Idolmaster & My views on Unrealistic Standards of Beauty

[Heattokun]

So I decided to check out some characters. All the main idols are underweight. Ryo is the only normal weight 876 idol, Kotori is normalweight and the lowest BMI is Anzu Futaba(seconded by Chihaya. I can believe that). Hell, Kanako Mimura is still normalweight.

So...Why is everyone twigs? Really?
I mean, Ritsuko shouldn't weight exactly as she does in Imas 1. In Imas 2 she does less physical work and more desk work. How come her change is...nothing?

I just.

Don't get it.

[MetalPredat0r]

So I decided to check out some characters. All the main idols are underweight. Ryo is the only normal weight 876 idol, Kotori is normalweight and the lowest BMI is Anzu Futaba(seconded by Chihaya. I can believe that). Hell, Kanako Mimura is still normalweight.

So...Why is everyone twigs? Really?
I mean, Ritsuko shouldn't weight exactly as she does in Imas 1. In Imas 2 she does less physical work and more desk work. How come her change is...nothing?

I just.

Don't get it.

That's something that's been recurring in anime/Japanese games in general. Girls especially tend to have rather unrealistic proportions. It is noteworthy but, personally, not something that bothers me. It IS odd that Kanako is considered chubby by iM@S standards, yet when taking her measurements into real life context, she'd be the world's greatest supermodel.

[ChocoCats]

That's something that's been recurring in anime/Japanese games in general. Girls especially tend to have rather unrealistic proportions. It is noteworthy but, personally, not something that bothers me. It IS odd that Kanako is considered chubby by iM@S standards, yet when taking her measurements into real life context, she'd be the world's greatest supermodel.

To be honest, some of the girl's sizes bothers me, especially Airi's bust size. Her size should at least in the 90s.

[MetalPredat0r]

To be honest, some of the girl's sizes bothers me, especially Airi's bust size. Her size should at least in the 90s.

Don't get me started on bust sizes. Million Live was the WORST with that. You CANNOT tell me that Umi Kousaka looks bustier than Hibiki and yet is 82 compared to Hibiki's 83. I call shenanigans on that!

[Chance4U]

Don't get me started on bust sizes. Million Live was the WORST with that. You CANNOT tell me that Umi Kousaka looks bustier than Hibiki and yet is 82 compared to Hibiki's 83. I call shenanigans on that!

I gave up trying to understand bust sizes. Yukiho is 2cm smaller than Hibiki.

[Heattokun]

Iori Minase and Takane nearly have the same BMI too,despite their height difference.

[DeviantProtagonist]

To sum up, sex sells. Regulating to anime, this is commonplace throughout the medium so it shouldn't come off as a surprise as to why sizes are inconsistent and why little-to-no word is had for it.

Barring that, there's also art style to consider; it's not necessarily reflective to real-life proportions, so this too can be misleading. What may be considered twigs could very well be our norm in other universes.

Then again, it's all subjective so I'll leave it at that.

[MetalPredat0r]

That's why it doesn't bother me too much. These are fictional characters. Cartoons. I shouldn't be taking "sizes" and "proportions" seriously in a fictional universe and if I did, that would just make things complicated for me.

[Virgofall]

We might have different beauty standards at play here. In some of the articles I found, women with low-normal BMIs in Japan consider themselves quite fat, and the ideal height/weight for models is... well.

[MetalPredat0r]

We might have different beauty standards at play here. In some of the articles I found, women with low-normal BMIs in Japan consider themselves quite fat, and the ideal height/weight for models is... well.

That IS another thing to take into account: cultural differences. Our definition of beauty and the perfect body is different from Japan's. Hell, it could be different in Europe, Africa, Mexico, etc. Every culture's definition of true beauty is different, hence why I personally believe achieving "true beauty" is pretty much impossible, fictional character or not.

[Heattokun]

Though I am sure we can all agree that CHIHAYA NEEDS TO EAT A FUCKING HAMBURGER

[animagic4u]

What I don't understand is Azusa...

She weighs in at a little less than 106lbs, only a couple pounds more than Haruka.
It seems physically impossible to have her height and measurements by adding on just a few pounds.

I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt and say she is blessed with a good body (a natural hourglass shape)...but it still boggles the mind.

Though I am sure we can all agree that CHIHAYA NEEDS TO EAT A FUCKING HAMBURGER

Maybe she should eat some BREAKFAST! 


Also, my fellow Million live players...
Can someone please explain to me why Konomi Baba looks like a little girl despite being 24?!
Growth problems?!

[MetalPredat0r]

Also, my fellow Million live players...
Can someone please explain to me why Konomi Baba looks like a little girl despite being 24?!
Growth problems?!

That's actually a VERY easy question to answer realistically. Konomi could potentially be diagnosed with Proportionate Dwarfism, a medical condition caused by abnormal growth. Konomi DEFINITELY fits as not only is she an adult, but she's under the height of 147cm (she's 143cm).

[Amazing_Grace]

To be honest, some of the girl's sizes bothers me, especially Airi's bust size. Her size should at least in the 90s.

Don't get me started on bust sizes. Million Live was the WORST with that. You CANNOT tell me that Umi Kousaka looks bustier than Hibiki and yet is 82 compared to Hibiki's 83. I call shenanigans on that!

I gave up trying to understand bust sizes. Yukiho is 2cm smaller than Hibiki.

This.
THIS.

Time for Rants with Grace. Spoilerized, of course, so you have the option of not reading!
Warning: potentially awkward girl-talk about your body approaching. X'D
In other words, Grace's Rant: In Which I Talk About My Bust Size.

OK. I took my own three sizes (because I'm a weirdo) and my bust is 81cm. Same size as Yukiho. Judging by Yukiho and what I know of myself, yes, that's realistic. Usually.
NEXT.
This, friends, is Hibari from Senran Kagura. (pictures in links to keep them spoilered)
http://imgur.com/4ZAF61p
Guess what HER bust is?
80CM.
EIGHTY
EIGHTY
WHAT?!
You can NOT tell me this girl is one centimeter SMALLER than me! I AM NOT THAT HUGE-CHESTED, FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!!
And then you have the other end of the spectrum with this beauty:
http://imgur.com/xY0668d
Makoto in Xenoglossia is supposedly 78cm.
SEVENTY-EIGHT.
HOLY
THAT'S THREE SMALLER THAN ME.
That's about an inch in total bust taken down. AND YET SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S FLAT AS A BOARD.
So there's Hibari who looks ENORMOUS, and then there's Makoto who looks TINY despite the fact that I know I'm bigger than that and she's really not that much smaller than me.

SO HERE'S MY QUESTION
Does Japan really even do their research with bust sizes?! Rarely do I see a girl whose bust actually looks REALISTIC!
LIKE SERIOUSLY


Phew, feels so good to get that off my chest...
Sorry.

[animagic4u]

I'd like to answer that with something that comes up a lot in certain games for people above a certain age. ^_^
There is a difference between bust measurement and cup size.

Males, for example, can often have large bust (chest) measurements despite not having 'breasts' just because of the way their bodies are shaped. Everyone has a different body shape. A girl with a wider torso but smaller chest may be misrepresented.

Cup size can be a better gauge of how large a girl's bust actually is.

Just my two cents anyway! I still think anime proportions are BS ! w

Phew, feels so good to get that off my chest...

Intended?