“You’re so tiny!” “How’s the weather down there?” “Can I pick you up?” “How tall are you?” As if I haven’t heard enough already. Growing up shorter than all my peers, I have eventually learned to be accustomed to the constant questions and comments regarding my height. In fact, I heard the same things so often growing up that I would be impressed whenever someone came up with something new. One of the most memorable ones was when I would do track and field in high school and a guy asked if he could hurdle over me. By the way, he could not. Because I didn’t let him. Because that would’ve looked ridiculous. Another one I heard recently was when I was walking with Kate to TSO’s Songkran and she compared me to Rapunzel’s pet chameleon, Pascal, from the movie “Tangled.” Though, I’d have to say her comparison was cute rather than the hurdle one.
There are many pros and cons to being short. But instead of traditionally starting with pros, let me tell you about the most common cons first that always comes to people’s minds. The most obvious one: constantly being teased. What annoyed me the most was not having anything to say back, because any response would just make me look like a pick-me. Whenever I’m told things like “you’re so small,” all I could really do was simply laugh it off — because genuinely — what else can you say? Another struggle, especially for females, is clothing. Mainly jeans. You could find a nice pair that fits perfectly around your waist, until you can’t even see your feet because the pants cover them. I’ve probably spent a lifetime of savings on just getting pants tailored. While I could go on about everyday inconveniences, believe it or not there are actually a few pros that make up for it.
Because I am not always taken seriously for my height, I learned to use it to my advantage instead of feeling insecure. Being 4 foot 11 inches in high school track wasn’t exactly ideal as I mentioned earlier, so being teased was actually some sort of motivation for me. Personally, I’m not a bragger and I think of myself as pretty humble, yet I knew I wasn’t one of the slowest on the team. I would often have guys I didn’t know talking down on my height or whatever, and I’d still be able to run faster than them. Maybe if they ran like their mouths, they could’ve been able to beat my PRs. Aside from that, I had also been able to get away with many discounts: restaurants, amusement parks, bus rides, etc. Thank god for the “12 and under” category, that it wasn’t until maybe recently I stopped telling vendors I was “turning 12” for the past few years. Another advantage I have to include is getting cheaper prices for shoes through kids’ sizing. I might get teased for being a 4-4.5 in women’s, but let’s go price for price for our sneakers first (just kidding … not really).
While I could go on and on about the ups and downs of being vertically challenged, one piece of advice I would give for those who could relate is to never let height define who you are. While that may seem impossible from an outside perspective, your height is just one trait that shouldn’t outweigh everything else that makes you you. For example, a lot of people LOVE Bruno Mars (including me), but they may not realize he’s actually 5 foot 5 inches. Same with the famous comedian, Kevin Hart — whose height is a little more known — but doesn’t make him any less funny or successful. Anywho, the big takeaway is that I hope all my short kings and queens could get from my blog is to always stand tall … even if you’re not. Because success isn’t measured in feet and inches.
Ava Gabriel
Copy Intern
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