I thought I'd make this my first Kavar thread since the Senate seems kind of dead. Hope It's not too long and boring. :)

I've been wanting to make this thread, and ask this question for a while now. As the title reads: Do you think Heightism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heightism) exists? For those who are too lazy to follow the link to the Wikipedia article :xp: I'll quote what Heightism basically is:

"Heightism is a form of discrimination based on height. In principle it can refer to unfavorable treatment of either unusually tall or short people. In practice, heightism almost always takes the form of unfavorable treatment of shorter people and more favorable treatment of taller people (particularly tall men)"

I’m by no means comparing Heightism to the discrimination felt due to race, gender or sexual orientation, but yes I feel Heightism does exist to some extent. I know in dating it makes a difference. I had a friend that was vertically challenged until our senior year of high school. Between our junior and senior year he grew 6 inches. He went from no dates to a full schedule overnight.

What are your experiences of short men and women?
I’ve date a young lady that was more than a foot shorter than me. Height was never a problem or an issue.

Do you find yourself superior to them? or do you treat them just as you would treat anyone else?
I do not find myself superior to anyone nor do not consider myself inferior to anyone. Everyone is special in their own way and just because someone is different does not mean they are flawed or inferior. So to answer your question I treat shorter people the same way I treat everyone else. The way I would want to be treated.

You know, you're right. I can easily tell you that Heightism plays a huge role in sports. Many capable basketball players has been prevented from being hired by the NBA due to them being of short stature while people who are very, very tall are welcomed with open arms.

I'd call for Affirmative Action in Basketball.

I think it's easier in life for short women, who are considered 'petite', than it is for short men.

I don't know if there's an intentional discrimination, but I think there may well be an unconscious bias, and I don't know if that's physiological (taller people tend to have been better fed growing up, and may have a physiological advantage to a potential mate in the Mists of Time (tm) ) or social. Women are told the ideal guy is 'tall, dark, and handsome', and the guys who make the sports teams are never short (well, almost never) because of advantage size gives in sports. Who do we idolize nowadays? Sports and movie stars. No surprise that it appears to be advantageous to be taller as a result.

I’ve date a young lady that was more than a foot shorter than me. Height was never a problem or an issue.

My last girlfriend was a foot shorter than me too, maybe a little more even... though, that never affected our relationship though.



My little brother is VERY small for his age, mostly because he is taking medication which stunt his growth... but he has dealt with some height descrimination and I realise that heightism obviously exists. I myself however, am only a little taller than "normal height" for my age. So I haven't expierienced any prejudice directed towards me...

You know, you're right. I can easily tell you that Heightism plays a huge role in sports. Many capable basketball players has been prevented from being hired by the NBA due to them being of short stature while people who are very, very tall are welcomed with open arms.

I'd call for Affirmative Action in Basketball.

I agree with SilentScope. I'm inclined to say that shortness is heavily descriminated against in sports. It's also sad that it has been so commonly accepted too :(

But hey, I'm sure there are plenty of guys and girls who dig short stature...
(all the short girls I have ever met have... feisty personalities hehehe :D)

I think it does exist. Funny thing is, I haven't heard of this before. Or, at least, never knew it had a name. I am 6'5" tall and I feel that sometimes I have been discriminated against for it. Particularly when I have attempted to get employed at elementary schools. High schools principals tend to love it that I'm tall.

Clothing used to be a main point of heightism. It used to be that any male over, say, 6'2" would have to shop at a Big & Tall shop. Things have gotten better in that regard. I can buy shirts, ties, and jackets at Wal-mart now, but not pants. I think that has less to do with height and more to do with girth. :\

As a child, I think it really comes into play. But, then again, anyone not "normal" in school gets to be the one picked on all the time. I used to have kids half my size picking fights with me to prove that they were so bada$$. Usually, it would wind up with them running home to momma. ;) I also feel that I led a pretty dull social life because very few girls liked really tall guys when I was growing up.....unless they were on the basketball team.

I'm glad that the world seems to care less and less about it, but there are still some holdouts. I still can't buy shoes in a regular store, most automobiles are too small for me to get into, and some attractions at amusement parks are build for shorter individuals. So who knows? I think it really depends on the situation.

At 5'10" I'm not really one to complain, but as a child I did have my fair share of mockery - being very small for my age, stick thin and with a cringeworthy pair of large round spectacles. Of course, bullies are always bound to pick on the smallest and therefore supposedly weakest kids and things really haven't ever really changed much.

I know that being short can sometime be irritating, but from one man to another, as long as you (excuse the pun) "measure up" in other ways - personality, maybe? - you won't find them complaining (and if they do they're shallow and not worth your time). You're still only 18 too: there may be a little bit of growth left in you before you stop, reach middle age, then turn around and come back down.

Heck, at least you aren't "only 1.65cm" as you state in your post!

If you ask me Heightism does exist. I'm only 1.65cm (not sure what I am in inches but I guess It's something like 5'5?), 18 and male. Which is pretty short. .

