# Why are breasts so variable in size? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146 "2016-06-23T15:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2016, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/41 "2016-06-25T08:11:32Z")
The variation in breast size is probably due to the diet of the chicken. I prefer the thigh area. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/42 "2016-06-26T14:19:18Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Cite a gene study on why Asians have unique traits > [http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/science/studying-recent-human-evolution-at-the-genetic-level.html](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/science/studying-recent-human-evolution-at-the-genetic-level.html) Why Asians/East Asians and not Orientals? There is a huge difference in the appearance of Orientals to Asians. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/43 "2016-06-26T17:59:50Z")
Well, sure. Some are rugs, some are people. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/44 "2016-06-26T18:07:06Z")
Persian rugs? ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/45 "2016-06-26T18:41:58Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > And generally have less trouble with their new borns not suckling. > Europeans evolved in the land with lots of mammal domesticated animals and harsh winters. > > WAG So the mother needed to store fat in obese amounts, to survive winter, and could feed the baby on animals milk if the fat destroyed her own mammary glands abilities. With the animal milk available, the babies that didnt suckle would survive and pass along the trait for lack of instinct to suckle the nipples of of an obese mother, and to be obese, to their descendants.! > > Meanwhile in asia, no pressure to become obese, and a nonsuckling baby died. Winters are pretty cold in northern China, Mongolia, and northern Japan where A cups and small waists are the norm. Plenty of milk producing livestock around, too. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/46 "2016-06-26T21:35:49Z")
Another human characteristic with great variability (among all races, despite Bell Curve’s misguided claims) is intelligence. We’ll skip the speculation about intelligence - breast size correlation. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/47 "2016-06-27T14:23:52Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > Lots of women have large breasts due to the fact that they’re overweight. Once you adjust for body weight I don’t think there’s much variability in breast size. Have you ever seen a thin woman with large natural breasts? Have you ever seen a morbidly obese woman (or man, for that matter) with small breasts? It’s not common. Granting the rarity, yes. In college, I regularly interacted with a young lady who was otherwise so slender her ribs showed above her (ample) cleavage. I am pretty certain there was no artificial enhancement involved, as this was the era of Women’s Lib - meaning exactly what you think it does. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/48 "2016-06-27T14:38:38Z")
One hypothesis I have not seen mentioned is the possibility of humans having been influenced by a span of littoral, semi-aquatic living. (Supported by some characteristics humans share with known aquatic and semiaquatic animals, but other great apes do not.) In this theory, the enlargement served a functional purpose of allowing infants to “get a grip” in the face of body hair reduction in order to feed more easily. [One of the popular texts on the subject](https://www.amazon.com/Descent-Woman-Classic-Study-Evolution/dp/0285627007) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/49 "2016-06-27T15:38:36Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > Not sure how this relates, but I spent a couple of decades breeding goats, and naturally one chooses mothers who are the best milkers with the best “breasts”, udders. What I found, my experience has shown me, is that the daughters hardly ever will have the same udders as the mother. It’s a crapshoot. YMMV Possibly because the ram came from a poor milking mom? In dairy industry, the males are kept based on how good milkers their dams, and later daughters and grandaughters, are. It is considered poor managing to breed your top milkers with sperm or rams whose ewes arent top milkers. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/50 "2016-06-27T16:09:09Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > …We’ll skip the speculation about intelligence - breast size correlation. 😃 Actually, I think that it is well-established that larger breasts on women tends to decrease the intelligence of men in the vicinity. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146/51 "2016-06-27T16:26:27Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Actually, I think that it is well-established that larger breasts on women tends to decrease the intelligence of men in the vicinity. 😉 Thus proving that having zero breast size leads to the greatest variability in intelligence. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-breasts-so-variable-in-size/758146.md?page=2)