If the character described is female, and she's given measurements of 38-30-36, a height of 5'4", and a weight of 100lbs, the author must be male, or a particularly lame-brained female who hasn't weighed 100lbs since she was in grade school. Anyone with C-cup boobs on a 38" ribcage knows that alone is going to be putting a fair 10lbs more on the scale's measurement.
130lbs does not automatically equal 'fat woman'.
For that matter, 170lbs does not automatically equal 'fat woman'.
( A post in which your host must now, as befits a former athlete, get a bit frothed at the mouth about lame-brained obviously-non-athletic authorial weight descriptions with no basis in reality. )
Or, better yet, all you authors who insist on giving "guess his/her weight at" measurements -- just stop! Just don't do it. You're perpetrating the stupidity myths in this culture about weight and strength, you're mangling reality in ways that just don't freaking work, and most importantly, you're annoying the fuck out of me.
Stop it. Just stick to "about so-tall," and physical description in terms of muscle, fat, curves, and planes. Leave the numbers game to those who have a clue, and let it slide for everyone else.
ETA: WE HAVE THE SOLUTION. -- a great resource. use it!
130lbs does not automatically equal 'fat woman'.
For that matter, 170lbs does not automatically equal 'fat woman'.
( A post in which your host must now, as befits a former athlete, get a bit frothed at the mouth about lame-brained obviously-non-athletic authorial weight descriptions with no basis in reality. )
Or, better yet, all you authors who insist on giving "guess his/her weight at" measurements -- just stop! Just don't do it. You're perpetrating the stupidity myths in this culture about weight and strength, you're mangling reality in ways that just don't freaking work, and most importantly, you're annoying the fuck out of me.
Stop it. Just stick to "about so-tall," and physical description in terms of muscle, fat, curves, and planes. Leave the numbers game to those who have a clue, and let it slide for everyone else.
ETA: WE HAVE THE SOLUTION. -- a great resource. use it!