# Tired of this (being short) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 29, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654 "2026-04-29T21:56:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/41 "2026-04-30T21:03:15Z")
I’ve dated guys that short. (Gay guy here.) Height is nothing; attitude is everything. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/42 "2026-04-30T21:03:27Z")
And honestly things like work from home equalize things for people like the OP. On the internet, no one knows how tall you are. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/43 "2026-04-30T21:11:28Z")
He’s not that much of a noob. He’s coming up on six years. ---
**Author:** ![CastletonSnob1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@CastletonSnob1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob1)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/44 "2026-04-30T21:14:35Z")
I just feel unmanly. Men are supposed to be tall, or at least, taller than women, or at least, taller than their mom. And mostly, I wanted to vent. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/45 "2026-04-30T21:24:51Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > The average expected height of a man whose father is X feet and inches tall and whose mother is Y feet and inches tall is ((X+Y)/2) + 2.7". Interesting. I never heard that one before. My father was 6’3” and my mother was 5’2”. I’m a little on the shorter side of that equation. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/46 "2026-04-30T21:31:47Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > My father was 6’3” and my mother was 5’2”. I’m a little on the shorter side of that equation. As did I. My dad topped out at 6’3", and my mom was 5’10"; when I was a kid, it was commonly commented that I’d wind up 6’4" or 6’5", with such tall parents. Nope. It turned out that I inherited recessive genes from both of my grandmothers, which gave me somewhat short limbs for the length of my torso – as one of my maternal aunts, who got her mother’s build, told me, “we have the ‘Yoda Build.’” I topped out at 5’10", but I only have a 30" inseam; all of my height is in my torso. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/47 "2026-04-30T21:37:09Z")
The only statistics that I’ve been able to find are that 81% of men will be married by age 40. 66% of American men who are 5’ 2" tall will be married by age 40. I think you should worry more about your ADHD, autism, OCD, anxiety, and not having a driver’s license. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/48 "2026-04-30T21:45:46Z")
> [@CastletonSnob1](#): > > I just feel unmanly. Men are supposed to be tall, or at least, taller than women, or at least, taller than their mom. > > And mostly, I wanted to vent. In my opinion, it’s manly not to let your height bother you. Confidence adds height. In other words, get over it. And, seriously, if that’s not possible, you might need therapy. Most of us aren’t tall, handsome, rich and confident but if we can accept ourselves as we are, we’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/49 "2026-04-30T21:49:25Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My dad topped out at 6’3", and my mom was 5’10"; when I was a kid, it was commonly commented that I’d wind up 6’4" or 6’5", with such tall parents. ((6’ 3" + 5’ 10")/2) + 2.7" = 6’ 0.5" + 2.7" = 6’ 3.2", using the formula I gave above. So the people who claimed that you would someday be 6’ 4" to 6’ 5" weren’t particularly good at predicting this. 5’ 10" is shorter than the average expected height. It’s not really rare though. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/50 "2026-04-30T21:51:24Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > So the people who claimed that you would someday be 6’ 4" to 6’ 5" weren’t particularly good at predicting this. Yeah, well, I think they were just rounding up for inflation and (hypothetically) better nutrition and medical care than when my parents were kids. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/51 "2026-04-30T21:53:23Z")
If you do not like it, there is this Procrustes guy who will fix you right up. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/52 "2026-04-30T22:10:54Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > better nutrition and medical care Better nutrition, improved maternal health, and advanced medical care has not made any difference in average height of Americans over the past 40 years. It has made a difference if you look back 100 years. There’s no reason to think any this point that we can increase average heights anymore. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/53 "2026-04-30T22:15:25Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Better nutrition, improved maternal health, and advanced medical care has not made any difference in average height of Americans over the past 40 years. It has made a difference if you look back 100 years. I’m _honestly_ not trying to argue science with you; I’m just sharing the WAGs which non-doctors made, decades ago, as to how tall I would get. Also, FWIW, I’m 61, and reached my adult height more than 40 years ago. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/54 "2026-04-30T22:43:57Z")
Regression to the mean is a thing. If, perchance, both one’s parents are taller than typical for their family history, good bet their offspring will be shorter than their average plus/minus 2.7" Same for shorter than typical parents; the kids will regress upwards _towards_ (not _to_) the mean. None of which is relevant except statistically. I’m my height, you (any you) are your height, and the OP is their height. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/55 "2026-04-30T22:44:19Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And honestly things like work from home equalize things for people like the OP. On the internet, no one knows how tall you are. Yeah, that was one of the fun things in the years after COVID. When I would finally meet a coworker in person after spending so much time on Zoom / Teams to find out they were 6’4" (like my manager) or 5’2" (like one woman who was my client). (I’m just over 5’10", so about average) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/56 "2026-04-30T22:47:17Z")
> [@CastletonSnob1](#): > > I just feel unmanly. Men are supposed to be tall, or at least, taller than women, or at least, taller than their mom. > > And mostly, I wanted to vent. That there is a bundle of unhappiness talking. If you’re feeling a chronic shortage of _macho_, what are you going to do about it? _Macho_ is in the mind, not the body. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/57 "2026-04-30T23:07:23Z")
Eh, I’m of the opinion that venting is a fair way to deal with the issue. Sometimes there’s just too many things going on at once that is causing pain or despair. It’s easy to fixate on just _one_ for whatever reason of the day, especially one that you _cannot_ in a medically safe way, correct. And it’s one that is long term, compared to the issues of the day or moment. Vent @CastletonSnob1, let it out until it’s back to being part of the background noise, but _later_ it’s probably a good idea to work on some of the constructive criticism offered in the thread - counseling, clothing styles, some body/strengthbuilding, train a new skill, whatever works for your time, energy and budget. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/58 "2026-04-30T23:17:40Z")
Vent. Yeah, vent if it helps. I’m a tall woman. It’s not easy being the tallest always. I came up in a tall family. My children are tall. We all complain. Bumped heads on cupboard doors. Uncomfortable airline seats and other places. Knees reaching the nasty underside of restaurant tables. Too short pants and oddly sleeves(I have monkey length arms). Knee socks don’t reach the knees. Counter height is just a tad too short to make it comfy to work at. Knees bumping dash in modern cars. I feel ya. It’s rough allover. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/59 "2026-04-30T23:23:47Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > Eh, I’m of the opinion that venting is a fair way to deal with the issue. I agree with this, and the rest of the post. If the OP is really frustrated by his height, denying his feelings won’t help. I get it; if I were a 5’2.25’" that would probably piss me off. Might as well admit it. But yeah - then you can decide what comes next. As a woman, I’ll say that I’ve dated some awfully short guys (were they as short as you? I dunno, maybe. I know at least one was shorter than me, and I’m a little under 5’4") and one thing they all had in common was that they were in really good shape - not over-muscled body builder shape (ugh, I don’t think many women like that), but healthy and obviously putting some time into running/rowing/lifting weights, whatever. It’s up to you what if anything you do, and of course you can ignore me, but my advice is: get/stay in excellent shape if you can, and that will be quite attractive to women. The ones who can’t handle your height? Screw 'em, if they want to judge you on that basis they aren’t the right person for you anyway. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654/60 "2026-04-30T23:31:09Z")
> [@CastletonSnob1](#): > > I just feel unmanly. Men are supposed to be tall, or at least, taller than women, or at least, taller than their mom. Stop listening to the peddlers of this kind of nonsense. Even if - and ESPECIALLY if - the main peddler is you. > [@CastletonSnob1](#): > > And mostly, I wanted to vent. Fair enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654.md?page=4)