Ask John: Why do American Girls in Anime Always Have Large Breasts?

Question:
I was wondering, in anime it seems they make American girls have huge breats, while Japanese girls have medium sized. Is there a reason behind this?

Answer:
It’s generally a reflection of reality. Most Asian women genetically have small or medium sized breasts. There are exceptions, but generally Asian women aren’t thought of as having large chests. Western, and especially American women tend to cover a broader range of bra sizes than Asian women. So Japanese culture, and especially anime, frequently tend to play up the familiar joke that “everything is bigger in America.” In fact, the stereotype is even put in so many words in the fourth episode of the Azumanga Daioh anime series when Kasuga “Osaka” Ayumu categorizes Sakaki’s large chest as “American” and Tomo’s small breasts as “Japanese.” The visual difference in breast size between Japanese girls and foreign girls in anime is frequently just a simple, lighthearted way of immediately distinguishing which character or characters are supposed to be foreigners.