I spend a lot of time wishing that I was not
black or a
woman or
ugly, but the one thing I think about most is not being
short. I’m 5’0.5” or if you count my hair 5’1” – I think that
shortness is one of the most
debilitating social deformities a person can have (Well, with the exception of being
hunchbacked, or strikingly
asymmetric.) The trouble with shortness is that few people recognize or care about the trauma that years and years of
teasing can cause. It’s also hard to make the case that someone has treated you
unfairly due to height, in fact, it’s hard to even know why you were treated unfairly, let alone put together enough of a case to defend yourself.
Where did the
bias against
short people come from?
Cross-cultural research has found that it is nearly universal. While some cultures do not place as much emphasis on height nearly all favor taller people for positions of leadership, marriage, friendship, and social advancement or promotion.
Social Darwinism might suggest that shorter people have had poor reproductive rates—this is true in the extreme, it is also true that people who are extremely
tall may have other health complications. It would seem, then, that the
preferred height would be
average ( in the USA that’d be 5’4.5” for women, 5’8” for men.) Instead according to 9 out of 10 women I questioned in the
deli at lunch today the ideal man is
6’0”—the
mannequins in
banana republic of women are 5’10”
I would love to be 5’10” for just one day. In fact, if I could be 5’10”
for just one day I think I could lie down after that and be happy and die.
oh to be tall
To walk down the street and be able to see where I was going.
To be able to see my face in the mirror in the women’s room without standing on tip toe.
To look good in pants.
To have “
high-waters”
To be able to look men in the eye (there are men as short as me but I hardly ever see them.)
To have
long legs.
To put on
high heels and, in fact, be high.
To be treated like an adult.
To be
carded less often.
To have my feet reach the floor when I sit in a chair.
To feel like I belong.