Good things about being a petite 5'0

[TeenPlusTwenties]

Can anyone help my DD?
She is not yet 5ft tall and seems to have more or less stopped growing if the marks on the kitchen door are anything to go by, and she is down about it.
Are there positives to being petite? How can I make her feel better?
(She's nearly 16).

Tall person here who would like to be petite!

Economy seats on planes feel like business class.
She can enjoy theatre more (I love theatre, opera, ballet etc, but in most theatres my knees seize up and I have to spend the interval doing stretches in a corner somewhere).
She probably has tiny feet that fit into children's trainers which will save her a fortune.
She will probably also always be able to fit into children's clothes, which are cheaper (no VAT) and nobody else will have the same things. Zara kids have lovely stuff that doesn't look childish.
All boys will be taller than her, giving her more choice (tell her to pursue short guys and leave the tall ones for her tall friends!)
She can wear huge heels/platform shoes without looking/feeling like a drag queen (and boys will still be taller).
She can sleep on any sofa.
She will get away with things!

Planes - yes.
Theatre - not convinced - she has trouble seeing unless it is a child infront
Shoes & clothes - maybe, but cuts down on adult choice. We'll check out Zara some more.
BFs - perhaps
Heels - she's not currently that keen
Sleep on sofas - yes
Get away with things - maybe - she tends however to be overlooked as people don't 'respect' her age

Good list - what else?

I’m 4’11 and stopped growing at 12.
I have teeny feet (size 3) and can pay less by shopping for shoes in the kids department.
Long haul flights and long journeys in general are more comfortable when you don’t have long legs.
People are generally delighted to help with reaching things down from high shelves, or putting your case on a rack. You’ll rarely have to ask for help, people leap to assist!
More space relatively speaking in bed. Your feet won’t poke out of the covers unless you want them to.
You’ll clean up in the sales as smaller sizes in clothes and shoes are often left.
It’s impossible for you to bash your head off a low door frame.

Two things that I suggest: learn to sew (so you can do your own alterations - I’ve saved a fortune throughout my life), and get a portable stepladder for your home.

Being very short hasn’t disadvantaged me in life. I think we have it easier than very tall people, who have more back problems, have to watch out for low doorways, and feel more cramped when travelling. Also, you can take garments up, but it’s harder to add bits on, so they end up paying through the nose at specialist retailers for tall people.

She probably has tiny feet that fit into children's trainers which will save her a fortune.She will probably also always be able to fit into children's clothes, which are cheaper (no VAT) and nobody else will have the same things.

What utter nonsense! I'm 5ft 1 and I couldn't fit into children's clothes unless I was a size 6. I wear size 14-16 skirts and I also have breasts, and wear normal adult-sized shoes. Take your patronising assumptions somewhere else.

@tectonicplates I think the suggestion was still valid. Next kids close go to a women's size 12 and H&M to about a 10 so would suit a lot of short women.

@tectonicplates well yes, you have to be slim as well but being able to fit into kids clothes/shoes is definitely a plus of being petite!

Sorry to hear that @tectonicplates - sounds like you have the worst of both worlds there. Sucks to be you, I guess

@StatementKnickers Why would it suck to be me? I'm perfectly happy, thanks. I find it's usually other people who have a problem with it.

She does have feet that still fit child sizes (size 3/3.5).

She certainly still fits larger children's sizes, (so not the 11-12, but the 13-14 or 15-16, but the breasts and hips do make a difference, it is very variable.

I'm 5 foot.. I'd like longer legs but aside from that I like being short .. never an issue for me .

She will fit perfectly in that last tiny space on the tube where the roof slopes to meet the door (jubilee line) and will be able to turn to the door comfortably so she has a bit of air to breath as opposed to smelly armpits on the other side

I'm 5'0 and I haven't had too many problems. My feet are size 6 though so I joke I'm a hobbit. Love a second breakfast too!

5'2

Childrens shoes are a false economy. They are designed to be grown out of in a few months, not last years. I have very wide size 2s and upsize into adult 4s. I can't wear very high heels as my feet aren't physically long enough.

I can wear children's tops (small bust) but my hips are far too broad.

Theatre/ plane seats are good.

I get claustrophobic in crowds. Being at shoulder height can be quite oppressive and you don't see/ hear much.

I got refused service for gin and tonic at 37 when I had no ID. I am regularly IDed. It is more of a youthful look.

People can be quite protective over you. A mixed blessing. Sometimes good, but it's hard to make an assertive professional impact when colleagues mistake you for one of your y7s!

Good for your posture.

Easy to fit in small spaces. Look out of the windscreen in the middle seat of the car (less car sick)

Less ducking under overgrown trees and in caves.

