Miss Manners: Balancing fashion and courtesy in close seating arrangements

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I attended a live theater performance. Seated directly in front of me was a very tall woman whose hair was styled in an updo that added — seriously — five or six inches to her height!

I could not see the stage at all unless I leaned uncomfortably left or right, and each time she shifted in her seat, I had to shift in mine. I couldn’t imagine anything I could politely say to her about this, so I just did my best to look around her.

Does Miss Manners have any suggestions for this situation? At the very least, can she ask tall people to consider others when styling their hair for the theater?

To be fair, the venue was a former movie theater, so the seating was designed not for viewing a stage performance, but for looking at a large, high screen. I will also mention that while I did not engage with her directly, this person seemed to be very lovely in interacting with her friends.

GENTLE READER: Sure. Because she probably looked fabulous and was being widely admired by them. They did not have to sit behind her.

Miss Manners has witnessed enough awards shows to notice that extreme hair and costume choices may be photo-worthy, but they ignore the comfort of seat companions who would like to watch the performance — or at least not get an aggressive feather in the eye while doing so.

Miss Manners admires fashion, but will remind her readers that consideration of others must be regarded when you are sharing close seating quarters. Any outsized accoutrements should at least be made removable.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

COPYRIGHT 2023 JUDITH MARTIN

DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500