To think short men get treated poorly

[NEVERQUIT3331]

We see all the comments online, real life etc..

Comments such as:

1. "he has short man syndrome" (short women do not get told this)
2. "too bad he is short he was quite good looking" (in other words saying someone being short makes them not good looking)
3. "future children will be short" (as if that is someone's only concern and not whether the child becomes a good person. Also height of children is not solely determined by the male. There are other factors.

It is okay to have a preference but some of these "preferences" seem to be ill mannered comments.

@arethereanyleftatall

But all people with perceived negative (for most) aesthetic traits get treated slightly worse than aesthetically pleasing people. Not that that's right, but it is life. People are allowed to be attracted to whoever they want to be, for whatever reason they want.

True. Although the vitriol from many short men directed at tall wonen is odd because objectively being a tall woman is an aestheticly pleasing trait for the majority of people. Look at the women that are selected to be models as they look better in most clothes. Friends often tell me they wish they had my height and partners have always loved it.

I've honestly never encountered anyone other than unusually small men who have said anything negative about women being tall so that does seem to be a specific issue to do with their self-image and attempting to project their insecurities onto other people who make what they perceive to be a deficiency in themselves more obvious. It's a very odd thing but I suppose it makes perverse sense!

I hated being tall as a kid.
All my friends were tiny and cute!
I'm now tall and fat .. hate that too.

Short Man Syndrome is definitely a thing.

Have tall female friends who have pointed out that the only men to comment on their height have been the short ones. And rather aggressively too.

I think it's bitterness mixed with classic misogyny.

Short Man Syndrome is probably a reaction to how they are treated and perceived, most of the time.

I think short people in general are treated less seriously.

I'm a 5ft 2 woman and have been teased for it since school. I don't get it so much as a nearly 42 year old. The last time was in my 20s and the worst bully was a coworker who was a 6ft something male, called me a midget. Probably thought it was fair game being tall but he had nothing else going for him.

My husband is 5'6" and I love him for it. I'm a little bit shorter than him. Sure, he wishes he was taller. Would he trade his broad shoulders for another five inches in height ? I doubt it.

He earns a manager's salary. He is confident without being overbearing. He has friends. He is a good listener. People are fond of him.

Tall guys ? No thanks. I had a tall boyfriend when I was single, he was 6ft 1inch tall.

Tall guys can be lummoxes !

Short man/napoleon syndrome does exist. Just not in all short men.

Some one who is a know-it-all is just that. There's no, 'tall man syndrome' is there ?

I've known a few smug, conceited tall men but many that are not. So no I don't think there is any such thing as "tall man syndrome".

Dh is 5ft 10 and I wouldn't want him any other way.

Well I imagine a lot of women reject short men as they don't want to feel big by comparison. Because women shouldn't be big, strong or powerful in our society.
These are the rules men made, and I guess their shorter brethren are just collateral damage.

@5128gap

Well I imagine a lot of women reject short men as they don't want to feel big by comparison. Because women shouldn't be big, strong or powerful in our society. These are the rules men made, and I guess their shorter brethren are just collateral damage.

So it's men's fault that women reject short men? Riiiiight......

My DH is 5ft 6. I'm 5ft 1.
He was quite high up in the local government before retiring.
In the sport he plays he is in the top 10 of the country.(at one stage he was No 1)
He is the most friendliest person I know.
Does not have short man syndrome.
Our DS is 5ft 8. DD is 5ft 2.
DGS is 5ft 10. Other grandchildren are still growing.
All our family are confident and comfortable with life.
If you are friendly and approachable with a good attitude
then that is how you are treated back. Nothing to do with height.

But I agree being a girl/woman is very difficult as not only some men treat you bad
women can be critical.

@Lockheart

As a tall woman I'm quite surprised when women say they wouldn't date someone shorter than them - I've only dated one guy who was taller than me! The rest have all been my height or shorter. Only one had an issue with my height.

Even more eyebrow raising when someone who's 5'3" says they won't date anyone under 6".

It all stems from age-old patriarchal expectations that women must be small and dainty and men must be tall and strong and if you're taller than your partner then your relationship is wrong and aberrant.

I’m 5 11” but I’ve never dated anyone shorter. Perhaps you’re right about the patriarchal expectations I had a thing for tall 6 4” rowers with big shoulders / rugby players in my younger days.

I find really tall men a real turn off and in my experience they tend to be less well endowed than shorter men.

If a man is confident in his own skin he will be fine, short or not. Dh is very confident and fit and people rarely notice his height. I'm short and we cuddle up perfectly. Oddly my mum said the other day we both look taller when we are together as we match so well.

*Well I imagine a lot of women reject short men as they don't want to feel big by comparison. Because women shouldn't be big, strong or powerful in our society.
These are the rules men made, and I guess their shorter brethren are just collateral damage.

So it's men's fault that women reject short men? Riiiiight......*

Well yes it is. Men created the patriarchy and toxic masculinity and imposed it on everyone. The same goes for the whole 'men don't cry' thing - it was an idea created and perpetuated by men. As is the idea that men must be providers for the family - they did this by literally making it illegal for women to have bank accounts (which has only been changed in the last 100 years) and, further back in history, even earn money. Every area of toxic masculinity that men suffer from was created by men. And then for some reason they always come crying to women that were causing these problem. No, you created these problems and expectation, you work to undo them yourself. Women have enough going on fighting sexism - which is also imposed on us by men.

@sleepygnome

I find really tall men a real turn off and in my experience they tend to be less well endowed than shorter men.

How strange! I believe the opposite is more usual, from a biological statistics perspectives. Must have been a strange anomaly in the ones you met!

Tall men get it too.

At the weekend husband and I went to the pub. Husband is 6'7 and has alopecia. Before even saying hello the pub manager said to my husband

'My gosh your enormous!'

Husband just looked at him and waited ages to reply. If it had been me I'd have told him he was very rude and that was not on.

Heightism is alive and well.

Heightism!
My son gets this too.
' blimey, your a big lad' type comments. He is well over six feet .
It's strange that people have to say something isn't it?

Short men and tall women both get shit. Well, unless they’re tall and thin in which case it’s celebrated as “willowy”.

@JeanClaudeVanDammit

Short men and tall women both get shit. Well, unless they’re tall and thin in which case it’s celebrated as “willowy”.

I hadn't thought of this. So you think it's mainly larger tall women who get grief? I am slim and relatively tall (under 6ft though!) and as I say have never had negativity about my height except from very small men.

I haven’t dated any short men because I don’t find them attractive. Surely we’re allowed our preferences? Short man syndrome definitely is a thing too. I’ve come across it a few times.

I’m little, DH is 6ft 2 and DS is 6ft 5. DS is part Chinese so is absolutely enormous compared to my family. My lovely Dad was 5ft 6, he died before DS got really tall. Apart from the fact I miss him I so wish he could have seen his giant grandson.

I don’t mind men on the shorter side, I’m 5 ft 4. Like a PP, I’ve only ever had my height commented on by short men too! “Oh you’re so short” …one day I may have to respond “so are you”

@PolkadotFlamingos nope it is because you are still under 6ft.

One of my female friends is just over 6ft. I've been with her when she has got shit from men about her height who are 1-2 inches shorter than her.

I had a colleague who was 6ft 4. She got lots of shit from men who were around 6ft as well about her height.

Neither were fat or could be considered larger at the time they were being abused.

I came to the conclusion that some men are just fucking rude and think that women exist to please them.

To be clear people are allowed preferences of course I just think its a shame for the short men and a very superficial thing to care about. You like what you like though I guess. I'm a very short woman myself, with a shorter than average DH