Ceit --- how interesting to have someone in your profession discuss bones!

I'm another big boned person. When my weight fluctuates, my pelvis stays the same, so I can get flatter, but not much narrower, if that makes sense. My head is even largish --- very common for a singer, and my wrists are too large for many standard bracelets.

I always wanted to be delicate, but I am grateful to be strong. Finding clothing can be difficult, although several costumers in opera have told me I'm one of the easiest to fit -- I have enough size to carry off a heavy, long gown and a easier time projecting a presence from stage. Apparently height, larger frame and high contrast coloring are a blessing on stage, but a blight on film. There goes my movie career!

Beth Ann: I was intrigued by your comment that largish heads are very common for singers. Is that just a coincidence or is there something about having larger heads that make it physically more suited for opera singing? (Sorry to go off on a tangent here.)

Dansko Girl: There may be something to the larger resonator space in the mouth and throat, and a larger rib cage can indicate larger lung volume. These can matter when you're singing unamplified over an orchestra. Still, there are tiny little coloratura sopranos who project just fine. Trained singers (and heavy metal screamers, interestingly enough), produce an overtone series called the "singer's formant" in the 2800-4000 Hz range -- this is a frequency range that's really weak in a symphony orchestra. Isn't that cool? There's a frequency hole just waiting for a voice to sail through!

Beth Ann, that is so interesting.

Fascinating, Beth Ann.

I have a really big head for my size. And I love to sing. Someday I should come and get some lessons from you.

That was fascinating, Beth Ann. I miss choir so much. Anyhow. I wear a 4.5 ring and have small bones except for my sturdy ankles! Too muscular to be in the delicate camp though!

I am definitely large boned (in both senses of the word, ha). Both of my parents are relatively tall but my build comes from my mom's side of the family - bigger hands and feet, all that. My dad is the same height as me but his shoe size and glove size are smaller than mine. I think I wear a ring size that's somewhere in the 7-8 range, and I'm often sized out of women's gloves.

Beth Ann et al, re ribcages and singing - I was in choirs through school and when I was otherwise skinny in high school, I often had to go up a size in structured dresses because the fit through the ribcage was too snug. I don't know if the two things were related.

I come closest to Janet as a body twin though my top is broader through the shoulders without la belle poitrine! Limbs are definitely long and thin, but hips, rib cage, and shoulders heavier boned.

Another mixed-up one here- smallish head and hands with a 6'' wrist and average-sized feet.

Fascinating discussion. I am a mix too I think. I have long skinny hands and feet, smallish wrists and ankles, and a narrow rib cage but wider shoulders and hips. I am 5'5" and my mother is 5'8" and when we both weigh the same amount, I am at least a size smaller than she is. I think all of her extra height is in the neck and calves.

I think I have some characteristics of a small frame, but not all the way. I've got really tiny hands and feet (am another one who can rarely buy bracelets that aren't custom-made or resized). But I think my shoulders and hips are wide enough that I've never looked "delicate" or been able to fit into a super-tiny size even at my thinnest, even though being really short should have given me a heads-up on both. I have a big head for my height too. Not that that translates to singing ability in my case!

And I blame South Park for "big-boned" as a euphemism for fat.

Lol Aubergine, I do think of Cartman when I hear "big-boned."

I was beginning to think maybe I am big boned, due to some comments about big hands and feet, but according to this website I'm firmly in the medium boned camp:

http://www.youbeauty.com/body-.....-big-boned

Although I too am sized out of women's gloves, it's due to the fingers being too short rather than the hand being too small. Men's gloves with fingers long enough for me are too big overall. And although I have big feet (size10) it's mostly due to my very long toes.

That's an interesting article, JAileen. From a medical perspective, the determination of whether or not some is "big-boned" is wrist circumference and height, not girth in specific body areas like shoulders and hips. According to that classification, my 7" wrists and a 5'7" height definitely put me into "big-boned" territory.

I'd call myself *medium* boned. I'm a heffer, tho, from the Asian point of view. A giant, olympian cow. Hehe.

Ring size is a whole other matter. I was measured for a 7, but that size ring cuts off my circulation. A ring that I have, which works for me perfectly, is 7.75... however, this new ring I got - at 7.75, I have to be careful it doesn't fly off my finger. Anyways, though, I have really large, long hands. They're not at all proportional to my body.

The numbers they give in that article are a little different than some of the other calculators you'll see. But not a huge difference. It does put me into the small boned category. Making Angie the SUPER small.

Interesting discussion. By these calculations I'm small boned but I always thought I was at least medium boned. I come from hearty peasant stock. My wrist measures 5.8 inches and I'm 5'6". I went to pick baby boy up from daycare on his first day and one of the women, who I hadn't met before, made a comment on how tiny I was. Maybe this has something to do with her comment since at 5'6" I'm not tiny! I've never worn a size 0 or 2. I'm firmly in the 6 range.

I think perhaps I either mis-phrased the question or perhaps we are mixing bone/frame size with build instead. There are plenty of people with both fine bones or heavier bones who have wide shoulders, wide hips, large heads, etc. That is body type or build. But within each of the types of build, there are small boned people and large boned people.

I agree with Gaylene that bone size is independent of build.

I'm about 5' 1" (used to be 5' 1.75") with 5.5" wrists and have always considered myself to be medium-boned by U.S. standards and large-boned (heifer) from an Asian perspective. Oh, and small-boned from a Pacific Islander perspective.