Arm Chair Aggravation

Why do chairs have arms? Why is it they are only made for small butts when supposedly 60% of the population is overweight? These were just some of the questions rushing through my mind as I squeezed my butt into yet another tight arm chair.
Exactly how is the width of a chair determined anyway? Is it made according to the width of the person making it or what? Do chair makers all have small butts?
Why do we need arm chairs anyway? The arms are usually too low to provide arm support unless of course you are slouching considerably.
I want to be able to walk into a waiting room, restaurant or community center and sit in a chair without feeling embarrassed because I have to squeeze my ass between two arms. Arms should be broken off chairs everywhere. At the very least chair makers should design a chair for real people to fit in. These chairs should then be available at all public venues.
Looking around the waiting room, at the other people waiting patiently, I did some math. Out of 12 chairs, 8 were full. Only one person didn’t have to worry about the overflow of their butt and thigh through that square chair arms make. Are small butted people concerned by a big chair? Does it make them uncomfortable? I doubt it? So why make the majority of people feel inferior because of their butt size.
As I sat there, metal digging into the flesh of my hips, I wondered if anyone else felt the way I did. I wondered if anyone would join me in an arm chair breaking ritual. I decided against it. I’d hate to have to explain to the in-laws why I was arrested for vandalizing. But still I wonder what a world might be like without arm chairs.
Originally published 2/21/2004 at Large & Lovely, BellaOnline.