Women get things like this done easier than men. It's stupid, it's wrong, but it's true. Indeed she simply asked nicely.
Boobs open doors that a smile will not.
Na, it's more than that. Humans, especially in western culture, are still imbued with the stereotype that females are gracious and pleasant, etc. But if your bearing and address are correct, a (non-gay) male can get a lot of the same things done, socially.
I wouldn'tve been jealous at any age, but especially not even when it came out. Just after Star Wars came out, but I think before we had seen it, I got a Star Wars guy. A STAR WARS GUY, HEY, WOW....IT'S NOT THE ONE I WANTED, BUT I GOT A STAR WARS GUY! That's exactly what I said at my birthday.
I got a sand people dude. I of course wanted a storm trooper. Not Luke Skywalker, cos he was just a boy. Not Obi Wan, cos he was an old dude. Not Solo because he didn't look as cool as a storm trooper. Not Darth Vader, because he had a cape, and his helmet wasn't as cool as a storm trooper's.
The droids, while they were cool in their own way, were not that cool of 'machines'. They were kinda clunky. But so was most of the Star Wars world at that time.