<p>A lot of girls don't like to date guys who are way too into looks, even the most beautiful. Get over your shortness and fear of "pumpkins".</p>
<p>TA3021, are you really saying you think shorter people are short because they didn't eat their veggies? i mean, did you ever take a health/bio class in school or anything lol? height is basically genetic, so i'm guessing Lakrosse is short because his parents are, not because he was starved in a basement as a child...
[quote]
why does society feel bad for fat people, but laughs at short people?
[/quote]
Society laughs at fat people more, I think. I had a friend in high school (girl) who was pretty tall, but kind of chubby..she used to tease me a lot for being short, but then one day I made an innocent (it honestly wasn't even mean) joke about her being large, and she got really upset and started talking to me about how uncomfotable she felt about her weight and all that...there were tears in her eyes. And I honestly couldn't believe how insecure she was about it...I think fat people have it way worse, especially fat women. And she doesn't stuff her face or anything, she's not even fat, just a little chubby. I notice her whole family kind of is, so it's probably just her genetic predisposition. It's acceptable to make fun of people for things that aren't a big deal - like being short, too tall, too skinny, having freckles, skinny lips - things like that, because they're not a huge deal. But making fun of peope (esp women) for being fat, having a disorder, crippled, having a skin condition, etc, is more unacceptable because it's a bigger deal.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Society laughs at fat people more
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Definitely. However, this case only applies for GIRLS ONLY. If you are male, it may be better to be fat than short. If you are a girl, on the other hand, short is better than fat by 10000000 times more. The archetypal appeal of girls of modern days is undoubtedly their "smallness." Small indicates certain combination of skinny and short. No one who has any remote awareness of our surrounding media will deny that. It also just makes guys feel more protective, chivalrous, masculine, whatever that boosts their male ego. </p>
<p>(Also, if you think about it, you can LOSE ALL THE FAT. But you can't grow once you reach the certain age! Fat isn't permanent, but height is... So people are less tolerant towards obesity, because it's something you can fix )</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you are a girl, on the other hand, short is better than fat by 10000000 times more.
[/quote]
I disagree...if I was a tall fat girl, I could just lose some weight and be a tall thin girl, the ideal. but a short girl like myself can't grow taller. Plus it's harder for short women to keep the weight off...gain 10 lbs with a long body, it's not too noticable, but if a short girl gains 10 lbs, WHOA she must be preggers!</p>
<p>I'd like to point out something to guys who feel too short even though they're 5'8" or thereabouts (which is nearly average for a male):</p>
<p>You might know, or should be aware, that 5'8" is approximately in the 95th percentile for height for a female. That means that not very many females are over 5'8". And if you're a guy who is 5'8", you're taller than the vast majority of females. Those few girls who are taller than 5'8" are in the minority, and they're usually very well aware that they are considerably taller than the average female (sometimes painfully aware of that). They're generally used to being taller than most people, and if they do want to date, they're not necessarily looking for a really tall guy. Some tall girls are ok with dating shorter guys and aren't that picky.</p>
<p>So if you're a guy and you're 5'8" or thereabouts, if you're having a hard time finding dates, I would guess that it's probably not because of your height...</p>
<p>Um, I'm like really short and a male (I mean really short, not 5'8'' short) and I get tail like none other. That would be because I play it cool and am not a whiny bit*cha$$ like you Lakrosse. all i can tell you is to stop being such a loser if you cant get a girl, being short isn't good but its not particularly bad or hard to get over</p>
<p>
[quote]
are you really saying you think shorter people are short because they didn't eat their veggies?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No. I was just saying that if he can make assumptions about fat people, anyone can make assumptions about short people. I am only half an inch taller than him, my mom is his height, my dad is slightly below average at 5'7, I know that height is genetic. I knew that height has a correlation of .90 for genetics before I even went to college, but there is still room for diet. If one is especially short, people will wonder things like that just like they will wonder if the obese person was shoving food down her throat all day to get that way.</p>
<p>I sincerely hope everyone here decides to drop all their concerns about attraction, dating or anything related to this and just entrench yourself into your passion. If all one thinks about is getting laid or a hot date and they're constantly trying to do this, it will not come naturally.
People like it when one has an interest outside of sex and looks, and are often impressed when you're dedicated to something, have a talent at something. If anyone here does not have something they're interested in, at least get a simple hobby and you will appear more interesting.
I know that we're all intrinsically shallow and that looks matter, but I think that we tend to fret over it too much and need to relax and things will come soon enough and when we least expect it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If one is especially short, people will wonder things like that just like they will wonder if the obese person was shoving food down her throat all day to get that way.
