Matters of size

Here are two comments I often hear when customers are furniture shopping.  Examples:

"My wife is petite.  Like 5'2".  This sofa would be too deep for her."

"My husband is a big guy.  These chairs are too small."

I never have anyone tell me about obese spouses.  The statements I'm told are almost like bragging:  tiny, doll-like wives and big, muscly, manly husbands.  I also never hear about really tall wives or shrimpy husbands.  If a customer does comment on a tall woman, it is usually the woman herself and most often is part of a conversation about her tall family.  And short men don't complain about finding furniture that fits.  They just do it.

The other day I was helping a young, fit couple find chairs.  The wife asked if there were other styles because her "husband is big."  He was standing right there, looking pretty flipping average to me.  But to her, he is huge, a hero and a hunk of man who cannot and will not have dinky chairs!