As a background to this question I dated a number of tall women (5’ 9" and taller) in my youth. My ex-wife is 6 feet tall and my 15 year old daughter is 5’ 11". About half of this group of women indicated that they did not mind being tall, except for for their perception of a substantially restricted real world dating population of eligible and interested males because of their height. The impression I got was that many (not all) women 5’ 10" or taller would have strongly preferred to have been 5’ 5" to 5’ 8" or so.
Given the envy these taller women had of the shorter “medium sized” women does the same serious desire hold true for short women (say 5’ 4" or smaller) to be substantially taller, or are most smaller women perfectly content with their diminuitive height?
Short people got
no reason to live…
They got little cars that go beep, beep, beep,
they got little mouths that go peep, peep, peep…
I’m 5’ 3 3/4" and I wouldn’t mind being in that medium sized range you mentioned. It sucks being in a massive crowd of people and seeing only people’s backs and chests (don’t even think about commenting on that last bit ). It sucks going to a show because inevitably someone blocks your view when they sit in front of you (which isn’t deliberate, I know). In most kitchens, I can’t even reach something in the high cupboards without getting up on a chair or the counter or a stepstool.
It’s harder to carry weight on the bod when you’re short. It’s hard to find pants that don’t need hemming - unless you go to a petite store - and those aren’t always easy to find, and their selection can be limited. Taller women can wear most clothing styles and look good - which is why they’re used as high-fashion models.
About the only advantage I can see to being short is what you mentioned about a limited dating pool for exceptionally tall women. (And I imagine exceptionally tall women have problems finding clothes too.)
Even if I could get an operation to make me taller I wouldn’t do it. It’s not that I’m content - I’m just resigned (and don’t believe in unnecessary surgery).
I’m 5’7" and heck, I wish I had a few more inches. (Minds out of the gutter please, I’m a girl.) This despite having married a 5’6" man. Only regrets about that are that we failed miserably at ballroom dancing, and unless he’s wearing a big hat I always lose him in stores.
I wouldn’t want to be supershort. But I suppose if I’d been born that way, I’d be used to it.
Hm, reading that over I see that I’m not very helpful at 3 am. : yawn :
Ah, Randy Newman, right. (I did see Grey sing it on The Muppet Show, though.)
I should say, having thought about it a little more, that I shouldn’t grouse too much about only being 5’ 3 3/4".
I have a friend who may not even be 4’ 11" (due to a health problem). In high school and college, she had problems finding adult clothes to fit her (it was a great day when the Limited Too came to town). She could only wear kids’ shoes too - so forget about finding high heels to wear. She also had to have blocks put on her gas and brake pedals so she could drive. She’d probably be ecstatic to be my height.
My mum wishes she was taller. She is a little over 5’. Until recently she had the same problems with clothes that Octavia’s friend did. Now Target at least stocks different length jeans and pants in each size. But she still has trouble reaching high shelves and things like that.
I’m 5’5" and wish I was smaller. I’m taller than my husband (something which I’ve kinda gotten used to after these past 10 years), and living in Japan is really hard if you are a woman over about 5’3". I can’t find pants long enough, or shirts with sleeves long enough. And I can’t find shoes to fit either.
And 5’5" is so boringly AVERAGE! I’d rather be smaller or taller and stand out a little when I’m in Australia. I guess no matter my height I’m always going to stand out here in Japan!
I’m 5’5" and I would like to be a few inches taller, just to have more of a “presence.” (OK, I’d like to be able to reach the top shelf in the library, too.) But, hey, my head fits nicely on my boyfriend’s chest.
5’3" here, and just don’t think about it/care for the most part.
About 3 more inches would be nice - easier to carry certain largish objects (when I was in art school I coud never find a portfolio that didn’t drag, being 1-2 inches too deep for my height). And I’d fit cars, trucks, and cockpits a little easier. Particularly in airplanes, a lot of them seem to be built for people 5’6" to 5’10" and if you fall outside that range things can get complicated. At least I can put blocks on the rudder pedals or a pillow behind my butt - the pilots 6’+ are sort of out of luck.
Folks need to get past this “eligilble man” business in regards to height. I like short guys. I’d be very happy with a man shorter than me. I don’t find the supertall sexy at all.
Got a guy friend 5’ tall. Someone asked him once, “do you date taller women”? He said “Do I have a choice?” Most of the guys my size and shorter seem to wind up with women taller than themselves.
