Up until then, I’d always thought it was only sensible to fall in love with tall men so I wouldn’t look like so much of a giantess. That way we could dance in public, in scale, no circus act. It didn’t matter though: I never had a date all through high school, couldn’t dance as step. I spent my time in movie houses, because most movie stars looked tall, even if it was only a trick of the camera, a crate under their feet in love scenes.
In the story, we receive subtle and not so subtle hints that Lois is insecure about her height. She states for a fact that she has been six feet tall sense she was in eighth grade and she hasn’t dated anyone through her entire high school career. She never once thought about dating anyone shorter than her simply because of how she would look in comparison to her until Tiny came around. Even before they got married, or even started dating, Tiny would make her feel more comfortable in her own skin. Once he started tattooing her, she got even more comfortable.
At the end of the story, Lois is covered in tattoos and incredibly happy with herself. Even when her mother attempts to make her feel the least bit worried about what possibilities await in the future, possibly a new husband, she takes pride in Tiny’s work and lets her mother see it all. She even stops wearing the clothes that hide her tattoos and allows the whole world to see them. She refers to the tattoos affectionately as her “widow’s weeds” and herself as “a love letter.”