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Good thing I love heels! | Source: ShutterStock
I first realized I was short when I was in middle school. In my small Catholic school, our teachers used to line us up by height every day. I was always in the front, tied for first position with my equally tiny friend Damary. Whether we were walking into the cafeteria for lunch, filing into church, or going outside for recess, I was almost always leading the group. The boys would giggle as we took our position and say things like, “Are you guys ever going to grow?” Whatever, they had cooties anyway.
At first, I assumed I would grow to be tall. I thought that by eighth-grade graduation, I would have taken my place in the back of the line with the other long-legged kids in my class. But then, during a weekly visit to my very Italian great-grandma, I realized that she was 4’10, and I started to get worried. Later, I noticed that one of my older cousins, at 5’7, stood towering over the majority of my family. I heard a 19-year-old cousin talking about how she had finally realized she was done growing. She was 5’0. Things started to look bleak.
One day, I came home and complained to my mom about my height. “Will I ever grow?” I wailed to her. “Will I always be in the front of the line of everything?” My mom just smiled and told me the truth: my family is tiny (like a lot of Italian families), and there was no getting around that.
I was devastated at first (my dreams of being a supermodel suddenly seemed ridiculous), but I got over it pretty quickly. For one thing, I enjoyed being called petite. To my younger self, it sounded like “princess” (I have no idea why), and obviously, being a princess was my ultimate goal in life, so there was that. For another thing, I noticed that all of my older cousins who I looked up to were short – and that made it much more cool.
At 14-years-old, I had reached 5’0, and I knew in my heart I was done growing (and I really was). I embraced being short. Not only could I squeeze through crowds better than anyone I knew, but boys were always calling me “cute” and “adorable” and resting their arms on my shoulders. Okay, that last part got seriously annoying after a while, but it was fun when I was younger.
Hayden Panettiere and I share the same height | Source: DFree/ShutterStock
Honestly, I can’t tell you the main reason why I started loving my height – I just accepted that I was always going to be short, and I decided to own my vertically challenged genes instead of resent them. I remember complaining about my height to one of my best friends, who was nearing 6’0. She groaned and said, “Don’t even start. You’re so lucky that you’re tiny. I wish I could shrink to your height.” That day, I realized that the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” was true. Maybe I was jealous of the tall girls, but maybe those tall girls were jealous of me, too. It was silly to me. Why obsess over something you can’t change?
Don’t get me wrong–there are definitely some annoying things about being short. It’s a little bit embarrassing when eight-year-old kids are towering over me. I always have to ask for help when trying to get something on a high shelf, and for some reason, people always find that really amusing. I also have a baby face, so I’m almost always mistaken for being at least five years younger than I actually am (but I’m told I’ll appreciate that one day).
Oh, and I’m never thrilled when new people I meet feel the need to tell me I’m petite. Example: “Wow, you’re so short! How tall are you?” Thanks for the (rude) reminder, guys, but I do own a mirror. I’m fully aware of my height.
But in the end, I would never trade my height with anyone (and if I really want to add a few inches, I know how to rock a pair of heels). Being short is just a part of who I am–and that might sound corny, but I like to think of it as one of my defining features. It makes me stand out. I’d rather embrace it than hate it any day.
Are you short? Or are you tall? Do you wish you were a different height? Tell us about it in the comments.
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I stopped growing when I was 13 and I’m only about 5’2. Sure, sometimes – when I’m at a concert or sth – I wish I were at least 5’4, but other thn that I never had a problem with it. On the contrary, I always was the most agile on every sports team I ever joined, and I never had any troubles sleeping all curled up in an airplane seat. The only thing that REALLY keeps annoying me is people making stupid comments about it and calling me a dwarf. oh and of course when my mom, who is a bit taller than me keeps asking me if I have a problem with being short. NO I DON’T. its not a desease so it doesn’t affect me in a bad way. she doesn’t believe me and whenever I do sth out of the ordinary she thinks I am to develope a complex or sth. annoying, like I said
Im under 5feet im 4feet 10 and my boyfreind is 6foot 6 and we get stairs from everyone i also get stared at but it also struggle as its hard for me to get things from the supermarket shelves things like that and people sometimes try and push by you
short girls have it better because they can just wear heels; i’m 5’7” and i can’t get any shorter ;(
Reading this made me laugh a little..but it also made me feel better. I turned 17 a month ago and Im just 5.0′…. I cant tell you how many tears I’ve cried and sleepless nights I have spent because of that…. But knowing that Im not the only short one out there helps. Thanks a lot for writing this! Also, I heard ” Short people rule the world, Tall people protect it”
No offence!
i’m short too, 5’3, and i’m asian
I am 5.2 and i would love to be A LITTLE bit taller. I absolutely dont see extremly tall girls attractive, but i really wish i would be of an average height (something around 5.4).. I feel so stupid when people refer to me as “the petite one” or “the small one”..