[/quote]
I don't think so...sure, if you're deprived of adequate nutrition it'll affect your development, but that doesn't apply to most Americans...if I saw a short person walking down the street, I'd guess their parents must have been short, whereas if I saw an obese person I'd guess that person has a slow metabolism and eats a lot. I certainly wouldn't guess someone like Lakrosse has been deprived of nutrition...it's in his genes. Drinking lots of milk helps your bones grow strong, but not necessarily longer, that's determined by your genes. Even if he had an extremely calcium-enriched diet and ran around a lot, he'd probably still be short...i'm no med student, it's just what I figure.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'd like to point out something to guys who feel too short even though they're 5'8" or thereabouts (which is nearly average for a male)</p>
<p>You might know, or should be aware, that 5'8" is approximately in the 95th percentile for height for a female. That means that not very many females are over 5'8". And if you're a guy who is 5'8", you're taller than the vast majority of females. Those few girls who are taller than 5'8" are in the minority, and they're usually very well aware that they are considerably taller than the average female (sometimes painfully aware of that). They're generally used to being taller than most people, and if they do want to date, they're not necessarily looking for a really tall guy. Some tall girls are ok with dating shorter guys and aren't that picky.
[/quote]
Actually, 5'8" is noticeably shorter than the average for Caucasian males aged 20-39, by 2.4 inches, and falls under the 25th percentile by 0.6 inches. For males of all races, aged 20-29, 5'8" is approximately at the 25th percentile, and falls nearly 2 inches below the average.</p>
<p>Now for the comparison among females: For Caucasian females aged 20-39, 5'8" is at the 90th percentile. For females of all races, aged 20-59, 5'8"-5'8.5" is around the 95th percentile. </p>
<p>5'8" may be nearly average for older generations, but younger generations are actually growing taller and I can see how 5'8" guys feel short these days. </p>
<p>And some other useless, but interesting stats :)</p>
<p>I'd say for a guy...
- you want to be at least 5'6.5", to be taller than or equal to 75% of Caucasian women.<br>
- you want to be at least 5'8.5" to be taller than or equal to 75% of Caucasian women in heels.<br>
- you want to be at least 5'6", to be taller than or equal to 75% of [all] women.<br>
- you want to be at least 5'8" to be taller than or equal to 75% of [all] women in heels.</p>
<p>So at about 5'8", it may be a bit short for a man, but still decent among women. But I do get where it gets uncomfortable since it's at the point where you're shorter than 75% of men. For guys who are significantly shorter (less than 5'6"), it gets tougher as they are shorter than most men and a significant amount of women. All stats aside, there are many short women out there. There are short women who will not mind being the same height as the guy, so all that really matters is finding the right people to surround yourself with. There are even really, really short guys who are 5'0" out there (I've seen about 3 so far at my college) among really, really short girls as well, so know that there are those short people who may have it worse than you do.</p>
<p>^ you're over-analyzing this to death - yep, 5'8 is on the short side for guys, but not that short...i think most women don't care, we just want a guy who's taller than we are, preferably a few inches, but some girls don't mind dating a guy their height or shorter. any 5'8 guy saying women don't like them because of height must be ugly or something, because only a very tall woman would say that, I think....so yeah, being tall/above average is the ideal for men AND women, but it's not a huge deal as long as you're physically attractive otherwise and have a decent personality. even a guy around lakrosse's size will find girls shorter than him though...i'm shorter than him and notice plenty of women around campus smaller than me (i go to a heavily asian school, that's probably why).</p>
<p>
[quote]
but not that short
[/quote]
I wasn't implying that at all. Just simply saying that it's shorter than a lot of guys these days, for younger generations in the year 2009. I also just wanted to throw some stats out there for the fun of it.
[quote]
i'm shorter than him and notice plenty of women around campus smaller than me (i go to a heavily asian school, that's probably why)
[/quote]
There is also no shortage of 5'1"- caucasian girls around here, so even the shortest of guys aren't totally doomed. Girls around 4'10"-5'0" aren't so rare.</p>
<p>^ they are rare, because they're like in the bottom 5th percentile...but yeah i'm asian and I have a lot of family/family friends in that range, or even shorter...it's always weird when i'm hanging out with some of my female cousins and i'm the tallest at barely 5'1...and my 5'4 sister towers over the other women in our huge extended family...I have to say, none of us would date guys around our own heights. it might be shallow, but it's true.</p>
<p>For some reason, they're not that rare at my campus, but that wasn't the case where I went to high school and where I live, so that's something.
[quote]
I have to say, none of us would date guys around our own heights. it might be shallow, but it's true.
