# How tall (or short) is too tall (or short) for you to find attractive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796 "2015-06-29T17:34:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/81 "2015-06-30T22:40:18Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I’m not even sure how to respond to this. I wasn’t trying to “nab hunks”. The men with whom I’ve had mutual attraction have happened to be 5’10"-6’, for the most part. Most tall men, in my experience, prefer shorter women. So it has worked out that I’ve had mutual attraction with only one man who was significantly taller than me. No I meant to ask how come he was the only one who was 6’2? Now you have proved my suspicions, that as you answered you had mutual attraction with men 5’10-6’0. Slightly shorter than your ideal 6’2 and above range. Which shows that we can always find attraction with someone outside our ideals. Did not meant to make my question confusing, should have been clearer. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/82 "2015-06-30T23:28:34Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m a short man. (5’6"). I don’t think there is a too short or too tall for me. I find women of all different heights attractive. On the other hand, I’m too short for many women (but thankfully not all). I’m also a short man (same height). Even though I’m married, it’s quite obvious most women would never date me due to my height. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/83 "2015-07-01T00:04:20Z")
I’m a short woman. I have dated guys who were short (slightly taller than I) and dated other guys who were pretty tall. Height just isn’t something that I assess a lot (other than my own, ruefully, when I’m trying yet again to reach the top shelf). The few guys I’ve met who were my height or possibly shorter were married. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/84 "2015-07-01T00:16:20Z")
I am 4’27" and to be honest I barely notice women’s height. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/85 "2015-07-01T02:01:00Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > I am 4’27" and to be honest I barely notice women’s height. Is 4’27" the same as 6’3"? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/86 "2015-07-01T03:09:19Z")
I’m 5’2". I’m used to men being taller than me, but anything over 6’ is a little awkward. I dated a 6’3ish guy in high school and the kissing was difficult. The shortest guy I ever dated was about 5’5", and I had no problem with that. My husband is about 5’7", and he’s all kinds of hot. However, I do have a thing about skinny guys. I like muscles and broad shoulders. You don’t have to be taller than me, but you do have to be bigger and stronger than me. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/87 "2015-07-01T04:01:21Z")
No height limits here re. finding attractive or aesthetically pleasing. My main male types happen to come in two very different heights: there’s the dudes built like three-door wardrobes and the gymnast/pool diver types. I do think that being within a handspan of each other’s height makes for easier logistics, but that’s a different question. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/88 "2015-07-01T07:36:04Z")
I’m 5’9", and have dated women ranging from 5’0" to over 6’. I was dating in the late fifties and into the mid sixties; I think that attitudes on the subject of height haven’t changed much. The only problem (?) was dancing with the very tall girl…slow dances were distracting for me, but she was OK with it, and we had fun. My friends didn’t get how I could date someone so much taller, but I remember her fondly…(Hi Kathy R., wherever you may be!) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/89 "2015-07-01T10:40:52Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Lying down I’m the tallest guy in the room. > [@Shagnasty](#): > > Don’t feel bad. Some people like a big nose :). That ain’t my nose, fella. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/90 "2015-07-01T13:53:49Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Of course. And she didn’t exactly use the word “entitlement” or “entitled” either. But she wrote “But I’ve paid the dues and earned the right to it” as if to say that this “right” is something that somebody “owes” her. That’s what I was really responding to. > > ETA: Nobody, myself included, “owes” or “is owed” anything to or from anybody in this business. I didn’t take it like that. I took it like she has the right to pursue taller men, not that she has the right to have them. I, too, claim the right to pursue taller men. If taller men don’t go for me, I don’t have a right to complain, but thankfully, taller men prefer shorter women. Also really tall girls were bullied in my HS, too. I wasn’t, not for that anyway, since I am distressingly average in height. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/91 "2015-07-01T16:37:38Z")
5’-6" woman here. My preference is for a man to be my height or up to 6’ tall. Just tall enough that no acrobatics are needed to kiss him. However, if I were to meet an absolutely splendid man who was everything I ever wanted and more, I would go out of that height range. Well, that point is moot! I did meet that splendid guy! He’s my husband and he’s 5’-10". 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/92 "2015-07-01T16:45:19Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Male, 180cm. I have been with women ranging in height from about 150cm to a little taller than me, around 183-ish. I like petite, but don’t have a strong preference. > > Americans can just suck it up and learn the metric system. Don’t want to hijack the thread, but this brings to mind a question I’ve always wondered about: why do you measure heights in cm only? Wouldn’t it be easier to visualize _X_ decimeters,\* X \*centimeters? Because for me, if a guy said to me, “I’m 75 inches tall,” I would have to pause for a moment to calculate out that that’s 6’-3". ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/93 "2015-07-01T17:21:53Z")
