# Why do women athletes tend to be flat-chested? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 30, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380 "2011-06-30T13:35:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![barberoux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@barberoux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barberoux)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/1 "2011-06-30T13:35:08Z")
What about Serena Williams? ---
**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:** [June 30, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/2 "2011-06-30T13:56:44Z")
I take it this comment is in response to [this](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/541/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested) column. That being the case, I think it’s clear that the column is not saying that _every single female athlete in history, without exception, is and has been and will be flat-chested_. It’s describing a _trend_, and a fairly strong trend, at that. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/3 "2011-06-30T15:12:18Z")
If you’re smallish to begin with, and then you work out a lot, you lose a lot of body fat. Boobs are mostly body fat and that’s one of the first places to go when you burn body fat. Some women would have larger breasts anyway, so even though Serena Williams probably has negative body fat, she’s still got a nice rack. Imagine what those things would look like if she didn’t play tennis all the time and never worked out. :eek: From Cecil’s comments: > [@](#): > > Dr. Victor Katch, a PE prof at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Frank Katch, of the department of exercise science at the University of Massachusetts, say that breasts are 80 percent glandular tissue and only 20 percent fat. They claim their studies show there is no statistical correlation between body fat and breast size. Right. Whatever. Neither of those researchers are women. They have not had the joy and pleasure of gaining and dropping 50 pounds over the course of a year. Ask any woman who has had a baby how much her boobs change from the weight gain/loss + lactation. Maybe the boobs are only 20% fat, but burning fat is still burning fat. If you were a B cup to begin with, and then lost 30-40 pounds, I can assure you, you’ll be an A cup after burning so much fat off. ---
**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:** [June 30, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/4 "2011-06-30T15:14:42Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Right. Whatever. Neither of those researchers are women. They have not had the joy and pleasure of gaining and dropping 50 pounds over the course of a year. Ask any woman who has had a baby how much her boobs change from the weight gain/loss + lactation. So your anecdote trumps scientific research because the researchers aren’t women? ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/5 "2011-06-30T17:19:39Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > So your anecdote trumps scientific research because the researchers aren’t women? Only in my little universe. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/6 "2011-06-30T17:57:15Z")
I simply don’t understand this side dispute. Doesn’t every med student have to do a cadaver? You’d think such gross anatomical issues would be thoroughly settled by now. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/7 "2011-06-30T17:59:43Z")
I dropped 3 dress sizes without my boobs shrinking at all (back size went down, cup size went up). Hah! Counter anecdote! They did shrink a little later when I put on a bit more muscle though, and now change sizes whenever they’re bored, so far as I can tell. ---
**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:** [June 30, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/8 "2011-06-30T19:37:26Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > They did shrink a little later when I put on a bit more muscle though, and now change sizes whenever they’re bored, so far as I can tell. Do they at least do this simultaneously, and in the same direction as each other? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/9 "2011-06-30T19:37:55Z")
I’d suggest an update to Cecil’s column. A lot of female athletes are also celebrities. They’ve added silicon or saline implants to enhance their appearance. Fake boobs often don’t have the bounce problem that natural ones do. I wouldn’t think the fake ones effect athletic performance. No risk of black eyes. Any research on this? I’ll be happy to aid in any research. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/10 "2011-06-30T19:51:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’d suggest an update to Cecil’s column. A lot of female athletes are also celebrities. They’ve added silicon or saline implants to enhance their appearance. > > Fake boobs often don’t have the bounce problem that natural ones do. I wouldn’t think the fake ones effect athletic performance. No risk of black eyes. Any research on this? > > I’ll be happy to aid in any research. No research, but another amusing anecdotal data point: I have a friend who runs marathons and has enormous fake tits. She claims chafing from the bouncy bouncy is a big problem and straps herself down with very tight sports bras. I suggested she take up swimming. At least they’ll help her float. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/11 "2011-07-01T16:17:16Z")
I dunno, I would think fake breasts would tend to move _even more_ than real ones given their lack of connective tissue, although perhaps not as uncomfortably as when real ones move. Another item to note about the original column: it was written in 1984. The modern sports bra revolution was just beginning to get underway. There’s undoubtedly more ability today to keep larger (but not very large) breasts in place during athletics. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/12 "2011-07-01T16:50:30Z")
It might be worth pointing out that not all female athletes are of the track and field sort; that is, some sports, such as golf, would be more accomodating to the more amply-endowed ladies. Jan Stephenson comes to mind, for instance. There was one female professional golfer – it may have been Stephenson – who, when asked how she could play so well with her proportions, said something to the effect of, “You just scrunch them up and swing.” RR ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/13 "2011-07-01T17:39:08Z")