[/quote]
That's understandable. Nothing wrong with that at all imo. At your heights, it'll probably be beneficial in the long run (for future generations of children).</p>
<p>haha yeah, plus it's pretty rare to find guys around our size...it's funny, all the men in my family, including my dad, brother, and male cousins are all on the tallish side, especially for asians...so i'm guessing if i have a son, he will be tallish as well.</p>
<p>btw OP, i'm sorry I called you a whiny brat or whatever earlier :) I realize it must be harder for you to find girls, as even short women such as myself don't prefer men our own size...but some don't mind I guess...good luck.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Many short men are short because they refused to eat their vegetables as little boys and did not go to bed when it was bedtime.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You are so misinformed, do you read what you write before you post?</p>
<p>Unless a child growing is severely malnourished due to poverty or neglect than there height is completely genetically determined.</p>
<p>My younger brother is 5'5'. I've seen the crap that he has to put up with--especially people denying that height is a major factor for males when they are looking for a significant other (or tail, depending on their preferences). There is a clear bias against short men everywhere--how many male celebrities do you know who are below average height? </p>
<p>There have been studies published on this in Time magazine, the Economist, Newsweek (search the Economist archive for "height" and you will come up with myriad examples). My brother is 19, and I've had to talk to him about this--he had the same anger that you have about the "shallowness" of how men are judged versus women (despite media coverage of how men are shallow). It's true--there aren't many people who are fat because of genetics. Diabetes affects less than 20% of youth. By and large, fat people have no excuse.</p>
<p>But here's the deal: life isn't fair. As you can tell on this board, nobody cares that you're short. You're a "whiny b****" as far as everyone else is concerned, and that's what counts. So get your body in better shape and master social skills. Then, either "game" girls into bed (knowing that they are shallow as hell) or find the girl who will truly accept you for who you are. Don't waste your energy complaining about this. There are not enough people who care about your cause yet, and social stereotypes make it less acceptable for men to complain. As they say, "man it up." It's not fair. Life isn't either.</p>
<p>The funny thing is that the OP would occasionally fit in where I go to school with some of the guys here too, lol. I've seen some 5'2" guys - one with a girl his own height and even another with a girl who was 5'4"!
[quote]
Many short men are short because they refused to eat their vegetables as little boys and did not go to bed when it was bedtime.
[/quote]
Another reason is genetics, due to being born as a shorter ethnicity, so I guess it's also not fair to those guys as well. So PolPHD is right in saying "As they say, "man it up." It's not fair. Life isn't either."
[quote]
even a guy around lakrosse's size will find girls shorter than him though...i'm shorter than him and notice plenty of women around campus smaller than me (i go to a heavily asian school, that's probably why).
[/quote]
In that case, if Lakrosse prefers caucasian women, then it's going to be significantly harder since shorter (5'0"-) caucasian women are a lot harder to come by.
[quote]
There is a clear bias against short men everywhere--how many male celebrities do you know who are below average height?
[/quote]
Not many under 5'7", which is probably an inch or half-inch away from being out of the acceptable range.
[quote]
My younger brother is 5'5'. I've seen the crap that he has to put up with--especially people denying that height is a major factor for males when they are looking for a significant other (or tail, depending on their preferences).
[/quote]
Yeah, I understand how things can be like when someone is that short. This kind of reinforces my point that life gets a lot harder when you fall below 5'6-7".</p>
<p>
[quote]
There is a clear bias against short men everywhere--how many male celebrities do you know who are below average height?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>All between 5'3''-5'8''. You were saying?</p>
<p>Sean Penn
Casey Affleck
Cillian Murphy
Joaquin Phoenix
Ice Cube
Tom Cruise
Ben Kingsley
Don Cheadle
Robert Downey Jr
Jeremy Piven
Tobey Maguire
Billy Crudup
Mark Ruffalo
Giovanni Ribisi
Robin Williams
Willem Dafoe
Steve Zahn
Thomas Ian Nicholas
Michael Chiklis
Jon Stewart
Billy Crystal
Ben Stiller
Al Pacino
Jonah Hill
Emile Hirsch
Dustin Hoffman
Elijah Wood
Michael J Fox
Emilio Estevez
Haley Joel Osment
Frankie Muniz
Joe Pesci
Rob Schneider
Seth Green</p>
<p>Lackrosse, everyone here has offered up reasons why shortness is viewed the way it is. What are you looking for? I have a friend who is 5'4-5'5 and he gets laid all the time. It is easy to blame your unhappiness on something you can't control because it removes you from blame. You shift the responsiblity from yourself to your height. It isn't your fault that girls don't find you attractive, it's because you aren't tall enough, right? How do you think you got here? How do you think your short genes got passed on? Give me a break.</p>
<p>How many times have you asked out a girl and gotten shot down? Do you just sit at home and cry, or are you out trying to meet women all the time with no success? If getting a girlfriend is what you want, maybe waiting around isn't the best strategy, maybe you need to go out there and look.</p>
<p>Getting laid isn't like getting into Harvard, billions of people have done it before. Though you are stuck with being short, there are things you can do to increase. Invest in yourself to make yourself more attractive. Take care of yourself, dress well. Dressing well is probably the most overlooked way to increase your attractiveness. I'm not going to bother listing anymore because the list is endless.</p>