# Dammit now I am worried I do have short arms! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 21, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387 "2012-09-21T12:23:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/22 "2012-09-21T19:37:51Z")
I must have short arms, because every single long-sleeved shirt or sweater that I buy has sleeves much longer than my fingertips. Either that or clothing manufacturers suck. I buy a lot of 3/4 sleeve garments. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/23 "2012-09-21T19:42:30Z")
From my understanding, if your measurement from middle fingertip to middle fingertip with arms extended (along your shoulders) is the same as your height, you are of the average norm as far as arm length… 🆒 Edit: My wingspan, last measured was one inch greater than my height. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/24 "2012-09-21T23:56:30Z")
Get over it. You could have [Short Arm Syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf%E2%80%93Hirschhorn_syndrome) which is much more serious than having short arms. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/25 "2012-09-22T00:09:25Z")
if you can scratch your nuts they are long enough. if you can’t then try ambidextrous bowling with a heavy ball. hey there’s two of them. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/26 "2012-09-22T00:19:00Z")
Are you secretly a musician and judge on a popular musical talent show? Damn. Yeah, [you got some short-ass arms](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gnarls-Barkley.jpg), Cee Lo. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/27 "2012-09-22T00:23:57Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Maybe she is suggesting you pick up a check every once and a while. Heh. > [@Jenaroph](#): > > The easy way to do this: Stand against a blank wall, touch the wall at the top of your head, and without taking your finger off the wall, bend over and try to touch the floor with your other hand. > > I have long arms; I can do this with inches to spare. And my elbows also barely reach the bottom of my ribcage. Thanks for the tip - I have suspected for a while that I have long, monkey arms, and this confirms it. > [@TriPolar](#): > > \I believe Lincoln once said a man’s arms need to be long enough to wipe his butt. > [@picker](#): > > If you can jerk off and wipe your ass, you’re good to go.\ That’s just what I was thinking - what more do you need? Hey, speaking of body tips, your forearm should be the same length as your foot. Mine is - of course, I have disproportionately long feet, too (my husband calls them Skis - I don’t know who he thinks he is to talk, though, with those stumpy little things he totters around on). ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/28 "2012-09-22T02:22:50Z")
My forearm is nearly two inches longer than my foot. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/29 "2012-09-22T02:32:47Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > My forearm is nearly two inches longer than my foot. Sorry - apparently you have short feet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/30 "2012-09-22T03:37:11Z")
Your arms are too short to box with God. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/31 "2012-09-22T03:39:14Z")
Yet, it’s always the short armed men with the hot babes!?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/32 "2012-09-22T03:41:17Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Sorry - apparently you have short feet. 🙂 They keep me upright. Size 14. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/33 "2012-09-22T10:47:08Z")
Where your elbows hit on your torso has nothing to do with the length of your arms. That’s entirely about the length of your torso. Many men do have a longer torso and shorter legs, compared to women (it’s rare for even guys over 6’ to need longer than a 33" inseam), which may create the illusion of short arms. People often tell me I have ‘long arms’, because my elbows hit at the top of my hips - because I am extremely short-waisted, only have a 1" space between the bottom of my ribcage and my pelvis. My armspan is the same as my height, 5’5", making my arms of completely average length. I do have longer than average legs for my height, which contributes to my lanky look. Like\*\* Johnny Bravo\*\* said, your armspan should equal your height exactly. If it does, there is absolutely nothing short about your arms. It’s very rare for men (more common for women) to have an armspan shorter than their height; plenty have longer. And like **Cat Whisperer** said, forearm length usually corresponds exactly with foot length. Very easy to test. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/34 "2012-09-22T17:17:37Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > They keep me upright. Size 14. Okay, really long monkey arms then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/35 "2012-09-22T17:35:43Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Your arms are too short to box with God. Alright, this is gonna drive me crazy. I can HEAR a guy singing this, something like Bob Dylan. Definitely not recent, not a rap song, but it’s driving me NUTS because I can’t place it. It is recognized as being from a poem circa 1927, but I’ve heard it in a song that I am quite familiar with but cannot place. Any help? nm, Wikipedia helped!! I’m a Cherry Poppin’ Daddies fan, it’s from Drunk Daddy 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/36 "2012-09-22T18:14:15Z")
> [@grude](#): > > My wife pointed out something that has bugged her for a long time but she could never put to words until recently, that I have short arms. Upper arms to be exact, my elbow reaches the bottom of my rib cage. > > Now I am obsessed by the idea I do have short arms! > > Dammit! You definitely need to have a short arm inspection. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/37 "2012-09-22T22:58:23Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > And like **Cat Whisperer** said, forearm length usually corresponds exactly with foot length. Very easy to test. My forearm is about 1" longer than my size 8 foot (I’m female). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387/38 "2012-09-22T23:16:00Z")
Was this thread inspired by your other one? [“I’m really getting angry about not having things handy”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=666319) 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-now-i-am-worried-i-do-have-short-arms/635387.md?page=1)