5’1" here. It’s a bit below average for Puertorrican women, and certainly lower than average for US women. Like others have said, the most common problem is with things that are located too high for me and with clothes. Jeans, even the ones labeled short, are too long for my legs.
In a chemistry lab, I had to lower one of the instruments just so I could reach the top and pour the liquids inside. My lab instructor said not to do that (afraid of it breaking) so he had to help me pour the liquid. In another experiment, I had to calculate the dimensions of the room. Eeeh…from my perspective, that roof is really high! I kept giving my lab instructor wrong guesses, until he said to think of him (about 6 feet tall) as a measurement…then I could say the height was twice him.
I’m 4ft10 and I’m happy with my height. Sometimes it sucks to not be able to see when you’re in a crowd, or to not be able to reach the top shelf at the supermarket, but generally I turn these to my advantage. It’s an opportunity to sit on someone’s shoulders or talk to the nice-looking sales assistant. My height is part of me, it makes me stand out. I’ve had to ask people to reach stuff for me since forever, I’m cool with that.
I come from a teeny family - my mum is 5ft and my dad is 5ft2, so when we had our kitchen redone, we had it all done so we could reach everything. It’s a mini-kitchen!
As for my husband being shorter than me, we call it the Nicole and Tom syndrome. I can’t say I like Tom Cruise much, but a guy who is with a woman who is taller than him just oozes self-confidence. And THAT is sexy. And THAT is why I think my husband is the bee’s knees!
…but it would be nice if he was taller than me when we dance…
I’m 5’ 4", which caused me great excitement for a while (I was 5’1" for years and had a growth spurt in my early twenties). A couple more inches would definitely be a plus—I could reach shelves, not have to hem every pair of pants I buy, etc. but it certainly doesn’t bother me every waking minute.
I’m 5’ 1". I would love to be 6 inches taller. I honestly can’t imagine what it would be like not to stare at backs all the time. Sometimes I get the urge (unacted upon, of course) to bite people in the shoulders. In crowds I feel like the taller people get all the oxygen. It’s hard to find clothes, particularly since I’m relatively long-waisted, so I don’t fit petites and I don’t fit regular lengths. I ride, and my short legs are a drawback - I don’t have as much leg on the horse. In my dressage saddle my legs barely reach below the flaps of the saddle. Yeah, I’d love to have any inches people are willing to donate.
The grass is always greener - tall women typically are interested in being shorter (my wife is 6’1", was so by the time she was 13 - the fact that she is beautiful didn’t really matter when she was that age, y’know?), and shorter people want to be taller. This is true when you got your self-esteem battered when you were a kid. Some people deal with it very well and appreciate who they are, some people spend their whole life wishing they were something else, and some people are reasonably well-adjusted, but have lingering pangs of “life would be different if only I was…” but they still get on with their lives.
Is this really surprising?
(sorry for the tone - my 2-year-old kept me up all night with a cough - she’s fine, but I got no sleep)
Being 5’4" tall and being claustrophobic sucks! Walking in a crowd or at a concert, heck, even being in a crowded elevator freaks the hell outta me!!
I don’t think I’d mind my height much if I wasn’t claustrophobic. I’m the oldest grandchild in the family and the shortest. My grandfather’s argument is if I keep my hair short I’ll look taller. :rolleyes:
My fiance is about 5’8", so we fit nicely together. I don’t ever wear heels (I’m a huge clutz with a bad ankle) so I’m never taller than him.
I am about 5’ 3”, I think. I come up to my boyfriend’s chest. I’m hoping that our child will be nice and normal sized. Like StGermain I’m long-waisted so tops aren’t a problem but my legs are rather mini and I’m always having to take up skirts and trousers. I went to a funhouse one time and they had one of those wavy mirrors which squishes your top and makes your legs look nice and long. THAT’s the shape I’d like to be.
I’m pretty much content with my height, even though being used as an arm-rest, being called an “Oompa-Loompa” and being ignored in a crowd can get to me most of the time.
I wouldn’t mind being a few inches taller, but does it really matter? Nah.
). It sucks going to a show because inevitably someone blocks your view when they sit in front of you (which isn’t deliberate, I know). In most kitchens, I can’t even reach something in the high cupboards without getting up on a chair or the counter or a stepstool.