big life; small space

I tend to suspect it's because of her facial features, which while not particular masculine don't conform to the "small nose, big eyes, as young looking as possible" that is often demanded of women in our culture -- at least on TV. Certainly, even in a dress, with long hair and makeup, I've been called sir many times -- there's probably a host of reasons for this, but one is, I suspect, related to having "strong" features or whatever the euphemism is this week.