In this article we're going to discuss what some people may consider the stereotypes of the kind of chairs that people choose to sit in.

We've all seen the pictures, all through time. The mother sitting in a rocking chair holding her little baby rocking it to sleep. Or the grandfather sitting in his rocker, pipe in one hand and newspaper in the other rocking away the final days of his life in blissful peace. Perhaps you've seen the pictures of the little baby in a high chair eating his breakfast.

Ever notice that whenever you see a photo of a baby in a high chair it's always a baby of a certain age. You'll never see photos of toddlers in high chairs, even though they are still young enough to sit in one. It just doesn't fit the stereotype.

Yes, we all have our views of who should be sitting in what kind of chair based on their age, sex, and even their personality.

Consider the beach chair. Whenever we picture someone sitting in a beach chair, or more accurately reclining, it's always a young voluptuous long legged blonde gal. We seem to forget that old men and fat women sit in beach chairs as well. Of course there are some of us who don't forget. That's where the cartoonists and comics come in, depicting some 300 pound woman trying to get out of her beach chair and tipping it over in the process. We all get quite a kick out of that.

Then of course, there is the director's chair. Whenever we visualize the director sitting in his chair he is always holding that stereotypical megaphone so that the actors can hear what he is saying. Makes you wonder if they even use those things today.

Another stereotypical chair depiction is the ruler on his throne. In today's society we have many organizations, such as the Masons, where the head of the lodge, called the Master, sits on what can only be described as a throne like chair with high back and beautifully adorned. You'd have a difficult time imagining him sitting in an ordinary dining room chair.

And what about the dining room chairs? Just take a look at any commonly depicted dining room scene. It's always the man sitting at the head of the table, wife across the way and the children all sitting at the sides of the table. The chairs are usually very plain and simple. No fancy chairs for a typical family of four.

And then of course, there is the comfortable recliner. This is another one of those chairs where the man of the house is usually depicted smoking his pipe, reading his newspaper and having his slippers put on by his adoring wife. Oh, if only real life were like that.

The truth is, if you were to think of any kind of chair at all, you'd always have a picture in your mind of who should be sitting in it and just how the chair should look. This should give you a very good idea of truly how powerful chairs are in our lives, to be able to conjure up such vivid images that will most likely last throughout time.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Chairs
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