I like wearing heels, because i can feel like a normal person then. However it really sucks when i go to the gym with friends or when we arrange a picnic or some similar event i cannot afford to wear heels. Ohh yes, i definitely often wish i was taller so i could simply wear comfortable pair of ballerina shoes at job..
lol yeah, it’s easy to love being short when you’re a girl.. try being short and being a boy. there aren’t many looks more painful than the “oh.. i thought he’d be taller” look.
Im 19 and 4’11. I love everything about being short i look young, im small, my size always draws eyes at the bars but im always having trouble finding cloths. Any suggestions?
yah ,,, but I am so short
… I am only 4″10′,,,,, I am sure I wont grow anymore. My confident level is also zero, when I have to talk in front of mass.
By the time I finished reading this article I’ve kinda started to start changing my views on being petite. I’m 15 and 4’11ft I absolutly hated being short and onstantly being mistaken for a 11yr old -.- Since I haven’t grown in the last year, I think i’ve already reached my tallest height. I will learn how to love myself instead of just complaining
Thank you!!! <3
Hey My name is Amy too xD I am 15 and I am only 4’11:/ you honestly sound just like mexD
I am 5’4 14 years old and almost everyone I know is taller than me but talk guys love short cute girls lol
66 yrs. old…..90 lbs….sz 5 shoe….needs help finding a “true” size 2 in EVERYTHING.
I think that ALL department stores are very discriminating against small women in everything, including P.J.s, slips, dresses ,skirts, pants.The things that they do have are old fashioned looking or cheaply made. Plus sizes are in every store because….BIG IS BEAUTIFUL!!!! I have given up even trying to purchase clothing. I need help!!!!!!!!!!!!
i dont get why some girls are worried about being heigh when in my communitywe don t consider it as a big deal. but if a male was short thats when they strat given him the eye .
wow i wish i was just a bit shorter cause im 12 and im about 5’4 and im a bit taller than my boyfriend and i hate it but i also kinda like being tall i guess i dont hate it as much as i used to but it still bugs me cause i’ll probaly gone get realy uncomfortable wearing heels when im older or probaly not gona wear them at all
5’4 is not tall. The average height in the U.S. is 5’4 for women. Women above that are tall. I’m 5’2 or 5’3. And I consider that to be short. I’m 16 and I stopped growing when I was 13. I received the short gene from my mom’s side. Her grandma was 5’0 and her mom was 5’4 or 5’5. My mom was 5’6 or 5’7. It might be a little over average for your age but it’s still not tall.
I’m 12 and 5’10, and i have a lot friends taller than me…. Btw i’m a girl..
I am so short when my friends wear heels i can’t hear a word they are saying’
Turns out my bones aren’t the same age as my body. They are 2 years younger (I have sever anxiety and didn’t eat for a year)
So I am so scared that my little sister will be taller then me, I will always be stronger but Its annoying when people ask if me and my 13 year old sis are twins
and when i went to camp people always ask me a math Q to make sure I’m 16..I suck @ math! english no problemo
SOooo annoying
I’m 16 and have maxed out at 5’0″, and my 13 year old sister is 5’9″. People always think she’s the one in high school, or I get surprised looks when I get out of the driver’s seat of the car and she’s in the passenger seat.
However, it’s also a blessing. Guys love smaller girls that they can hug and spin around. And, you save money by being able to buy kid’s meals!
I’m 5’0 and 17 years old. All of my friends tower over me. They joke around with me because of my height but I’ve learned to deal with it. They’re tall. I’m short. There’s nothing I can do about it.
It doesn’t matter how tall or short you are – we all have insecurities. We just have to realize that most of those things we can’t change and we just have to embrace them.
hey! i completly agree. im 4 ft 11 inches, 15 yrs old. everyone, and i mean EVERYONE at school is taller than me…pretty much. anyway, its actually not so bad, i guess. being short and small, you get WAY better hugs…the kind where they can pick u up and spin yhou around….thats the best!!! and you get piggy back rides…for the win!! so to all the short girls out there, look to the bright side!! youre pretty awesome!
Being short is amazing! I am 4 foot 9 inches But i know I can do as much as a tall person can do. We are small and different!
How old are u marisa? And I’m 4″8 tall and in eighth grade. I’m learning to deal with my height. I’m scared for high school though! I don’t want to be picked on!
I’m short too, i’m 16 and 5’2. I love my height, i used to be jealous of my friends and family but I learned to love it. Like for instance people call me cute or a kid, which i don’t mind at all, also people think that my younger sister, 14 and 5’4(and growing) is older than i love it that they think that, which means i’m “young.” XD so it’s good.