There are vast individual differences in how boobs change with weight loss/gain, babies, activity level. I know women who stay in the exact same proportions when they gain or lose weight, who lose primarily from their breasts/upper body when they lose weight, and who have had their breasts increase in size when they lose weight all over (seriously, my friend lost 50 lbs and went from a 36DD to a 34H). I know women who have gone from buxom to flat-chested after having kids, and vice versa. Extreme amounts of cardio seems to cause disproportionate decrease in breast size; too much cardio is a big strain on your system, and often causes amenorrhea/hormonal disturbances even if you have normal body fat. As for athletes, for most sports there is a certain body type that will succeed, so they are self-selecting. Distance runners are pretty much all naturally sticks (even after their running careers are long over, they are skinny folk). Gymnasts and the women in pair figure skating benefit from being as small as possible. Rugby and softball players should be taller, thicker and very strong. Many female rugby and softball players I have seen have ample bosoms. Golf, and to an extent tennis, are some exceptions to this rule and there are very tall, very short, very thin, and larger/curvy/even overweight players who can have great success. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/14 "2011-07-01T18:00:39Z")
> [@RiverRunner](#): > > It might be worth pointing out that not all female athletes are of the track and field sort; that is, some sports, such as golf, would be more accomodating to the more amply-endowed ladies. Jan Stephenson comes to mind, for instance. > > There was one female professional golfer – it may have been Stephenson – who, when asked how she could play so well with her proportions, said something to the effect of, “You just scrunch them up and swing.” > RR Anecdotally, most of the (older) female golfers I used to know when I worked at a golf course would disagree with you. Several of them had mastectomies and were very blunt about how the removal of their breasts had improved their swings. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/15 "2011-07-01T18:35:56Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > and who have had their breasts increase in size when they lose weight all over (seriously, my friend lost 50 lbs and went from a 36DD to a 34H). Strictly speaking, that’s not an increase in breast size; cup size increases as band size decreases, given similar-sized breasts. Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Wizard\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Wizard\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wizard_One)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/16 "2011-07-02T04:24:52Z")
OK, first, athletes. As in working out a LOT. As in working out to excess, building muscle, destroying fat. Fat produces estrogen. Produce more fat, produce more estrogen. Look at a rather generous sized guy, you’ll notice gynomastia, aka man boobs. For that very reason. Meanwhile, the woman who works out loses a lot of fat, to include those fat cells that inflate boobies. Meanwhile, with a LOT of working out, she can even have menstrual issues, as in the lack thereof. As a theatrical note, consider the movie GI Jane, the reference to her barren womb and her previous sick call over her lack of menses was for a reason, one that I was shocked to note Hollywood finally noticed! Physiology. But, Hollywood went back to accepted norms of forgetting reality since… Muscle building, of significant amount, causes androgen production. Androgen production causes muscle building, hair growth in unusual places for a woman and cliteromegaly. Now, transitory changes, such as the film SEAL BUD/S school, would cause a lack of menses and breast reduction of mild/moderate amount (depending on the amount of muscle building and fat loss). MOST athletes would end up with a lack of menses during intensive training and little else. Prolonged training could result in both beard growth and mild cliteromegaly. Of course, more commonly, OTHER medical issues cause all three issues, such as a adrenal cyst or even PCOS. But, THOSE are FAR greater than in a female athlete. ---
**Author:** ![Bloodless\_Turnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bloodless\_Turnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloodless_Turnip)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/17 "2011-07-03T22:29:44Z")
Unless I have observed these women naked, I’d hesitate to say “huge rack” or “small rack”. I know that fairly substantial ones can be flattened considerably with modern elastics. Modern sports bras also often come with lifting apparatus, essentially binding the breasts into place yet allowing them to remain (for lack of a better word) perky. Judge not a breast by its cover? Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![wendyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/94ad74/32.png) [@wendyg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wendyg)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/18 "2011-07-03T23:37:34Z")
barberoux, re Serena Williams: Tennis tends to turn up a greater variety of body types than most sports (the two Williams sisters being prime examples of that, since they are both very successful in tennis but have very different body shapes). If you think of marathon runners, hammer throwers, and swimmers, it’s clear that each of those sports is dominated by a single shape. Tennis is different. Billie Jean King, in one of her autobiographies, notes that the generously endowed Ann Haydon Jones (British player who won Wimbledon in 1969) found it difficult to play backhand volleys because of her chest. In modern times, with very few serve and volleyers, I imagine that issue doesn’t arise much. But I will note that Simona Halep decided to have breast reduction surgery to eliminate various back problems she had, and her ranking has improved considerably since. So there’s definitely some (anecdotal) evidence that it can be an issue. wg ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-athletes-tend-to-be-flat-chested/587380/19 "2011-07-07T00:11:19Z")
> [@Powers](#): > > Strictly speaking, that’s not an increase in breast size; cup size increases as band size decreases, given similar-sized breasts. > Powers &8^] This generally is correct but you’re mistaken, regarding my example. 🙂 A 36DD cup is equal in volume to a 34E. My friend lost weight, went down one band size, and gained 3 cups sizes.