I don't get this sensitivity about weight and age among women, and I say that even though I've been overweight from time to time. It would never occur to me to lie about my weight to a pilot, just as it would never occur to me to lie about my age. (Of course, unlike some women, I spent much of my early life looking older than I was and most of my life looking younger, so telling people my age always gets a satisfyingly surprised reaction). I also don't dye my gray hair and wouldn't consider a facelift--I've earned every gray hair and wrinkle!!
Any time this subject comes up, I remember a hilarious (to me) incident I observed in Alaska. I was staying at a park facility on a lake, and people had to be brought in and out by seaplane. One of the regular runs was a single-engine Otter that could carry about 8 people, IIRC, but of course the pilot had to be careful of the W&B. There was a big scale (the kind with a big platform and an upright dial) at the landing place, and he made all the pax get on the scale. One woman absolutely refused to get on the scale. She kicked up such a fuss that pretty soon everyone was watching. She finally got on the scale because it came down to her or the pilot, and you know who's going to win that one. But now everyone knew her weight, whereas if she'd just done it, no one would have noticed (she wasn't overweight). It was quite entertaining.
It does bug me, however, when a man refers to his wife as "the wife". Which wife, I ask?
