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The Travails Of Being Short

JamesWhitehead

Piffle Prospector
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I caught part of a recent BBC Radio4 feature which was all about the disadvantages of the shorter-than-average. IIRC, men under 5'6" were regarded as short and ladies of under 5'1". Evidence suggests that short people do badly at job interviews etc. They suggested there should be legislation against this prejudice.

The plight of the huge was not mentioned. :?:
 
I am only five foot tall (or small) and have NEVER had a problem in job interviews. People like Kylie have made it cool to be tiny and I love being little. Although there are some things that are made very difficult and I often feel like listing my height as a disability. For example, I have a 7ft 8in surfboard which is kinda hard to carry down the beach, especially in a high wind, so I usually end up getting my boyf to carry it which is not cool in the surf world!! Also, heavy doors are a problem, I have no weight to throw behind them. AND, why are bacon sizzler Pot Noodles ALWAYS on the top shelf? Thank GOD I dont buy porn, life would be a nightmare trying to reach those mags in WH Smith.

Trouble is now, Im waiting for the oompa loompa jokes to start flying, what with this new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie!!!
 
Short women are really cute. Short men aren't. That's just the way it is.
 
I don't like people who have an attitude about their height, regardless of which end of the bell curve they're on (short men like to be nasty to me though).
 
Leaferne said:
(short men like to be nasty to me though).

:(

Since when? (asks the 5'4"/162cm Lopaka)
 
Well, you're obviously a cut above the blokes me get around here, my sweet (in many, many ways).

Leafy (a mere 5'8"/175 cm)

Edit: actually, I meant to say "we get" but it looks better the way I wrote it. ;)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
:likee:

No, I think I'm quite comfortable with the height I am. Which, if I tried to come up with a "why", may come from growing up in a family of small people in a place with a lot of folks of east asian ancestry. Seemed normal enough to me. The only time it's irritating is when shopping for clothes. (Best done in a place like Honolulu or Southern California.) And absolutely, when it comes to things like sitting in an airline or theater seat I'm incredibly grateful to be 6" below average rather than 6" above.
 
Leaferne said:
...short men like to be nasty to me though.
Some short people feel a need to overcompensate for their lack of height by over-aggressive behaviour. A common nick-name for this type over here is 'poison dwarf'!
 
haven*t you heard that one before krobone? it*s my brother-in-laws nickname for me :D (5 feet tall)
 
Mr Nut: I know what you're thinking my friend, but you're grossly mistaken... Just because I'm not of so-called average height does not mean I must receive my thrills vicariously. Not all women are attracted to overly tall, lanky men such as yourself. You'd be surprised how many women find my size intriguingly alluring."

Mulder: "You'd be surprised how many men do as well."

:D
 
rynner said:
Leaferne said:
...short men like to be nasty to me though.
Some short people feel a need to overcompensate for their lack of height by over-aggressive behaviour. A common nick-name for this type over here is 'poison dwarf'!

I really feel like this is a misperception. Whilst it may account for some, I don't think the over-compensating accounts for a lot of what is perceived as "over-aggressive". I think much of it is a warranted reaction to the way people are generally treated more than over-compensation: kick a dog often enough and you shouldn't be surpised if it's aggressive.

I'm very short myself. I'm only 5ft 3 and a half and I've found that people such as myself are genuinely discriminated against. Often it's in ways that would, in other circumstances, be protected or investigated in law - such as in employment, where it's proven that short people are discriminated against - but it also impacts on most aspects of living. People just tend not to take short people seriously; most women don't - that's for sure.

They are expected to be a push-over in a physical sense - men constantly try and physically belittle me or intimidate me in the "what you gonna do about it, short-arse?" sense, in pubs, clubs, cinema etc., etc.. It was mentioned above about the plight of tall people in theatres etc., etc.. I'd honestly say that shorter people have the disadvantage here. I've been going to gigs since 1980 and the amount of time tall people have, grinning, just walked in front of me, knowing there was no way I'd see anything past them, is beyond counting. Yet, if I say something, I'm the one with a problem. I remember a Nick Cave gig where I was told that if I shouldn't go to gigs if I can't see by a taller person who also claimed I had an attitude problem.

Similarly, the amount of times I've had to swap cinema seat is beyond counting too. Again, any recourse is met with "what you gonna do about it, shrimp?" type comments.

As for houses, most of my top cupboards are beyond reach and require chairs to stand on and I'm constantly getting short-shirt sleeves caught on door handles and have ripped dozens over the years. Often settees, and the like, aren't particularly comfy because the are 'too big'.