I've always been happy with my height and never had a desire to be scaled up.

Anyway, OP, the main reason I've never seen it as a problem is that it was never treated as A Thing. It was barely even mentioned. Nobody ever tried to come out with a clutching-at-straws list of reasons why it's great. If you come out with stuff like "you'll never have to worry about leg room" surely this is going to seen like some kind of rubbish consolation prize to a 16-year-old.

Like I said above, I've never had a problem but it always seems to be other people who treat it like one, or assume it is.

oohnicevase I never minded being a short arse until I was widowed. Now I have nobody to reach the electric meter, burglar alarm panel or fuse box, and no space for a step ladder due to the layout of the cupboard under the stairs where they live.

She's fed up with comments from other kids at school (oh you're so tiny, titch, look I can rest my arm on your head etc etc)
She says she feels ignored, doesn't like being IDed when buying a 12 rated film (as happened earlier this year).
Can't reach stuff.
Boys won't want to go out with her as they'll look stupid together.

(She's a bit overwhelmed by everything at the moment, so it could be a passing worry or something more, not sure.)

POSITIVES
You look younger for longer - people think I'm late-30s rather than 48!
If you're petite as well as short, children's departments have funky trainers & casual clothes which are cheaper than adult sizes
The world is your oyster when it comes to men as you can chose between short, medium AND tall
Single beds/sofas are comfy

DRAWBACKS
Commuting is a nightmare as I can't reach the overhead bars & being armpit height is very smelly
Size 2 feet mean it's hard finding smart shoes
Seeing over heads in theatre/cinema is hard - always get an aisle seat if possible
Finding the right car, even with adjustable seats, can be hard if you have short legs/arms - booster seats help
I've had really tall people rest pints on my head in pubs

Id like to get a motorbike but at 5ft with short legs, the only type my size are children's off road dirt bikes. Plus I would've loved to join the RAF/learn to fly....

Boys won't want to go out with her as they'll look stupid together.

Have any boys actually said this to her, or is it an assumption coming from other people? I have literally never had a boy or man saying "I can't go out with you because you're too short", and I had plenty of fun when I was younger. Western society in general expects men to be taller than their female partners, so I've never had a problem finding a man who's taller than me. It's when you get couples where the woman is taller than the man that you start getting other people making comments. No idea how same-sex couples view these things.

My dd is 5'2 so I think she's tall but she gets a lot of the same comments at school, I think the average girl is taller these days. But in general it's good natured teasing as being tiny can often be seen as a good thing in our culture. Anyway a small pretty girl is going to end up being thought of as cute which can be a bit patronising, but it certainly doesn't mean she won't get plenty of people who think that's attractive.

My mum is 5 1. Her biggest challenge has always been getting clothes to fit - she's slimish but not tiny so very much couldn't do kids clothes but does have tiny feet so does get a lot of choice in the sales. She learned to sew in her teens like another poster mentioned and that helped.

Other than that I don't think it's had a big impact on her. She did fit into that 'cute pretty take care of me' look which she found both useful and a bit annoying as she's not overly girly.

I am a mighty 5 3. Literally never given it much thought other than my husband is over a foot taller which means we've never managed sex standing up and now I'm in my 40s I don't need many calories to keep me going. No other impact at all.

@tectonicplates it sucks to be so angry about something you can't change that you fly off the handle and are rude to someone who posted a helpful response to someone else's post. You keep saying you don't have an issue but it's clear you do. The OP described her daughter as petite, not short, so my suggestion of children's clothes and shoes was perfectly valid, as others have pointed out.

The OP described her daughter as petite, not short, so my suggestion of children's clothes and shoes was perfectly valid, as others have pointed out.

This is a major misunderstanding which happens too often. "Petite" specifically refers to height. In fashion industry terms, petite clothing is clothing designed for women of 5ft 3 and under. Petite clothing can be any dress size - TU at Sainsbury's makes petite clothing up to a size 20.

As a 5ft woman , my height has never been seen as unattractive! for many boys/men the opposite in fact... petite/small is often seen rightly or wrongly as feminine which is not unattractive to the average hetero male?

@panda3019

As a 5ft woman , my height has never been seen as unattractive! for many boys/men the opposite in fact... petite/small is often seen rightly or wrongly as feminine which is not unattractive to the average hetero male?

Exactly!

I'm very short. I've never had an issue with men. In fact, I prefer shorter men but I've always ended up with tall guys. My DH is 6'3. I think we look silly next to each other but we're used to it now. Lol. Past BFs have been 6' and 5'10. Your daughter will be fine.

In school other girls would definitely do those annoying things, like resting their arms on my head, but that definitely stopped at the end of school and in uni.

I've always loved being short. You get noticed more.