I’m a 5’9" man. I’ve dated girls from 5’0’'- 5’8". I don’t think I’d want to go much shorter than 5’0" and I don’t encounter too many women who are my height or taller. I do refrain from messaging women who are taller than me on OKcupid purely because I know most women prefer men taller than them and I don’t want to waste my time. Ultimately it is important to me that I’m considerably larger than the woman I’m dating but that’s a matter of weight, not height. I have a broad shouldered stocky frame and (in all modesty) I’m fairly muscular, so I’m still a lot larger than my current girl, who is 5’8". I’m about 175 pounds, so a woman would have to be very tall or fairly fat to come close to my size. It’s been my experience that a lot of women aren’t great at accurately estimating how tall a man is and that a lot of men exaggerate their height. OKcupid estimates that their average male user claims to be two inches taller than he actually is. [http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-biggest-lies-in-online-dating/](http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-biggest-lies-in-online-dating/) As another poster previously pointed out, it’s a bit of a stretch to call a 5’8" man short. The average American man is 5’9" and Americans tend to be a bit taller than the global average. The average adult male heights for the most populous nations are: China: **5’ 5.75"** Indian: **5’ 4.75"** America: **5’ 9.5"** Indonesia: **5’ 2.25"** Brazil: **5’ 8.25"** Pakistan: \*\*5’ 6.75" \*\*Nigeria: **5’ 4.25"** Only two countries have an average male height of 6’0" or taller: The Netherlands and Denmark. Their combined population is only about 21 million, which is less people than live in Texas. > **[Average Male Height](https://www.averageheight.co/average-male-height-by-country)** > > Answers the question - What is the average height for men? > **[List of countries and dependencies by population](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population)** > > This is a list of countries and dependencies by population. It includes sovereign states, inhabited dependent territories and, in some cases, constituent countries of sovereign states, with inclusion within the list being primarily based on the ISO standard ISO 3166-1. For instance, the United Kingdom is considered a single entity, while the constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are considered separately. In addition, this list includes certain states with limited recogniti... ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/94 "2015-07-01T17:31:37Z")
> [@funky\_little\_lee](#): > > Don’t want to hijack the thread, but this brings to mind a question I’ve always wondered about: why do you measure heights in cm only? Wouldn’t it be easier to visualize _X_ decimeters,\* X \*centimeters? Because for me, if a guy said to me, “I’m 75 inches tall,” I would have to pause for a moment to calculate out that that’s 6’-3". It’s easier to visualize what you are familiar with. People who use the metric system can immediately visualize 180 cm, they don’t need to work anything out. If you were used to using inches only, you wouldn’t need to convert it to feet/inches to visualize it. Why use multiple units when it is more efficient to use and notate a single unit of measurement? ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/95 "2015-07-01T17:37:36Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Is 4’27" the same as 6’3"? 😃 Yes it is, I prefer to think of myself as an oversized Lilliputian . ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/96 "2015-07-01T19:36:02Z")
I’m male and 5’7". Been interested in guys from around 5’1" to over 6’7". Not sure an actual range limit as it depends on my mood and the other factors that interest me in the person. One of the taller guys I was with (6’5"ish) I really enjoyed being with because I could comfortable sit on his lap. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/97 "2015-07-01T20:52:31Z")
I’m 6’0"myself. To be a dealbreaker-level issue, potential partner would have to be like under 4’11" or over 7’3"… What works best is a few inches shorter than me, say 5’8" or thereabouts, plus or minus; with that configuration, when our parts come together (ortho missionary pos), our faces are directly across from each other. That’s particularly nice. But not a necessary thing. There are always positions and alignments that will work for almost any height combo. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/98 "2015-07-01T22:53:03Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I didn’t take it like that. I took it like she has the right to pursue taller men, not that she has the right to have them. I, too, claim the right to pursue taller men. If taller men don’t go for me, I don’t have a right to complain, but thankfully, taller men prefer shorter women. > > Also really tall girls were bullied in my HS, too. I wasn’t, not for that anyway, since I am distressingly average in height. What both of you (and others) are defending here is the right, or “entitlement” of females (well, actually, everybody) to be as shallow as they please, where in fact there’s a whole lot of extreme shallowness going on out there. Of course, nobody can dispute that right. But one can still criticize the shallowness of females who use a male’s height as their first filter, excluding males shorter than themselves from their dating pool right up-front so that they will never look beyond to see what else short males may have to offer. All that does is limit their own dating pools, as well as the dating pools of short males. Lose-lose. There’s also the shallowness of heavier (“BBW”) females who price themselves right out of the dating pool by keeping their “standards” too high, which often means refusing to date shorter males. I was going to use the word “hypocrisy” instead of “shallowness” in the above paragraph, but that isn’t quite right. It was noted above that people just find attractive the types they find attractive and even a “BBW” couldn’t be called a hypocrite if she isn’t attracted to short males. Okay, I don’t argue with that. “Hypocrite” and “hypocrisy” aren’t the right criticisms there. Shallowness is. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/99 "2015-07-02T00:32:32Z")
The great thing about being too shallow is that it provides near-instant feedback. High expectations and you can’t get a date? Try lowering them until you get some bites. It’s pretty immediate. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796/100 "2015-07-02T00:38:03Z")
Never been an issue. I’m 6’ 2". My first wife was 4’ 11". My second wife is 5’8". I was crazy in love with a gal once who was 6’ 1". Love comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. It’s LOVE, for heaven’s sake. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-or-short-is-too-tall-or-short-for-you-to-find-attractive/723796.md?page=6)