Clothes are a nightmare too, and being in my late 30s, despite the shortness, my general 'adult male' shape means that young teenage clothes aren't a viable option - unlike my similarly sized other half; she wears a lot of kids clothes. Jeans are impossible to buy, I have a 27 inch leg, without paying over the odds as they just lop a load of the leg but the shape of the leg doesn't match with their length and it's like wearing shorts for a very tall person. Yet tall people are catered for relatively better in general shops and even have specialist shops, in most cities to cater for their taller needs.
 
I'm only 5 foot 9 but all my mates are over 6 foot. It pisses them off when they drive or ride motorbikes but they think I look cool because I don't look like I'm riding a clown's bike or driving a fun car. *City Car*!
I have had no problems with tall women, in fact, most of my gfs ave been slightly taller than me.
The only way I could be regarded as compensating is that I am a bit humorous all the tim *Penguins!*
OK, I know I'm not really really short, but there you go.
I always say when anyone makes a comment on height and lack of it..."I didn't want to be a policeman" Or, "It's not evolutionary logical to be tall. It's too disadvantagous to be tall, think about it. " Or..."Short people can make a quicker escape when someone's husband comes home early!" hehehe! :lol:
 
"Excuse me, but you are the most boring looking person I've ever seen. I bet no-one ever notices you in bars or anything when you want to get served."

Funny you should mention this at this time. I've just been away with eight lads for a month and of course we've gotten to know each other very well and how to take the piss out of each other very well. I get the nickname (undeservedly) 'Little Dick' - i'm 5'4" and called Richard, hilarious.

One guy who was on the trip with us however didn't seem to have a nickname, he had no distinguishing physical features - so much so in fact that from different angles he looks like anybody. So far i've heared people say he looks like 'Josh Homme', the bloke from Keane and the bloke from The Zutons - in fact in a gig once he got mistaken for him and one of the bands that was playing said "We're gonna play Zuton Fever. This is for the guy who wrote it - we hear he's here tonight!"

On the original point of the thread, yes there is a pre-disposition in society regarding peoples height. Short people, from personal experience, tend to be taken less seriously than other average or taller people. We are shorter than average so we often get ignored in bars and pubs, we often feel more self conscious due to our diminutive status and when we do assert ourselves it is often taken as the 'short angry person'.

My personal experience is that being short was fine until puberty. I could easily pull off the cute lovable Dudley Moore clown. Once you hit puberty though suddenly you are surrounded by tall guys who in turn are surrounded by hordes of girls - suddely the charm, wit and cuteness don't cut it. Luckily it only lasts for a few years because after that most girls (certainly the ones i'd like to go out with) grew up and realised that height isn't everything. But I imagine it can be a hellish experience for other short people.

There is a website called http://www.shortsupport.org/ which deals with short person issues. Whilst some of it I find laughable to the extreme there are some interesting scientific studies there.

No wonder there are Napoleon Complexes.
 
rjmrjmrjm said:
On the original point of the thread, yes there is a pre-disposition in society regarding peoples height. Short people, from personal experience, tend to be taken less seriously than other average or taller people. We are shorter than average so we often get ignored in bars and pubs, we often feel more self conscious due to our diminutive status and when we do assert ourselves it is often taken as the 'short angry person'.

I made similar points above. It happens every time I go out to a pub or a club and, as you point out, more often than not, 'I'm the one with an attitude problem if I make a comment or refused to be pushed aside - often quite literally.

My personal experience is that being short was fine until puberty. I could easily pull off the cute lovable Dudley Moore clown. Once you hit puberty though suddenly you are surrounded by tall guys who in turn are surrounded by hordes of girls - suddely the charm, wit and cuteness don't cut it. Luckily it only lasts for a few years because after that most girls (certainly the ones i'd like to go out with) grew up and realised that height isn't everything. But I imagine it can be a hellish experience for other short people.

I've been lucky in that since I left school, I've been in two long term relationships with (shortish) women who've actually liked shorter men. I do know from female 'friends' that they'd have issues going out with someone as short as myself. Height is often a requisite for even the most level-headed and indiscriminatory of women.

There is a website called http://www.shortsupport.org/ which deals with short person issues. Whilst some of it I find laughable to the extreme there are some interesting scientific studies there.

Cheers for the link. Some serious food for thought there. I need to move to Sri Lanka or Vietnam to be of average male height!

