Avoid In-laws because of jokes about my appearance

Hahaha 🤣 brilliant OP.

I’m hobbit sized (4’11”) and I just let the jokes go over my head (easy to do with me being so short).

say “I’m a hobbit so I have an excuse for hairy feet and second breakfast, what’s yours?” 🤔

Could you act like it's the funniest joke ever, then say I know. It's so funny how I'm almost as tall as you are wide!!

Hahahaha that’s fab!

5ft is not exactly unusual, how many 'jokes' can they possibly make?

I think I'd do a lot of obvious eye rolling and digs about them lacking wit.

At your height you would definitely not be the shortest person around at all.. lots of people are around or even quite a bit under 5 foot especially women who are older or from certain ethnicities! There’s a reason Petite ranges are popular! Quite a few of my friends / relatives/ colleagues are petite in height.
What total idiots these in laws are. I just would not bother to spend time with them as life is too short for annoying people.

Does it matter?

Id say, No I’m not coming. “If I was fat would you calling me Fatso, if I had a crooked nose would you calling me Beaky…. Etc
I am totally fed up of you being rude & making derogatory remarks at my expense.
Its not light hearted, its not funny.
Actually I’ll call you ….. & let my kids join in, let’s see how we get on shall we?

It can be so tiresome when folk just keep going on and on about it. Dont they get bored? I'm 5'7" and have size 7 feet. My MIL would comment on it every single time we visited. She has form for stuff like this, but my family are all very polite and sensitive so I was not used to it. 15 years down the line, I just snapped. I said. 'Yes, that's the way they were made, and you were made with a fat arse but I don't keep going on about it'. She cried and wailed for ages. It did not go down well. I'm glad I said something, but would have phrased it better in hindsight!

“Oh fuck off Brenda (fill in appropriate name), I maybe short, you however are an unfunny boring fuckwit Cunt”.

Hopefully, that should do it.

It's not funny at all. Stop accepting this.

It's not funny and stop laughing along. You are encouraging a bullying behaviour.

I think avoiding them is fair enough. With the teenager coming to stay I’d say something like: “I just want to be clear about expectations up front [list of things he might need telling like no smoking in his room, help clean up after a meal, whatever] and also, you’re a guest in my home so no making fun of me or my height, you may think it’s a joke, but I don’t.” And if he breaks any of that then “We talked about this. I hate it. If you can’t be a decent house guest you need to go home. I won’t put up with it again.”

Don’t laugh it off or pretend you don’t hate it, and don’t apologise for telling him he shouldn’t do it.

I don’t think you need the second warning but he’s a teen who’s been brought up with very different norms and habits are hard to break so I would give him the second chance if he needs it. No more, though.

5ft is not that short, there are lots of women about who are around that height. They must be really short of things to talk about if they keep going on about it. I would tell them straight that it's not funny or appropriate and shut up please or I won't see you again. I wouldn't insult them back, it's just sinking to their level and beneath your dignity.

As a fellow 5 footer I have never had nasty comments - maybe people know me too well and know I don't respond well to bullying
The only way you are going to stop it is to match their energy - the next time there is a comment you need to respond - tell them you are sick of their bullying, you have asked them to stop and they won't so now you are joining in - the next time they comment on your height you are going to comment on their weight, facial features etc and see if they find it as funny when they are on the receiving end - don't back down

No one should get away with these comments and rightly so, tell them to do one. Why is this still happening? And in no other circumstances should this be ok. It's not funny and keep on saying so. One of my friends kept on mentioning my height and in the final straw remark I just said, not verbatim 'do I mention your weight, and other imperfections?' NO, so kindly shut the fuck up as it's cruel and fucking rude. Sorted.

I'd pick one of their prominent features and start to take the piss out of that if they start.
I:E, 'OK, baldy / slaphead / big ears / baggy arse.
The possibilities could be endless.

DS and I have a laugh as he’s over a foot taller than me and I’m only just below average height. But that’s within the immediate family in a living environment. MIL used to come out w clangers and DH had to speak to her so it’s obviously on your dh to speak to his family. I wouldn’t insult back to their faces.

Yes it's incredibly tiresome. A colleague once said "you'd be so more beautiful if you were taller". Yes and you'd be more intelligent if you had a brain. I never reacted then but would now. It's incredibly rude and please never accept this.

I am the same height as you and honestly i have had it my whole life from colleagues, and strangers mostly. It seems like height is the remaining thing (that you can’t do anything about!) that is fair game. It is exhausting and and now i have short kids and they get it too. I have a reputation for being ‘feisty’ mostly because i always have to have a comment or a comeback ready but i am tired!! Someone asked if i was a dwarf once and i cried. People are generally cunts so i find it best to point that out to them.

It's just not acceptable. Really funny isn't it to laugh at someone's who's fat or has acne? No it isn't and I'm taking a personal issue with this. I'm tiny, 4 ft 11 and apparently it's so funny to belittle us and that's fine? Macron and Sunak were often ridiculed 'small man syndrome ' etc when in any other instance it is NOT funny. Esme on Sewing Bee, Sandy Toksvig, tell the producers to do one and literally stop being the butt of really hilarious jokes. Tell the relatives shut up once and for all. And to everyone out there, you too shut up as enough is enough.

The odd thing, is an entire family (including the kids) think it is okay to harp on and on to this poor woman.
She also needs to get husband on side.

God how tiresome .
I am just under 5’2” and have had comments and jokes .
I remember some girl at school saying I’d be really good looking if I was taller ..
I suppose that’s sort of a compliment 🙄
Even in my fifties I’d have “ friends “ comment on my kitchen step stool laughing at it , laughing at how I had to shop in the petite section etc and how I couldn’t reach things in the supermarket.
And I’m really only a little below the average women’s height ( globally )

I am 4ft11 and occasionally would make a comment around it (for example in an anecdote or story) never bothered me being small, but no one really makes direct jokes about it and definitely not my husbands family. I actually forget how short I am until I see a group picture!
When they make a joke ask them why they are so obsessed about your height.

They're not joking with you. They're bullying you.

Jokes are funny. This is trying to make you less than them because of your height. They're mean and insecure.

The bullying stops now.

Your husband has a come to Jesus with them about them bullying his wife and that it will no longer be tolerated.

Your husband should say something every damn time they neg you about your height. Then you get up and leave.

If a serious talk about bullying didn't stop them, I'd stop seeing them. No visits, no more teens coming to stay. Your husband needs to talk to this one when they get in and make it clear that if there is one snide remark about your height, they will be out.

I'm pretty blunt as well as short and when people try to push me around because of my size, they wish they hadn't. I have no issues with calling out bullying for what it is. They're already passive aggressively nasty to you. They already don't like you. Calling their bullying out for what it is and telling them to fuck off if it doesn't stop won't make them like you less.