一个非常瘦的女人怎么能做女性需要做的所有事情：将孩子背上，将玉米砸成土地或牛哨所，将玉米砸成面粉，绕着家庭的事和水桶？一个瘦女人怎么能安慰男人？一个男人与一个全角和骨头的人分享床，而传统上建造的女士就像一个额外的枕头，这将是非常尴尬的，而一个额外的枕头可能会在上面疲倦的枕头，这可能会让他疲倦的头部疲倦。为了做所有您需要的东西，瘦弱的人根本没有那样。
(How could a very thin woman do all the things that women needed to do: to carry children on their backs, to pound maize into flour out at the lands or the cattle post, to cart around the things of the household-the pots and pans and buckets of water? And how could a thin woman comfort a man? It would be very awkward for a man to share his bed with a person who was all angles and bone, whereas a traditionally built lady would be like an extra pillow on which a man coming home tired from his work might rest his weary head. To do all that you needed a bit of bulk, and thin people simply did not have that.)
摘录提出了有关一个非常苗条的女人的身体能力的疑问，这些妇女履行了通常对女性期望的传统角色，例如承载子女和执行家庭任务。这表明，瘦弱的体格可能会阻碍人们管理日常生活苛刻职责的能力，尤其是在乡村或社区的环境中，重视力量和耐力。传统女性拥有的体重和存在似乎对于这种劳动密集型任务至关重要。
此外，这段经文涉及男女之间舒适和亲密关系的社会动态。它认为，一个更瘦的女人可能被视为不仅可以在活动中提供身体支持，还可以提供情感上的舒适。一个更传统的女性具有与枕头相似的安全感和柔软感，这可能是陪伴的重要方面。因此，本文研究了围绕身体类型及其对性别角色的影响的社会期望。