No wonder there are Napoleon Complexes.
I think taller people writing things off as "Napoleon Complexes" is indicative of the problem in the first place.
 
This all is really quite interesting, just because, as I've mentioned before, I'm rather undersized but rarely feel self-conscious about it and haven't experienced the abuse described on account of it. I have no doubt that it happens and people feel as if it is a real handicap, it just hasn't been for me (to a degree I'm significantly aware of, anyway. As opposed to being say, openly gay, which I am very much aware of, maybe too much so, how that affects my interpersonal dynamics with people).

Speaking of the latter, though, I can't talk to the subject of how women respond, though of course I know the 'custom' that in a male/female couple the man is "expected" to be taller, but I can say, as per the Mulder quote :D, any number of men over the years have told me they found my size appealing, so what can I say? ;)
 
But why would she need to be made to feel at home specifically because she's short and fat? Ordinary English courtesy would probably fill the bill. ;)
 
We shouldn't be looking for special treatment, just normal treatment.
 
...I forgot to say though, that I have fifteen heads and a large bulbous arm.
 
womaniac said:
rynner said:
Leaferne said:
...short men like to be nasty to me though.
Some short people feel a need to overcompensate for their lack of height by over-aggressive behaviour. A common nick-name for this type over here is 'poison dwarf'!

In Scotland, such people suffer from 'Wee Man Syndrome'.

In Glasgow, this is a common means of address between strangers (only men though) - if someone is smaller than you, you address them as 'Wee Man', if they are taller (or older, or have equal height but more status than you) , they are 'Big Man'. "Hey Big Man, d'ye want a pint?"

Very direct, it gets it out of the way I suppose!

Bob
 
undergroundbob said:
In Scotland, such people suffer from 'Wee Man Syndrome'.

In Glasgow, this is a common means of address between strangers (only men though) - if someone is smaller than you, you address them as 'Wee Man', if they are taller (or older, or have equal height but more status than you) , they are 'Big Man'. "Hey Big Man, d'ye want a pint?"

Very direct, it gets it out of the way I suppose!

Bob
Quite agree. Too much politeness and 'PC' behaviour can be embarassing to both sides. Much better to accept others, and ourselves, as we are, without pretending we're all normalised clones.
 
Kondoru said:
Im taller than my dad does that count?

My mother was very short, 5 ft tall. I remember she told me that a son will always grow taller than his mother, which I did at nearly 5ft 7inch.

Is this a myth or fact?
Are there any male board members who are shorter than their mums?
 
davidYowie said:
My mother was very short, 5 ft tall. I remember she told me that a son will always grow taller than his mother, which I did at nearly 5ft 7inch.

Is this a myth or fact?
Are there any male board members who are shorter than their mums?
In my experience this is fact. I've heard it from several sources, and I don't recall any males smaller than their mothers.
 
davidYowie said:
Kondoru said:
Im taller than my dad does that count?

My mother was very short, 5 ft tall. I remember she told me that a son will always grow taller than his mother, which I did at nearly 5ft 7inch.

Is this a myth or fact?
Are there any male board members who are shorter than their mums?

I can't imagine that it could be always true. If you have a tall mother and a short father, I don't see why you would be definitely taller than your mother.

My mum's started shrinking. :)
 
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6501633.stm
Wednesday, 28 March 2007, 01:24 GMT 02:24 UK

Short men 'not more aggressive'
Dennis Wise and Ed de Goey
Dennis Wise's aggressive playing style made up for his lack of inches
The theory that short men end up as more aggressive than taller ones has been dismissed by a scientific study.

The University of Central Lancashire research for the BBC found taller men were more likely to lose their temper.

Men of different heights duelled with wooden sticks but one of the subjects deliberately provoked the other by rapping them across the knuckles.

Heart monitors revealed it was the taller men who flew off the handle more quickly and hit back.

Chopstick Game

The research was designed to test Short Man Syndrome - or "Napoleon complex" - the theory that shorter men are more aggressive to dominate those who are taller than them.


The results were consistent with the view that Small Man Syndrome is a myth
Dr Mike Eslea

The experiment - called the Chopstick Game - involved 10 men of average height and the same number below 5ft 5ins.

The subject who did the provoking had been briefed to do so by the scientists.

The other men were under the impression they were being tested for physical attributes, reaction times and eye-hand co-ordination.

Obvious attribute

Dr Mike Eslea said the study suggested it made no more sense to say diminutive footballer Dennis Wise was aggressive on the pitch because he was small, than it was to say Robbie Savage was likewise because he was blond.