And I thought the "inch high" private eye(2.5cm) was short. :D Seriously, though, at 1.65m you aren't so bad off. There are height requirements in numerous professions. The modelling industry for women (and probably guys too), professional jockeys (more in your favor) as well as pro sports and even the military (where shorter stature works to your advantage in operating in the cramped spaces of various vehicles). I think that if you have a "large" personality, it'll probably help. Afterall, even Napolean was considered short for his time (and look how far he got before screwing up). As to ANY advocacy groups, they're all a little too self-serious and in search of establishing the victim status for people w/in their "group".

I think its more like, it is the natural instinct to pick a target smaller in size, which is supposedly weaker. And if you are a bully feeling like beating up someone, which would you choose? The little thin guy, or the big dude with a pair fists the size of your face?

There are advantages/disadvantages of being big/small, and they are quite real. Just ask one of your tall and big friends, about their enjoyable journey of flying economy class...

I wouldn't know. (6'4") :)

Tall women are hot though. :D

Tall women are hot though. :D

As usual Prime does not beat around the bush and goes straight to the heart of any discussion.

I'm 6'4" and the only trouble I've had is that being a lot bigger than most of my friends, if where out drinking and someone wants some trouble they tend to single me out like "take out the big guy and the rest will run". I don't think I've had better treatment for being above average height, also, the 2006 slam dunk champ was 5'9" the runners up were 6'6", 6'9", 6'10" I bet he's lovin it :p

I wouldn't know. (6'4") :) I'm only 6'0" ..I feel inferior.. moreso than usual compared to you :xp:
I smell discrimination.. the 'tallness' godz favor teh Prime-ster hehehe :fist:

Tall women are hot though. :D :nod: yes, yes they are... though I know some short hotties as well.. :naughty:

topic
Not as much as Prime ;) but yeah, being an even 6'0 seems to be a "plateau" at which no one seems to say anything about your height (short or tall wise)... but I definitely think it does exist.

Too many times, especially in the highschool years, bullies picked on the short kids or poked fun at the very tall (and usually thin) kids. However ironically, or perhaps not seeing as most bullies are cowards when confronted, they never picked on the short/tall "big" kids (big == muscles). So I'm not so sure as it's a mix of one thing or perhaps more of a combination? Personality, and those that take the time to appreciate said personality could also be a large factor...

One of my good friends (whose a Navy Seal now) is maybe 5'0" tall, BUT he's thick as a wall... everyone loves him, but I'd also bet money it's his fantastic personality that makes him such a hit (course the muscles probably help with the ladies' opinion ;) )...

Sadly, a "good personality" has such a wicked, unjust & ambiguous meaning attached to it... "But she has a great personality!" what's the first thing you think guys? ;)

Still, discrimination like this does exist, unfortunately. :(

Hey, just be glad you're not a 6'0", long-haired, tatooed and pierced guy working in the video editing field.. man, talk about being lame and a loser!! ... oh wait... :lol:

I'm around 6-3 1/2 and I get random people commenting on my height in public sometimes, but usually its not negative stuff. My younger brother is 6-5 and lots of people just come up to him and say stuff like "what do your parents feed you" or "you should play basketball" but usually its nothing negative.

I've been rejected a few times by girls because they thought I was too short, and this led to a lower self-confidence and because of this I've been unable to pursue any romantic interests partly because of me being 'too short' (the majority of women in my experience think this way). I do believe that my short stature has prevented me from getting girlfriends, it may sound stupid but that's the way I feel. I do feel lucky also because I've never been treated different by my parents, friends or teachers. This gives me hope for future tolerance.On the same note, I feel that my height gives me added confidence in social situations. Maybe its not my height because I jokingly act over-confident in pretty much everything I do but I think it is.

There were plenty of short guys at my school and there wasn't a whole lot of bullying going on, but I know it does exist.

And now I have another question: What are your experiences of short men and women? Do you find yourself superior to them? or do you treat them just as you would treat anyone else? I await your answers eagerly!I find myself superior to everyone.

I'm quite sure it exists. I've seen short adults being pushed around moreso in business transactions because of their height and that's just straight out heightism but I think a lot of it is subconscious in the minds of people in general and also in the mind of the short/tall person. Being in the midwest I can see some fairly obvious examples of this. The shorter the Farmer Joe™ is out here, the bigger the truck/hat combo. And the louder they are, unfortunately. This is almost the rule.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum, being a little over 195cm, and I sure get the sense that I make some people uncomfortable at times. I swear older women think I'm going to somehow consume them or pick them up over my shoulder and run away with them to my lair. I don't believe I'm scary looking by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not sporting gang tattoos or gnarly piercings and most of the time I'm just wearing regular cut jeans and a well kept t-shirt/undershirt combo. Yes, yes, I know, I'm dashing. Calm down ladies. I basically look like the guy you'd see helping old people load groceries into their wagons of motorized pedestrian death Cadillacs. I'm sure my stature figures into this somehow. Or maybe it all goes back to what I said earlier about much of it being in the tall/short persons head.

