My most frequently used hash tag on twitter? #Shortgirlproblems.
Understandable that at 5’ 1 ¾” tall, it immediately pops up when I begin to type the letter “S” after a hash tag. Being short means an inability to reach my dorm closet’s top shelf, a losing battle with the crowd of abnormally tall lacrosse players at Peirce during the dinner rush, and commonly being mistaken for a 12-year-old tween.
Ultimately, I’ve found that tall people and short people both suffer equally and reap the rewards of their respective heights. Yes, there is a certain stigma to having to ask a fellow shopper at the grocery store to please hand me that box of tampons sitting on the very top of that unnecessarily tall shelf. Yet, I can wear child’s sized crocs (don’t judge my dorm shoes) and sometimes even pass for a child at the movie theatre. Sure, being tall would have its perks: jeans that fit right out of the store, those willowy and lean limbs short girls can only dream of, not to mention fresh air in a crowded room. Despite the negative side effects of being short, I’ve come to a point of acceptance. We can consider ourselves adorable, and honestly, being short means the ability to wear a shorter skirt without seeming slutty.
Sometimes being short seems like living the path Annie from Bridesmaids takes – one full of misfortune and multiple rock bottoms.
A few examples that I’m sure shorties everywhere can relate to:
- When a football player bends down to sneeze and uses my hair/neck as a tissue.
- When I go swimming and everyone else is up to his or her chest and I’m underwater.
- Trying on a short skirt or dress and finding out it hits at the entirely unflattering portion of the mid-calf.
- Being mistaken for graduating 8th grade instead of High School.
- Attempting to buy knee-high boots only to realize they go above your knees and you look like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
- Being unable to bunk your dorm bed because no way are you getting down from that alive.
- That awkward moment when people don’t know if your boyfriend is your boyfriend or your father.
- Automatically being chosen as the person sitting in the middle.
- Driving with the seat pushed all the way forward to be able to reach the pedals.
- Getting separated from your friends at an Old Kenyon party and flying so low under the average head height no one can find you.
- Having to tease your hair like Tracy Turnblad to try to add height
- Hobbling in 5-inch heels just to be seen in prom pictures.
Being short is a double-edged sword. I find humor in these moments now. I admire the short girl who finds confidence in her height. After eighteen years, I have come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be able to wear a dress length other than maxi or mini, nor will I ever find a pair of jeans that I can wear directly out of a store. I’ll probably never stop shopping in children sections of shoe stores, nor will I ever decline a kids’ menu passed my way.
However, I’ve found beauty, grace, and even charm, in my demure height. Being short has its perks too: the ability to wear tee-shirts as dresses and being able to blend in with the crowd (or purposefully get lost in a sea of people to avoid an ex-boyfriend).
Hey, I can fit on planes, trains, automobiles, go-carts, children’s car seats, the back of a bike, the basket of a baby swing and even in a toddler’s bed frame at Ikea.
As with everything, being short has its ups and downs. I’ve lived my life too long with the worry that my height will hinder me. Quite the contrary, being short brings to light new and enticing prospects and saves me money too. I’ve learned to embrace my height because…after all #ShortGirlSwag
PhotoCred: twicsy.com