Dr Eslea said: "The results were consistent with the view that Small Man Syndrome is a myth.

"When people see a short man being aggressive, they are likely to think it is due to his size simply because that attribute is obvious and grabs their attention."
 
Short man syndrome is not just a tall story
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 13/03/2008

It is said they are prone to bouts of aggression, showing off and keeping a close eye on their wives or girlfriends at parties.

Vertically challenged men may argue that the notion of a "short man syndrome" is an unfair, inaccurate stereotype. However, scientists have now proved small men do make more jealous husbands and lovers than their taller, more relaxed counterparts.

The findings could help explain why diminutive males from Napoleon Bonaparte and Benito Mussolini to Tom Cruise and Dudley Moore have on occasion been accused of overcompensating for a lack of physical stature.

Researchers found men around 5ft 4in tall were around 50 per cent more likely to fall foul of the green-eyed monster than those measuring 6ft 6in.

Tall and short women also showed more signs of jealousy than those of average height.

Prof Abraham Buunk, of the University of Groningen in Holland, said the findings on short man syndrome - also known as the Napoleon complex - make evolutionary sense, as tall men and medium-height women have greater success with the opposite sex.

Taller men have previously been shown to get more replies to lonely heart ads, have more physically attractive partners, have higher wages and are more likely to have children.

In the latest study, highlighted in this week's New Scientist magazine, researchers questioned 100 men and 100 women in relationships about their feelings of jealousy and how interested they believed their partners to be in other members of the opposite sex.

Among men they found a linear correlation, with 5ft 4in men being scored an average of 3.75 out of six on a jealousy scale, and the men around 6ft 6in getting 2.25. The results among women were more complex, with those of around average height (5ft 6in) scoring lowest for jealously, at around three out of six. The shortest women in the study, who measured around 5ft, scored five on the scale, while the tallest, at 6ft, got an average of four.

The researchers also examined the specific characteristics of rivals that would make them jealous.

Short men were, as expected, most jealous in the presence of powerful, tall, strong and rich potential rivals.

However, female participants of around average height were more vulnerable to jealousy than others when confronted, not with very beautiful women, but with socially or physically powerful rivals.

Prof Buunk said: "As women of average height tend to be more fertile and healthy they would be less jealous of women with features signalling fertility and health such as physical attractiveness, but more jealous of women possessing masculine features such as physical dominance and social status."

Throughout the animal kingdom, larger males are more likely to win fights, are more dominant and are more likely to reproduce.

A series of studies have shown taller men enjoy a range of advantages. In the 1940s, psychologists found tall salesmen were more successful than their shorter colleagues. University students asked to rate the qualities of men of varying heights said short men were less mature, less secure and less capable than tall men.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.j ... ort113.xml

Not much new there, then... :roll:
 
I'm 5'1 and I have mixed feelings on my size. I always have plenty pf legroom on public transport, people find my size cute and I can buy children's clothing.

On the other hand, any kind of seating designed for larger people can be extremely uncomfortable, I have to ask for help in the supermarket, and people mistake me for a child or young teenager even though I'm 23. I also need the car seat pushed right forward and the steering wheel lowered to enable me to see and reach the pedals. My older sister is under 5 ft and has to sit on a cushion to drive.

Sometimes it is a bit frustrating, but there are ways around most of the problems I experience.
 
World's smallest man meets woman with world's longest legs
By Chris Irvine
Last Updated: 7:45AM BST 17 Sep 2008

The smallest man in the world has been hanging out with the woman with the world's longest legs in London's Trafalgar Square.
Standing at just 2ft 5in high, He Pingping, from China, has been officially named the smallest man in the world.

Svetlana Pankratova, meanwhile, owns the longest legs in the world, which stretch to 132cm.

Mr Pingping barely came up to Ms Pankratova's knees at a bizarre photoshoot held to mark the launch of the new Guinness Book of World Records.

But the pair seemed rather happy in each other's company as they posed for photos on Trafalgar Square's steps in central London.

In January 2007, Mr Pingping was invited to take part on a television programme in Tokyo, and has since become somewhat of an icon.

It is rumoured he is now so protective of his image, he refuses to have his photo taken unless he is paid a substantial fee.

While Ms Pankratova might have the longest legs in the world, she is not the tallest.

Last month, Sandy Allen, at 7ft 7in, recognized as the world's tallest woman, died aged 53.

In July 2007, Pingping, an internet phenomenon, met with the world's tallest man Bao Xishun.

....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -legs.html
with video....
 
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