And yes, I am superior to Moeller.

I prefer to think of it as a strategic advantage and the inherent superiority of tall people.

"you should play basketball" If you are tall and play ball (like me), it seems to help a lot with people's perception of you. At least that was the way it felt when I was growing up.

I'm only 6'0" ..I feel inferior.. moreso than usual compared to you Aw, you sound like you need a hug! :smilehug:

Aw, you sound like you need a hug! :smilehug:
:lol: Big Macho Manly type hug right?

I'm quite the midget for my age really, my mates tower over me! :lol:
I think "Heightism" isn't the right word for this, definately a form of prejudice though!

I don't know if there's an intentional discrimination, but I think there may well be an unconscious bias, and I don't know if that's physiological (taller people tend to have been better fed growing up, and may have a physiological advantage to a potential mate in the Mists of Time (tm) ) or social.
I think it's a cultural thing. The "ideal" physical apperance has changed over the centuries and differs between cultures. When we grow up in a given society, we get used to some physical types.

I am a little over 5'10" (and sometimes around 6' when I wear heels :p ) which is rather tall for a woman (except perhaps in Holland and a few other European countries). I am taller than a great proportion of the male population here in Quйbec (average male height in Canada is 5'8" and average woman height is 5'4" (http://www.cflri.ca/pdf/e/pip15.pdf) )and I sometimes get the feeling that it intimidates or makes uncomfortable some shorter men. When I was at school, a few children told me that I should work as a "Hydro pole" :p but other than that, I got more offers to be on the school basketball team than teasing, especially when I was living in South America where I was about one head taller than the people in my age group.

I like to be tall and yes, I sometimes feel that it gives me an advantage in some situations. Clothing has sometimes been problematic in the past, especially when I needed to buy some pants but it's less of a problem today as they make clothes longer now.

Thanks for all the replies! :) woah, this turned out to be a long reply. :xp:

I think it's easier in life for short women, who are considered 'petite', than it is for short men.

Yes, you're right. As some of you have already pointed out It's the male ideal to to be tall (dark and handsome I might add :p) and for some men this can be quite stressful. I think you can compare this to all the beauty standards women have to face.


But hey, I'm sure there are plenty of guys and girls who dig short stature...

You are also correct on this one, though I've only met a few girls who said they either didn't care if I was short or thought shortness was 'cute'.

And I thought the "inch high" private eye(2.5cm) was short. :D Seriously, though, at 1.65m you aren't so bad off.

Haha, I noticed that typo as well :D. The problem I have is that I'm also very thin which adds my short stature. Guess I'll have to start going to the gym or something. :xp:

There are advantages/disadvantages of being big/small, and they are quite real.

Good point. Even though I do think being small has more disadvantages in nearly everything.

Tall women are hot though. :D

Not really, at least not for me. :p have you ever kissed a girl who's taller than you? it makes you feel like you're the woman and she's the man. *shudders*

I'm around 6-3 1/2 and I get random people commenting on my height in public sometimes, but usually its not negative stuff. My younger brother is 6-5 and lots of people just come up to him and say stuff like "what do your parents feed you" or "you should play basketball" but usually its nothing negative.
On the same note, I feel that my height gives me added confidence in social situations.

Yes indeed. I see nothing negative in being tall and for someone like you I believe It's hard to understand what daily things can be hard for a short person. For example not reaching the cereal on the top shelf at a grocery store :p can be irritating at times.

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Another thing which I thought was strange is that women have moved further and further away from the 50's housewife "ideal", they are more independent, having a job is encouraged and enforced by society and more and more women have high posts in the government for example.
And still women (in my opinion a vast majority) thrive after this "tall, strong man who can protect me" type. Shouldn't independent and confident women have overcome this need of being protected by a tall/strong man in the 21st century?

I think it's a cultural thing. The "ideal" physical apperance has changed over the centuries and differs between cultures. When we grow up in a given society, we get used to some physical types.


But there are some preferences that are more universial though, and yes things unfortunately turns more and more generic nowadays.

First off, I don't thing there is too much problem with dating a taller female. Well, being a short guy I should know. :)

Granted, a female much taller would cause some problems I guess... too much destractions then your eye level is starring right at their boobies.

Plus, there are some guys who prefer taller(and bigger) females.

Yeah, but at least you short guys would have a decent excuse. :p pardon me darling, but looking you in the eye gives me a terrible crick in my neck..

Yeah, but at least you short guys would have a decent excuse. :p pardon me darling, but looking you in the eye gives me a terrible crick in my neck..

Smooth......:cool::lol:

One advantage of being tall (relatively) is that it's harder for snooty people to look down their noses at you:p I do feel that petite women tend to receive less respect, as some friends have noted, especially in male dominated professions like engineering. Short guys, well, some of them just have a point to prove...unnecessarily.

I date a guy who's my height, but slouches:p While sometimes, I'd like for him to be 6 feet tall and whatnot, we work pretty good. Plus I never fancied wearing heels much anyway!:D