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Therabel6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@Therabel6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Therabel6)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253/100 "2010-12-14T17:40:18Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > 😃 Look, Julia, we know you’re proud of your enhancements, but… A lot of people think she got implants. Here’s a link to a story with a discussion board on the bottom of the page. [http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-in-national/did-julia-louis-dreyfus-get-breast-implants](http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-in-national/did-julia-louis-dreyfus-get-breast-implants) I think they are real, she just kept them covered in the past. Julia flaunts them on Old Christine all the time now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-bias-against-busty-actresses/535253.md?page=6)